10 family-friendly things to do in Texas
Feel tiny under the big Texas sky, marvel at an annual bat migration, travel on horseback through a colorful canyon, and soak in sublime hot springs.
Visitors enjoy a star party at the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, Texas. It's just one of 10 things families should add to their kid-friendly itinerary when visiting the Lone Star State.
Visitors enjoy a star party at the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, Texas. It's just one of 10 things families should add to their kid-friendly itinerary when visiting the Lone Star State.
Visitors enjoy a star party at the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, Texas. It's just one of 10 things families should add to their kid-friendly itinerary when visiting the Lone Star State.
Visitors enjoy a star party at the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, Texas. It's just one of 10 things families should add to their kid-friendly itinerary when visiting the Lone Star State.
Larger than any country in Western Europe, Texas sprawls across more than 268,000 square miles that touch Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, and four U.S. states. The Lone Star State is so vast and diverse in its landscapes and cultures that it can feel like a wondrous country all its own. Wherever you land to kick off your family adventures here—whether an urban metropolis like Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, or Austin, or somewhere altogether more off the grid—you can expect a surprise and inspiration at every turn.
Travel to Texas for desert landscapes covered in cacti, canyons striated with color, long stretches of golden beachfront, and freshwater springs that run gin-clear. Mexican and Hispanic culture influence art, music, and cuisine, and the state's iconic cowboy culture, small-town hospitality, and international voices from around the globe are woven through the Texan fabric.
Here are some of the best family adventures to consider when planning a multi-generational vacation in Texas.
(Related: 10 best things to do in Texas.)
Gaze at Jupiter from the McDonald Observatory
From the amphitheater of the Frank N. Bash Visitors Center, visitors can gaze above to see the Milky Way shining brightly and visible under the dark skies of McDonald Observatory.
Photograph by Ethan Tweedie Photography
At the McDonald Observatory, a child looks towards a telescope pointed at the dark sky filled with stars.
Photograph by Frank Cianciolo, McDonald Observatory
Your backyard telescope can't compare to seeing the heavens from this astronomical research center in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. The McDonald Observatory is affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin and is open to the public several days a week for visits. On clear days, you can see live views of sunspots and flares on the sun's surface through a solar telescope in a theater setting and go on a guided tour of the research telescopes. Evening Star Party programs take place three nights a week (Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday) and come with the chance to peer at distant galaxies and planets through cutting-edge telescopes within the on-site Rebecca Gale Telescope Park. You and your family may never look at the night sky quite the same again.
Search for shark teeth at Ladonia Fossil Park
There are backyard treasure hunts—and then there are ones where the items you and the kids are searching for date back many millions of years. Drive about 92 miles north of Dallas to Ladonia Fossil Park, where visitors will find a wooly mammoth, shark bones, and ancient ammonites from the Cretaceous Period (between 145 and 65 million years ago).
Park your car and follow a short path to access this area that was once part of the Western Interior Seaway, where spear tips and arrowheads used by the local Caddo Indians are often unearthed. After a heavy rain, visitors can sift through the gravel and mud for newly revealed fossils, exposed by erosion. Consider bringing a screwdriver to help loosen anything from the muck and shale. There's no entry fee, and you can take anything you find with you as long as it isn't deemed to have scientific importance.
Saddle up in Palo Duro Canyon State Park
Just 25 miles south of Amarillo, families can go horseback riding through Palo Duro Canyon State Park to witness 230 million years of geological layers. From March through November, Old West Stables, inside the park, leads groups out for hour-long tours into the rugged canyon. Tell the kids to keep their eye peeled for interesting fauna like wild turkeys, road runners, and non-native North African aoudad sheep (introduced here in the 1950s).
Hike an easy loop in Big Bend National Park
Outdoor enthusiasts paddle their canoes on the Rio Grande, which flows through Boquillas Canyon in Big Bend National Park.
Photograph by Bryan Schutmaat, Nat Geo Image Collection
The Rio Grande River forms the southern boundary of Big Bend National Park from Mariscal Canyon to the Terrell-Val Verde Country line (on the U.S. side). You're in a stunning stretch of far west Texas here, home to picturesque landscapes where the river cuts through towering limestone canyons and the views stretch into Mexico. Get an amazing view of the Rio Grande River from on high when you take the family for a hike along the cliff tops of the easy, mile-long Hot Springs Historic Trail loop. Bring your bathing suits for a group soak in the park's Hot Springs Historic District, where you can bask in the balmy waters that bubble up at 105°F (40°C) in the remains of a historic bathhouse's foundations, located on the north banks of the Rio Grande River.
(Related: Visiting Texas? Here's what the locals love.)
Trace the tracks of dinosaurs in the Paluxy riverbed
American paleontologist Roland T. Bird discovered the world's first sauropod tracks in 1938—an hour's drive (roughly 60 miles) southwest of Fort Worth. The small-headed dinosaur with a very long neck was just one of the Cretaceous-period animals that once roamed the shallow seabed at the site of present-day Dinosaur Valley State Park. Your kids' feet will be particularly dwarfed by some of the best-preserved dinosaur tracks found here, including those of theropods and Sauroposeidon proteles—Texas's official state dinosaur that towered up to 23 feet high. Because the tracks are located on the riverbed, water sometimes obscures them. Check the park's website before visiting for regular updates regarding which trails are open and if the tracks are visible.
Go surfing in South Padre Island
For beginners who've dreamed of hanging ten, you should consider letting a man and his best friend (the 'surf dog,' Astro) show you the ropes along Texas' Gulf Coast at the South Padre Surf Company. Get into the water with the family for lessons with experienced waterman and former Hawaiian lifeguard Gene Gore, who teaches year-round at Isla Blanca Beach, located on the southernmost tip of the island near the South Padre Jetties. Soft surfboards are also for rent for those who wish to paddle out on their own. But the chance to get private instruction from the wave-riding pup and Gore—a surfboard designer who grew up riding waves on the beaches of Texas—makes for a particularly memorable session.
Behold baby bats on their first flights at Bracken Cave
Not all shows in the sky are celestial. Mexican free-tailed bats emerge en masse for a spectacle every evening from May to September at Bracken Cave Preserve on private land in the Texas Hill Country about 30 miles northeast of San Antonio. The cave houses the largest bat colony in the world, with some 15 million bats making it their summertime mating address. Baby bats are born inside Bracken Cave in June, with July and August considered the best months for seeing them emerge to put their wings to the test, hunting things like corn earworm moths. Reservations must be made in advance to visit, and you should plan to spend three hours on-site during the guided tours while waiting for the bats.
Float on a tube down the San Marcos River
The beginning of May to the end of August is the best time to escape the Texas heat with a float along the crystal-clear waters of the San Marcos River (south of Austin), where the state's best tube run awaits. The water bubbles up from some 200 artesian springs in nearby Spring Lake and stays a relatively brisk 72°F (22°C) year-round. And it's so clear that you can often spot sunfish and red-eared sliders passing beneath you. It takes about an hour to float down the river along its most popular public access route for tubing (hop in City Park and exit the water at Rio Vista Park). Rent tubes from the San Marcos Lions Club Tube Rental and other local outfitters that provide a shuttle service that brings you back to the put-in point.
Take a swamp tour at Caddo Lake
Over a two-hour drive from Dallas, Caddo Lake offers families a unique opportunity to take a pontoon boat tour or a cruise to explore the 25,000-acre wetland that straddles the border of Texas and Louisiana.
Photograph by Benedek, Getty Images
For an otherworldly experience, head to East Texas within the cypress-lined and swampy wilderness of Caddo Lake. The 25,000-acre wetland wonderland straddles the border of the Lone Star State and neighboring Louisiana, about 170 miles east of Dallas, a 2.5-hour drive. A labyrinth of slow-moving bayous is the habitat for 70 species of fish (largemouth bass, bluegill, catfish, and more), armadillos, white-tail deer, and one of the largest populations of alligators in Texas. Families should explore the terrain via pontoon boat swamp tours with Captain Ron's Swamp Tours. Until the 19th century, the area was home to the Caddo Indians. The 90-minute cruises take up to nine people to journey deep into the wetlands to explore the history with informative and entertaining commentary from your captain.
Cruise into Galveston Bay to see dolphins
The Galveston Historical Foundation leads Historic Harbor Tour and Dolphin Watch cruises into Galveston Bay aboard the sightseeing vessel Seagull II to look for common bottlenose dolphins. It's the only species of cetacean native to the bays and estuaries of Texas. When conditions are calm, the boat's top deck is the perfect perch for scouting for marine mammals and myriad seabirds during hour-long cruises. Tours leave from the Galveston Historic Seaport, where you can catch sight (and even tour and play pirate) of the 1877 tall ship Elissa, a square-rigged iron barque brought here from Greece for restoration.
Getting around
Texas—the second largest state in the U.S.—sprawls across more than 268,000 square miles, connected by highways and backroads, particularly in and around the major metropolitan areas. Your best bet for seeing its vibrant cities and the hinterlands is to rent a car and set off on the ultimate Texas road trip.
Where to stay
Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa : Outside of Austin, this family resort on 405 acres along the Lower Colorado River offers guided stargazing and kayaking trips and has an on-site waterpark, lazy river, and resident alpacas.
Cibolo Creek Ranch : Settle in for a luxury ranch stay at this 33-room property on 30,000 acres in West Texas. Enjoy family activities like mountain biking excursions along abandoned mining trails in the Big Bend region, horseback riding, and open-air Humvee tours
The Trueheart Hotel : This Hill Country boutique hotel with just 13 rooms, suites, and cottages in the German-inflected town of Fredericksburg (80 miles west of Austin and 70 miles north of San Antonio) has a creekside covered patio and a fire pit to gather around once your day's adventures are done.
The Woodlands Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton: Just north of Houston on Lake Harrison, here's another sprawling family resort with heated pools, a lazy river, a 30-foot water slide, tennis courts, and 200 miles of hiking and biking trails.
(Related: 10 family-friendly hotels in Texas, from El Paso to Galveston.)
Terry Ward is a Florida-based freelance writer and avid scuba diver who covers travel, science, and health. She lives in Tampa, follow her on Instagram
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