I have been asked several times, money aside what are all the top things I would do in Texas. Obviously each time I am asked I scramble together some of my top things, but I thought it would be more fun to actually write it all down. My Texas bucket list consists of multiple sections; from seasonal activities, to hikes, state parks, quirky stops and more.
I do have to clarify that this is my list of top things that I would like to do, my actual list of everything I want to do in Texas is beyond huge! My google maps is covered in so many saved dots that you would think I had just saved the entire state.
Can you blame me though? I LOVE Texas! This giant state has everything from beaches, to deserts, to forest, to swamps, to mountains. It has so much variety that it would take me a hundred lifetimes to everything I would love to see. You can bet that I will live every minute I can spare exploring though!
Hope that you too can create a Texas bucket list and that maybe some of the things in this article will end up on your list too!
Texas Bucket List:
Places To See Bluebonnets:
(Visit late March-Early May)
- Muleshoe Bend– Spicewood
- Inks Lake State Park– Burnet
- Willow City Loop- Drive from Willow City to Bend
- Grelle Rec Area– Spicewood
- Turkey Bend Rec Area– Marble Falls
- The Bluebonnet House- Marble Falls
Other Must See Flower Destinations:
- Poppies- Georgetown or Castroville House (mid-March-Mid-April)
- Azalea Trail/Pyron Garden– Tyler (Late March-Early April)
- Tyler Rose Gardens– Tyler (Two blossoming months, October and May)
- Mrs Lee’s Daffodil Gardens– Gladewater (mid February-Mid March)
- Texas Tulips-Pilot Point (end February-March)
- Aronsky Family Marigold Farms– Blanco (Mid-October- early November)
Top Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Experiences:
- SeaWorld– San Antonio
- Texas State Aquarium– Corpus Christi
- Natural Bridge Safari– San Antonio
- Fort Worth Zoo (considered on of the best zoos in the USA)- Fort Worth
- Gator Country-Beaumont
- Moody Gardens– Galveston
- Blue Hills Ranch (swim with otters)- McGregor
- Oak Meadow Ranch (swim on a water buffalo)- Valley View
- The Preserve (bathe elephants)- Fredericksburg
- Ride Donkeys to Mexico at Big Bend National Park
- Watch baby Sea Turtles hatch- South Padre Island (mid June- early August)
Best Parades AND Festivals:
- Dia De Los Muertos River Parade (biggest Day of the Dead celebration in the USA)- San Antonio (Late October)
- Fiesta (Texas independence celebration)- San Antonio (April-May)
- Dia De Los Muertos Parade- Dallas (late October)
- Fort Worth Stockyards (daily longhorn parade through town)- Fort Worth
- Texas Sand Fest (sand castle festival)- Port Aransas (Late April)
- Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup- Sweetwater (2nd weekend in March)
- Texas Renaissance Festival (world’s largest)-Todd Mission (weekends in October-November)
- Asia Times Square Lunar New Year Festival- Dallas (Mid January-Early February)
- First Monday Trade Days (giant flea market)- Canton (first Monday of each month)
Christmas Must SEE:
- ICE Gaylord– Grapevine
- ICE LAND Moody Gardens- Galveston
- Visit the Christmas Capital of Texas- Grapevine
- Main Street Bethlehem- Burnet
- Polar Express Train Ride- Palestine
- Space Center Lights- Houston
- Magic Lights- Katy
- Santa’s Wonderland– College Station
- SeaWorld Christmas Lights (most Christmas lights in Texas)- San Antonio
Spring Must SEE:
- Wildseed Farm (flowers in bloom)- Fredricksburg
- Big Bend State Park (bluebonnets are in bloom)- Terilingua
- Yesterland Farms Bunny Palooza (Easter)- Canton
- Sweet Eats Fruit Farm (baby days in March-April)- Georgetown
Fall Must SEE:
- Autumn at the Arboretum– Dallas
- Pumpkin Nights– Austin or Arlington
- Chandler Gardens Jack O Lantern Nights- Weatherford
- Sundrop Springs Farm (find the giant wooden troll)- New Braunfels
- Skygardens (pick your own flowers)- Lubbock
- Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge (sandhill crane migration)- Muleshoe
- Happy Frights- San Antonio Botanical Gardens
TOP Texas State Parks:
- Caprock Canyon State Park (Hike by Bison)- Quitaque
- Brazos Bend State Park (Wild alligators)- Needville
- Palo Duro Canyon State Park (2nd largest canyon in USA)- Amarillo
- Caddo Lake State Park (kayak through swamp)-Karnack
- Monahans Sandhills State Park (Dune board down sand dunes)- Monahans
- Longhorn Caverns State Park (amazing caves)- Burnet
- Goose Island State Park (fish for blue crabs)- Rockport
- Hueco Tanks State Park (cool rocks)- El Paso
- Garner State Park (Hike Old Baldy)- Concan
- Enchanted Rock State Natural Area (hike the giant rock)- Fredericksburg
Quirky Sights in Texas:
- Pop Art Museum- San Angelo
- Slug Bug Ranch– Amarillo
- Cadillac Ranch- Amarillo
- Light show at San Fernando Cathedral– San Antonio
- Pease Park Giant Wooden Troll- Austin
Waterfalls In Texas:
- Colorado Bend State Park– Bend
- Tonkawa Falls-Crawford
- McKinney Falls State Park– Austin
- Sitting Bull Falls- Carlsbad, New Mexico
- Hamilton Pool– Bee Cave
- Belton Lake Waterfall- Belton
- Chalk Ridge Falls- Belton
Amazing Things I want to see:
- West Cave Discovery Center– Round Mountain
- La Sal De Rey (Salt Flats)- Edinburg
- Jacobs Well Natural Area– Wimberly
- Frio Bat Flight (mid March-September)- Concan
- El Paso Mission Trail (find all the old churches)- El Paso
- Big Thicket National Preserve (swamp like preserve)-Kountze
- Rainforest Café River Ride- Galveston
- Japanese Tea Gardens- San Antonio
- Kemah Boardwalk (amusement park on a pier over the ocean)-Kemah
- San Antonio Mission National Historic Parks (find all the old cathedrals)- San Antonio
- The Alamo– San Antonio
- Prada-Marfa
- Cibolo Center of Conservation– Boerne
- Bat Flights Under Bridge- Austin (late March-Fall)
- Ride a boat on the Riverwalk– San Antonio
- Historic Market Square (beautiful Mexican market)- San Antonio
- International Waterlily Garden-San Angelo
- Glass Bottom Boats- San Marcos
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park (hike to the highest point in Texas)- Dell City
Museums:
- Color Factory (unique color art museum)- Houston
- Tour the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory- Bernham
- Hopscotch (immersive art museum)- San Antonio
- Gelman Stain Glass Museum (largest stain glass museum in the USA)-McAllen
- Sloomoo Institute (slime museum)- Houston
- Museum of Ice Cream (ice cream themed museum)- Austin
- Warren Wildlife Gallery (basically a taxidermy zoo)- Austin
- Toilet Seat Museum- The Colony
Places I Want To Swim:
- Blue Hole Regional Park– Wimberly
- Krause Springs– Spicewood
- Tube down New Braunfels Water Chutes
- Chalk Bluff River Resort-Uvalde
- Balmorrhea State Park (Swim in the worlds largest spring-fed swimming pool)- Toyahvale
FOOD:
- Round Rock Giant Donuts– Round Rock
- Harumama (cute Asian buns and dumplings)-Carrollton
- Spinning Buns (UFO Burgers)- Austin
- Big Texan (home of the 72 oz steak)- Amarillo
- Buckhorn Saloon (western themed restaurant)- San Antonio
TOWNS I want to really explore:
- New Braunfels/Gruene
- Galveston
- Amarillo
- Round Rock
- Fredricksburg
- San Angelo
- South Padre Island
- Ruidoso
- Carrollton
- San Antonio
East New Mexico:
Let me explain, I know I said Texas bucket list, but I am a west Texas resident, so if you are exploring west Texas, these are just over the border to New Mexico and totally necessary!
- White Sands National Park– Alamogordo
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park– Carlsbad
- Bottomless Lakes State Park– Roswell
- Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park– Carlsbad
- Bluff Springs (waterfall)- Cloudcroft
- Sitting Bull Falls (waterfall)- Carlsbad
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