Two wranglers on horseback overlooking the Dixie Dude Ranch in Bandera, Texas.

©Kris Davidson/Lonely Planet

Texas

Bigger than a whole heap of countries, Texas is vast, diverse and welcoming: from big-city lights to small-town simplicity, white-sand beaches to high-country hikes.

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Must-see attractions for your itinerary

  • Two observatories at the McDonald Observatory in Ft. Davis, Texas with the summer Milky Way behind them. The Hobby Eberly (spectroscopy) telescope is on the hill in the back.

    McDonald Observatory

    West Texas

    The hottest ticket in West Texas? A reservation for one of the thrice-weekly Star Parties at McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis. Located on Mount Locke…

  • UNITED STATES - MARCH 22: Headquarters building of the Chinati Foundation, or La Fundacion Chinati, a contemporary art museum in Marfa, a surprisingly sophisticated town in the Texas high desert that has cultivated a reputation as a center of the art (Photo by Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

    Chinati Foundation Museum

    West Texas

    As you step inside the historic artillery shed, with its enormous windows, sweeping desert views and sun-dappled aluminum boxes, the Marfa hoopla suddenly…

  • Enchanted Rock State Park is one of the Dark Sky area in available in USA. It is an amazing feelings to lie down on top of the hill and to watch at billions of stars. In this picture 3 person is enjoying the beauty of the universe while one can see the bright Jupiter in distance.

    Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

    Hill Country

    A pink granite dome rising 425ft above the grasslands north of Fredericksburg, Enchanted Rock cuts a striking but mild-mannered profile. At first glance,…

  • The Alamo, San Antonio, TX

    The Alamo

    San Antonio

    For proud Texans, the much-fabled Alamo, entered freely off San Antonio’s central plaza, is not so much a tourist attraction as a place of pilgrimage…

  • San Antonio, Texas, USA cityscape at the River Walk.

    River Walk

    San Antonio

    The River Walk is a 15-mile-long glorious network of waterside pathways that’s tucked below street level and lined with bars and restaurants. It's the…

  • Buddy Holly, Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, Lubbock, Texas, view of eastern elevation. Premier location for musical performances, including symphony orchestra, concerts, bands. Two auditoriums provide world class acoustics. Helen Devitt Jones Auditorium seats 2,200, and Crickets Studio Theater seats 425. Rave On Restaurant is located in the facility. Ballet Lubbock Pre-Professional facilities. Locations for receptions, banquets, lectures, meetings, and rehearsals.

    Buddy Holly Center

    Panhandle Plains

    Buddy Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas, in 1936, and by the 1950s, he was an instrumental and prominent figure in rock n’ roll. The Buddy Holly Center…

  • Congress Avenue Bridge bats in Austin during sunset.

    Bat Colony Under Congress Avenue Bridge

    Austin

    Austin is known as the capital of Texas quirk, so it shouldn't be surprising that it's a city tradition to sit on the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake and…

  • San Antonio, Texas, United States, North America

    McNay Art Museum

    San Antonio

    This Spanish Colonial revival-style mansion, 5 miles north of downtown and originally owned by artist Marion Koogler McNay, is spectacular. McNay's 700…

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