30 Years of Award winning service
Independent on Sunday - 1993-1999
Sunday Times Top 100 - 2003-2005
Sunday Times Top 250 - 2006-2009
17 March 2010
Texas Trails
12 Days/11 Nights
Gateway: Houston
Standard Tour from £494pp
Deluxe Tour from £920pp
Car Hire: from £19 per car per day
Day 1: Arrive Houston
America’s fourth largest city has everything a visitor could want. And it’s all easy to get to. The latest exhibits, performance and sporting events, 70 restaurants and entertainment options are all located along Houston’s Metrorail. In addition to touring great attractions, you can have a pair of boots custom made on Westheimer, sign up as the Chef for a Day at Brennan’s and dine at the Skyline Bar and Grill with a 180 degree view of downtown.
tandard: BW Fountainview Inn and Suites Near GalleriaS
Deluxe: Hidden Oaks Inn
Day 2: Explore Houston
Visit the San Jacinto Battleground State Park, explore the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences or view the Menril Collection, one of the greatest private art collections in the US. If none of these suit you, there are a hundred other things to see and do. Stop in at the Convention and Visitors Bureau to scope out activities of interest or take in a city tour for an overview of Houston.
Day 3: Houston to Galveston
On your way to Galveston you can blast off at the Johnson Space Center touring the payload bays, tracking live updates on current flights, touching space rocks and marvelling at a full scale model of the space shuttle. As you cross the causeway to Galveston Island, you’ll see the magnificent Moody Gardens surrounding the 1895 Moody Mansion and the 1893 Bishop’s Palace, two of the Broadway Beauties that survived Galveston’s 1900 hurricane. Once there, Galveston offers 32 miles of beaches for strolling and relaxing.
Standard: BW Beachfront Inn
Deluxe: Queen Anne B&B
Day 4: Galveston to Corpus Christi
Your trip can include a portion of the Texas coastline as you drive from Galveston to Corpus Christi in far South Texas. On the way, a side trip to Kingsville will take you to the famous King Ranch established in 1858 that now covers 825,000 acres, an area bigger than Rhode Island. They offer a variety of tours to suit any interest.
Standard: BW Navigation Inn
Deluxe: George Blucher House
Day 5: Explore Corpus Christi
Padre Island National Seashore, which hugs the Texas coast for 75 miles is the longest barrier island in the US. It is one of the best places to see whooping cranes, great blue herons and hawks. You can see hundreds of the animals found on Padre Island at the Texas State Aquarium. Take to the water yourself, with fishing, jet skiing, kayaking, windsurfing or sailing. Eat at Whataburger By the Bay for a spectacular view of the bayfront, explore the arts and enjoy one of many regular evening performances.
Day 6: Corpus Christi to San Antonio
Over the past decade, San Antonio has become the real travel destination in Texas. The top ranking Alamo, location of the famous battle is followed closely by Riverwalk, a delightful Spanish plaza right on the riverfront. You can spend countless hours strolling and dining. The original San Jose, San Juan, Espada and Concepcion missions are preserved as part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Standard: BW Posada Ana Inn
Deluxe: The Oge’ House Inn on the Riverwalk
Day 7: Explore San Antonio
Today you can spend a day playing at Seaworld San Antonio, Fiesta Texas, with the only “floorless” roller coaster in the southwest, the HemisFair Urban Park, Tower of the Americas and the San Antonio Zoo. History lovers will enjoy the University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures, and the King William Historic District. Nature lovers can get underground at the Natural Bridge Caverns and Cascade Caverns, both located beneath Texas Hill Country.
Day 8: San Antonio through Texas Hill Country to Austin
On your way to Austin, take the scenic route through Texas Hill Country, which rises like a lush green oasis out of the dusty Texas desert. Crystal streams, towering cedar trees, acres of Texas bluebonnets, rock walls, stone buildings, peaches, forts, and ghost towns look more the eastern US than the Lone Star State. Try some of the good German food you’ll find in Fredericksburg along the way.
Standard: BW Seville Plaza Inn
Deluxe: Mansion on Judge’s Hill
Day 9: Explore Austin
Austin is the most unique Texas City you’ll visit. The top 10 list of things to do includes 1.5 million bats (only in summer), wildflowers, the state capitol, a Presidential library, a mountain and a constantly flowing spring. And of course, there’s Austin City Limits and the other music clubs where Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings took the outlaw country sound from Nashville to Austin. Don’t miss the music. There’s a wide variety of music performed in Austin every evening.
Day 10: Austin to Dallas
Dallas’ motto “Think Big. Live Large!” describes the essence and vitality of this great city built on big dreams, freshly blazed trails and an attitude that all things are possible. It offers a thriving culinary scene, leading arts district, professional sports, trendy entertainment districts and endless shopping opportunities. Dallas has been a shopping bonanza since Neiman Marcus opened in 1907 and the Galleria is second to none in the world.
Standard: BW Market Center
Deluxe: Sanford House Inn
Day 11: Explore Dallas
Today you can explore the Sixth Floor Museum from which Oswald fired those infamous shots along with the largest urban cultural district in the world. The 227-acre Fair Park includes the Dallas Museum of Art, the Crow Collection of Asian Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, the Meyerson Symphony Center, Annette Strauss Artist Square and more. Visit old Dallas at the Old City Park and there’s even Southfork Ranch from the world- famous television show, if you’re interested. Take a side trip to Fort Worth to visit Sundance Square and the city’s famous Stockyards.
Day 12: Dallas/Houston
Choose to fly home from Dallas or drive to Houston to catch your plane.
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