Two weeks in Texas - any help gratefully received.

My friend and I are hoping to fly out to Texas at the end of January to vist another friend who is currently living in Houston. We%26#39;d obviously like to spend a few days with her in Houston, but otherwise would like to see some of the highlights of the state. We don%26#39;t necessarily want to drive around, but will do, if its the only option. As part of the trip we%26#39;d like to spend a few days at a Dude Ranch.

Any suggestions gratefully received. We are two (nearly 30, but not quite) english ladies/girls!

Two weeks in Texas - any help gratefully received.

If you type ';dude ranch'; in the search box for Texas, you will see lots of threads from last year. Bandera and the surrounding area has lots of dude ranches.

As you know Texas is very big with very little public transportation such as trains. So you will probably need to drive to see any areas other than Houston. I would definitely plan a trip Austin, maybe stopping in San Antonio. If you have extra time, I think you might like Fort Worth- lots of music, clubs, museums and shopping.

Two weeks in Texas - any help gratefully received.

And on your way to Austin stop in Brenham to tour the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory. Look them up for available tours, tasting.

If you go to San Antonio walk the Riverwalk, but have dinner at La Fogata (has a website), which is not on the Riverwalk and in a different part of town entirely.

Breakfast - The Guenther House (has a website) at the Pioneer Baking Mix Factory, yum-yum.

Or just stay in the coastal area and drive east toward Louisiana.

No trip to Texas is complete without visiting San Antonio for a taste of the Mexican influence on that part of the country and the Texas Hill Country around Austin. Like another poster said, you cannot get around Texas without a car unless you plan to fly. You can fly from Houston to San Antonio to Dallas/Fort Worth.

Big cities are great, but do yourselves a favor and visit the little cities and towns too for an authentic Texas experience. In the Hill Country there are many small communities with lots of interesting shops, museums and characters. West Texas is great, too, but may be a bit out of the way for your trip -- this time.

When you do get to go west you have to fly into Midland. Rent a car as there is no good way to get around. You%26#39;ll want to visit the Petroleum Museum, have some BBQ at KDs or JCs and Mexican food at Ajuua%26#39;s. Then drive to Fort Davis to visit McDonald Observatory for evening star-gazing parties year-round in the mild winters, hiking in the Davis State Park, and a midnight drive to Marfa to see the mysterious Marfa Lighs. Stay at one of the many b%26amp;bs in Fort Davis or at the Hotel Limpia downtown, or at the Indian Lodge Hotel in the state park.

Gosh there%26#39;s so much to do in Texas. I lived there most of my life and haven%26#39;t done one tenth of what there is to do.

Have fun!

PS.

There%26#39;s a dude ranch in Fort Davis called the Prude Ranch. The meals are fantastic!

If your Houston friend can get a day off work, have her take you to Galveston Island. It%26#39;s only an hour or so from Houston, and there%26#39;s lots to do and see there. If it%26#39;s operating, take the Duck Tour to see the island by land and sea. The old truck/boat will show you the historic parts of the island and give you an idea of what you want to go back to explore after the tour. If you visit The Strand, the most historic part of the island, I recommend dinner at Luigi%26#39;s. Oh, and take the free ferry ride to the other side of Galveston Bay. Get off the ferry and turn around and ride it right back. The round trip takes 30-60 minutes. You might see bottlenose dolphins following the ferry.

I think you have to identify the types of things that you like to do. What are your interests? If you are into art, theater, museums then by all means go to Dallas/Fort Worth. Allocate3 to 4 days for such things as: Meadows Museum in Dallas( probably the best collection of Spanish Art outside of the Prado.) Nasher Sculpture Garden, reputed to be the best collection of Modern Sculpture in the US and the Art Museum of Dallas as well as the Women%26#39;s Museum and the Crow Collection of Asian Art. In Fort Worth you will find the Kimball, a gem of a fine arts museum, also see the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art. and also a Modern Art Museum and a Cow Girl Museum. Dallas has some 30 different theater companies, so something will be playing. There are all types of music venues from the Dallas Symphony and Dallas Opera to Hip Hop, Country and anything else.

On the internet check out the Dallas Convention Bureau. Try a google on Texas Tourism. The State Highway Department has a good site that can lead you to festivals etc. These and other web sites will give you plenty of information.

There are lots of interesting places and a variety of sights.

Search for your interests and plan accordingly. Driving is pretty easy here in moving from one place to another. Allow 50 mph average if you are covering any distance. Speed limits of course are higher but you need to be able to stop and enjoy something as you gol

Definitely Austin and surrounds, with or without San Antonio. Marginally better weather this time of year, and it is a university town noted for its music and nightlife scene. It is also the state capital. I%26#39;m afraid driving is a must in the U.S., and especially in Texas! Don%26#39;t forget the petrol is only about 30p a litre, though :)

Plenty to do around Houston. It%26#39;s a big city. Maybe catch a basketball game. The Houston Rockets have a great new facilty and tickets can be had fairly cheap(13 dollars for some). We have plenty of Museums right here in Houston. www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org/default.asp鈥?/a>

Why drive 4 to 5 hours to visit Dallas. Skip the Riverwalk in San Antonio. If you want a similar experience drive down to the Kemah Boardwalk. It%26#39;s right on the bay and only 30 minutes from Houston.

kemahboardwalk.com/flash_content/flash_conte鈥?/a>

Rides, games, great view and good seafood.

For the dud ranch thing close to Houston try this place

http://www.texasranchlife.com/

here is an article on the ranch from the houston newspaper

chron.com/disp/鈥?244984.html

You also could make a trip to Fort worth Texas. Home of the historic Fort worth stock yards. Visit Billy Bobs country and western bar. Watch some real bull riding. It%26#39;s 4.5 hours from Houston but if you like the cowboy thing it%26#39;s a great town to visit. If you have any questions let me know. Cheers

I understand about renting a car. I would never go to England and rent a car.

There is Amtrak Train that goes out of Houston and arrives in Fort Worth. (You can find out more about it by using Google: Texas Amtrak train) You can take the Trintiy Railway Express to go between Fort Worth and Dallas. The prices are very reasonable.

There are bed and breakfast that you can find on www.bedandbreakfast.com. Owners may be willing to %26#39;pick you up%26#39; at the station or maybe they will be accessible by public transportation. The bed and breakfasts will give you a better feel for the ';real Texas'; rather than just staying at some big city hotel. Some of the Bed and Breakfasts are rural or Dude Ranch style.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

.....skip the River Walk in San Antonio???? Never! San Antonio and Austin were fantastic places to visit along with Hill Country but the best place of all was Big Bend NP, but that will probably be out of reach.

Can%26#39;t judge for Fort Worth/Dallas and Houston, but we%26#39;ll make that up this year october visiting those cities and also Galveston and the coast where we are planning a couple of days at the beach. Anybody knows of a great place to stay with direct beachaccess and sandy beaches near Galveston? We already visited Tx for three weeks in 2005 and now we are coming back for another 2-3 weeks. Can%26#39;t wait....

Tet