Things to Do in Texas
Ten stops across a state so large that driving from one end to the other takes longer than flying to another country entirely, from a pigeon who's tested that claim personally.
Texas doesn't do anything small, the food portions, the trucks, the actual land area, all of it. This list spreads out from San Antonio's missions to Big Bend's properly remote desert, with a proper amount of barbecue in between. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what you've picked up.
The Alamo & San Antonio's River Walk
The 1836 battle here became a rallying point for Texas independence, and the mission itself, smaller than most visitors expect, still sits right in the centre of modern San Antonio, free to walk through with a properly detailed exhibit covering the siege. A few streets over, the River Walk runs a level below the city itself, restaurants and shops lining a landscaped stretch of the San Antonio River.
Boat tours along the River Walk run regularly and give a properly relaxed way to see the whole stretch without doing the walking yourself, a good option if you're travelling with kids who've had enough of museums for one day.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am-5.30pm
Address 300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX
Space Center Houston
The official visitor centre for NASA's Johnson Space Center, home to the actual mission control room used for the Apollo moon landings, preserved almost exactly as it looked during those broadcasts. A tram tour runs out to the working astronaut training facilities, a proper look behind the scenes rather than just a museum display.
Kids' activities run throughout, including a real astronaut training simulator, this consistently ranks as one of the better hands-on museum days in the state for families with younger children.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am-5pm, hours vary seasonally
Address 1601 E NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX
Big Bend National Park
Sitting along a bend in the Rio Grande where it forms the border with Mexico, one of the least visited major national parks purely because of how far it sits from anywhere else, desert, mountains, and a river canyon all within the same boundary. The isolation cuts both ways though, some of the darkest night skies left in the country, a solid reason to stay overnight specifically for the stargazing.
Santa Elena Canyon, where the river cuts through 1,500-foot limestone walls, is reachable via a short trail from a parking area, one of the more dramatic short walks anywhere on this list.
Best time November-April; summer heat gets seriously dangerous
Address Big Bend National Park, TX
Fort Worth Stockyards
A former livestock market district that still runs a real cattle drive twice a day, longhorns walking straight down the main street with cowboys managing the whole thing, a free show that draws a proper crowd regardless of how many times you've seen it. The surrounding district keeps its Old West character throughout, saloons, boot shops, and a rodeo arena that still hosts real events.
Kids tend to love this one specifically, the cattle drive is loud, slow-moving, and close enough to watch properly without any real risk, a good, easy stop if you're travelling with younger children.
Hours Drives daily at 11.30am and 4pm
Address Fort Worth Stockyards, Fort Worth, TX
Austin's Live Music & Food Trucks
Austin markets itself as the live music capital of the world, and the claim holds up reasonably well, hundreds of venues across the city with something running most nights, from small dive bars to proper concert halls. Sixth Street is the obvious, busiest stretch if you want the concentrated version, though quieter neighbourhoods often turn up better, less crowded shows.
Food trucks fill in the gaps between venues, a properly huge, varied scene that's become as much a part of the city's identity as the music itself, best approached by grazing across a few rather than committing to one sit-down meal.
Best time Evening, most venues get going after 8pm
Address Sixth Street, Austin, TX
Padre Island National Seashore
The longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the world, properly wild beach for over 70 miles, a stark contrast to the resort-lined coastlines further along the Gulf. Sea turtle nesting programmes run through the summer months, and the visitor centre occasionally lets guests watch hatchlings released directly into the surf, check the current schedule if timing allows.
Swimming, fishing, and beachcombing all work well here without the crowds of a more developed beach town, a good, quiet stop if the rest of this list has felt busy.
Best time Spring through autumn
Address Padre Island National Seashore, TX
The Texas BBQ Trail
Texas barbecue runs on a different set of rules than most other regional styles, brisket smoked low and slow for upwards of twelve hours, usually served by the pound on butcher paper rather than a plate. Central Texas, particularly the stretch around Austin and Lockhart, holds the highest concentration of properly well-regarded spots, several of which sell out most days once the brisket runs out.
Arrive early, particularly at the most talked-about places, this isn't an exaggeration, some spots actually close for the day once they're out, sometimes by early afternoon.
Best time Weekday mornings, avoid weekend queues
Address Lockhart, TX (widely considered the trail's unofficial capital)
Fredericksburg & the Hill Country Wine Trail
A small Hill Country town founded by German immigrants, still visible in the architecture and the bakeries lining Main Street, alongside a wine region that's grown considerably over the past two decades, now the second-largest producer in the country by volume. Dozens of small wineries dot the surrounding hills, most within a short drive of the town centre.
The National Museum of the Pacific War, an unexpectedly significant museum for a town this size, sits right on Main Street, a solid hour if military history interests you alongside the wine.
Best time Spring for wildflowers; autumn for harvest season
Address Fredericksburg, TX
The State Fair of Texas
Running since 1886, one of the largest state fairs in the country, and it leans into that scale properly, livestock competitions, a full midway, and a food scene built almost entirely around deep-frying things that arguably shouldn't be deep-fried. Big Tex, the enormous talking cowboy statue that's greeted visitors since the 1950s, remains the fair's unofficial mascot.
It runs for about three weeks each autumn, check current dates if a state fair is on your list, this is one of the largest and longest-running examples still going.
Hours Late September-October, check current dates
Address Fair Park, Dallas, TX
The Texas State Capitol, Austin
Built from distinctive pink granite quarried nearby, the building stands taller than the national Capitol in Washington DC, a fact Texans bring up more often than you'd expect. Free guided tours run throughout the day, covering both the building's history and the current legislative chambers when they're not in active session.
The surrounding grounds hold dozens of monuments and memorials that reward a slow walk, a good, free stop to pair with a wider Austin visit, right in the heart of downtown.
Hours Daily, roughly 7am-10pm, tours run 8.30am-4.30pm
Address 1100 Congress Ave, Austin, TX
Best time to visit Texas
October through April covers the most comfortable window for the majority of this list, particularly Big Bend and Padre Island, where summer heat gets seriously dangerous rather than just uncomfortable.
Central Texas, Austin and the Hill Country specifically, stays workable through more of the year given slightly milder summers than the western desert or the southern coast.
Getting around Texas
A car is essential, the distances between stops on this list often run into a full day's drive, Texas is properly larger than most countries. Austin and San Antonio both have walkable downtown cores if you'd rather leave the car for a day within either city.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Texas worth visiting beyond the major cities?
- Yes, easily, Big Bend's isolation and Fredericksburg's wine country both offer a completely different picture of the state than its skylines suggest.
- How many days do you need to see Texas properly?
- Ten days gives a comfortable pace to cover San Antonio, Austin, and either the Hill Country or Big Bend without excessive driving each day.
- Is Texas expensive to visit?
- No, generally affordable, food and accommodation both run below the national average outside of the biggest cities specifically.
- What's the best Texas trip for kids?
- Space Center Houston and the Fort Worth Stockyards cattle drive both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a state that takes considerably longer than ten stops to properly cover.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
