Discover new frontiers in Texas
Texas is frontier country, all the way from its Western heritage and cowboy roots to breaking boundaries in technology, the arts, music and culture. Here’s how to see it all on a visit to the Lone Star State…
New frontiers in Austin
Live music
Ever since the 19th-century when Swedish, German and Mexican settlers brought their musical tastes with them, Austin has been a musical hotbed. The Texan capital has ushered in new genres to continually freshen up the city’s soundtrack, flicking the generational playlist from jazz to blues, country to rock ‘n’ roll and more. Today, the Live Music Capital of the World lives up to its billing and while music is always playing somewhere in Austin, legendary nightclubs like Antone’s (where the iconic Stevie Ray Vaughan made his name) and yearly festivals like Austin City Limits (October) and South by Southwest (March) are the ultimate showcase of its eclectic music scene.
Arts and culture
Music isn’t the only way Austin’s locals like to express themselves. Sure, it has world-class galleries and museums like The Contemporary Austin and the George Washington Carver Museum but the great thing about Austin is you don’t need to seek out its creativity – it’s all around you. Eye-popping street art is splashed on just about every corner and works like the vibrant Greetings from Austin Mural will mean you take three times as long to get anywhere. You won’t care, though. For recycling at its zenith, the Cathedral of Junk is a ramshackle sculpture that has been growing with the city’s unwanted goods (55 tonnes and counting) ever since 1989.
Outdoor spaces
With more than 300 days of sunshine a year and an average temperature of 20°C, Austin is readymade for outdoor adventure. Its residents need no second invitation, with Austin regularly voted as one of the USA’s fittest cities. Locals love lacing up, escaping the city and treading the walking trails which web the 14,000 acres of cedar scrubland and limestone escarpments which make up its surrounding Hill Country. Even in Austin, there’s plenty of alfresco adventure on your doorstep, from stand-up paddleboarding on serene Lady Bird Lake at sunset to spy Mexican free-tailed bats to wild swimming in the tree-lined Barton Springs.
New frontiers in Dallas
Art and culture
Back in 1983, Dallas revolutionised its arts scene by establishing its Arts District, bringing its scattered arts landmarks together in one place. Today, it still serves as the city’s nucleus and is the largest contiguous arts district in the country, home to a wealth of world-class institutions worth seeing like the colossal collection which lies inside the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Dallas Museum of Art, whose 25,000 pieces of art span 5,000 years of history. Artistic flair lies outside of Downtown Dallas, too, including the vintage vibes of the Bishop Arts District and the vivid murals that light up Deep Ellum.
Food
The neighbourhoods of Bishop Arts and Deep Ellum aren’t just lauded for their artistic merit, they’re known for their casual cuisine, too. A stroll through either district will have you sniffing out Texan barbecue favourites like steak, brisket and beans. Both have their signature eateries, with Eno’s Pizza Tavern in Bishop Arts serving up giant slices and Deep Ellum’s Pecan Lodge a must just for the beef ribs. Even vegetarians can be satisfied in this city that does meat so well. Lower Greenville is the place to wash down all that grub with one of its craft brews, while Dallas can do upmarket equally well – Fearing’s is celeb chef Dean Fearing’s home of elevated farm-to-market Texas specials.
History
The glittering skyscrapers of modern-day Dallas mask its more humble beginnings as a tiny trading outpost but plenty has happened in between you can explore. Pioneer Plaza and Dallas Heritage Village are both places to unpick the city’s early days, while the Sixth Floor Museum details the life and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. Fair Park was one of the first art deco buildings in the Southwest when it was built in 1930, about the same time Bonnie and Clyde were on their crime spree – a guided tour of the marshlands of the Trinity River will clue you up about the former squatters’ camp Clyde grew up in.
New frontiers in Fort Worth
Western
Fort Worth’s status as one of the biggest cattle markets in the late 19th century earned it the moniker ‘Cowtown’ as it sat along one of the Wild West’s main arteries. Thankfully, the Fort Worth Stockyards make it easy to understand what life was like during its Old West pomp, with twice-daily cattle drives, rodeo performances at the Cowtown Coliseum and the opportunity to tap along to country music at Billy Bob’s Texas, said to be the world’s largest honky-tonk. Guided walking tours will help you unravel more of its past, while your guide will help you pick out an authentic pair of Lucchese boots to take home.
Music
Fort Worth may fly under the radar of Texas’ better-known musical haunts like Austin, but its melodic roots are deeper than you think. This is where country, blues, jazz and more have been let loose to create an intoxicating live music scene, setting the tempo in the city’s many dancehalls and nightclubs. This is where acclaimed songwriter Leon Bridges and saxophonist Ornette Coleman grew up and their legacy can be heard in the legendary dancehalls dotted around Fort Worth, with local bands performing in Lola’s Saloon or tap your feet along to tunes at the Scat Jazz Lounge. You could even head back to Billy Bob’s, a Texan institution for another night of full-on fun.
Film
If you feel like you’ve already been half-introduced to Fort Worth’s Wild West scenery before, then you’re probably right. That’s because its Old West core has featured in countless films and TV shows over the years, including 2021 Paramount production 1883, where the Fort Worth Stockyards were in front of the cameras. Its saloons, western stores and steakhouses also starred in the Robert Redford hit The Old Man & the Gun, while Robert Duvall and Martin Sheen can be seen strolling through the halls of Fort Worth Masonic Temple in 12 Mighty Orphans. Even the vortex-like pools of Fort Worth Water Gardens featured in 1976 dystopian flick Logan’s Run.
New frontiers in Houston
Space
On Earth, there’s nowhere closer to feeling like you’re about to visit the Moon than the Space Center in Houston. The Texan city was actually the first word uttered by Neil Armstrong on the Moon (that’s one for you, pub quiz fans) and its cosmic hub is where all the planning and control during the flight took place. A visit here offers you a palpable sense of real-time events during the mission, with interactive exhibits and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the control rooms. There’s plenty to keep you busy, from poring over lunar artefacts in the Starship Gallery to seeing what human settlement on Mars might look like.
Culinary
Never mind the Moon, Houston’s culinary expertise is out of this world and its eclectic offerings are as limitless as the universe. Whether it’s street food trucks or fine-dining establishments, ceviche or Creole favourites, Houston embraces them and sprinkles over its own Texan twist across 10,000 restaurants spanning 70 nationalities. Several eateries have been finalists in the James Beard awards (the Oscars of the culinary world) like Vietnamese gastropub The Blind Goat or the Mala Sichuan Bistro, while the cocktails of Julep, which blend classic Southern flavours with ingredients inspired by Houston’s immigrant communities, marked the city’s first win in 2022.
Urban art
Houston’s multitude of gleaming skyscrapers may resemble the space rockets which made the city famous but go under its corporate skin and you’ll discover a thread of creativity. The Museum of Fine Arts – one of the largest in the USA – is a comprehensive place to start, especially for its 20th-century art. But if you want to be in tune with Houston’s expressive heartbeat, head outside. Local artists have splashed vibrant murals citywide and guided tours take in over 40 of them across Downtown, Midtown and EaDo. Its urban art is celebrated twice a year with the Houston Mural Festival, where worldwide artists come to embellish the streets with their own designs – you’re invited to add your own creative touch, too.
New frontiers in San Antonio
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History
Founded in the 17th century by Spanish missionaries, San Antonio is Texas’ oldest city and has preserved that Hispanic feel with its low-key charm. Being over 300 years old, history abounds in San Antonio. Not least at The Alamo, a mission church that serves as a symbol of Texan freedom, after revolutionaries (including Davy Crockett) fought Mexican troops for liberation in 1836. A quartet of San Antonio’s southernmost missions – Concepción, San Jose, San Juan and Espada – make up the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, built by Spanish priests to serve as hubs of daily life. It became the first UNESCO World Heritage site in the state (and still the only one in the state) and religious services are still held in their churches today.
Culture
With its Spanish roots and European influences, San Antonio is always bubbling with culture. See it for yourself by taking a stroll among the hip restaurants, cafés and boutiques of the pulsing Pearl District. And be sure to pop by on a Saturday morning for the popular farmers’ market. The streets are a riot of colour with some 500 pieces of vibrant urban art. Thanks to the San Antonio Street Art Initiative, the long-term aim is for San Antonio to be home to the largest outdoor art gallery in the state. See even more of the murals at Hemisphere Park, a legacy of the 1968 World Fair which hosts regular festivals, live music and the 190m-high Tower of the Americas.
Wine and food
San Antonio is one of only two cities in the US to be designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, so you’re never going to struggle to find a tasty meal here. Street eats jostle for space alongside gourmet establishments, with over 4,000 restaurants spread across the city – over 50 have opened since the beginning of 2020, a growing hotbed of food that has been fuelled by homegrown talent trained at The Culinary Institute of America. You can taste their creations at the Tasting Texas Wine + Food Festival in San Antonio from 27-30 October 2022, a statewide culinary celebration partnering with the James Beard Foundation.
And so much more...
Unbelievably, all of that merely scratches the surface of what Texas is at the frontier of – it is three times larger than the UK, after all. There are epic wildernesses, rich Native American history and even trendsetting fashion corners – Highland Park Village in Dallas was the first planned shopping centre in the country. Whether it’s watching the Dallas Cowboys or seeing the Formula One in Austin, sport is part of the Texan fabric and a small chunk of the state’s eclectic culture – where else in the world can you watch a rodeo and ballet recital in the same day? Here are more frontier experiences you can have in Texas…
Open spaces
Texas’ cities only leave the state’s story half-written. The other half is penned by nature and Texas has its fair share of epic wildernesses. Big Bend National Park is its wild headliner, a colossal 1,252-sq-mile expanse of rugged mountains, pancake-flat butterscotch desert and winding rivers – it can often seem like three different national parks rolled into one. Texas’ other national park, Guadalupe Mountains, often flies under the radar but its high country is well worth treading, while Palo Duro Canyon State Park stirs the imagination with its multihued rock formations. But the state’s natural landscapes are just as impressive after dark. Already a daytime draw, the blush-coloured Enchanted Rock also provides the ideal vantage point to spot stars and streaking comets. This is a state that knows a thing or two about the cosmos, so book a ticket to one of the McDonald Observatory’s three-weekly star parties to enjoy some of the darkest skies in continental USA.
Adventure
The wide open spaces of Texas are begging to be explored. There are scores of ways to see Big Bend National Park, whether that’s on foot, mountain bike, on horseback or in a car, looking out for coyotes, ringtails and black-tailed jackrabbits as you go. If you fancy a challenge, multi-day backcountry treks are the best way to see Guadelupe Mountains’, as much of its rocky terrain can only be accessed on foot. Texas’ state parks offer dramatic glimpses of its diversity, from the creamy sand dunes of Monahans Sandhills State Park to the subterranean splendour of Longhorn Cavern. But Texas is also cowboy country, so snatch the opportunity to see the landscape through their eyes, starting with Bandera – the cowboy capital of the world and a Wild West town seemingly frozen in time. To immerse yourself further, Wildcatter Ranch near Fort Worth will have you saddling up and testing your lassoing skills, while the cattle town of Marfa adds an artsy twist to the traditional Wild West scene.
Arts and culture
Texas isn’t just a state, it’s one big showcase of art. Its wealth of museums, galleries and street murals mean you’re never far from a masterpiece. Dallas is well-known for having the USA’s largest contiguous arts district, including five buildings designed by Pritzker-prize winning architects, all on one street. Its neighbour Fort Worth harbours a fine collection of post-Second World War works in its Modern Art Museum, while the San Antonio Museum of Art showcases the city’s Hispanic heritage in a historic brewery. One of Texas’ most memorable artistic hotspots is Marfa, which blends a Wild West setting with a string of world-class galleries, including the large-scale displays at The Chinati Foundation. But art doesn’t always have to be witnessed inside. Texas is a state streaked in kaleidoscopic paint, with cities like Austin, Dallas and San Antonio adorned with vivid urban displays. But go to Cadillac Ranch on the outskirts of Amarillo and you can add your own mark to the 10 graffitied Cadillacs that are buried nose down in the Texan Panhandle.
Culinary
Sharing its southern border with Mexico, it’s no surprise Texans borrowed a few culinary traits from their neighbours. Enter Tex-Mex, a cuisine beloved across the world but no more so than in its birthplace, where locals can’t get enough of soft, floury tacos, meat-stuffed enchiladas and much more. Each city in the state has its own special, whether it’s the legendary fajitas at Ninfa’s on Navigation restaurant in Houston to San Antonio, where chilli con carne originated. Texans are similarly obsessed with barbecue (especially their signature slow-smoked pit style) and you won’t have trouble finding a drool-worthy smokehouse anywhere in the state serving up everything from brisket to beef rib. Texas aren’t just champs of comfort food, they can mix it with the upper echelons of the culinary world, with multiple James Beard award-winning chefs and restaurants sprinkled across the state, each one transforming the bounty of farm-to-table produce into sumptuous southern plates.
What are you waiting for?
Discover new frontiers in Texas now by heading over to the official website. Or why not get some help from those who know Texas best? The travel experts at Trailfinders will provide helpful and friendly advice, so you can find the perfect Texas journey for you. And with six itineraries to choose from, there’s heaps of inspiring options to suit all kinds of traveller.
