Explore Texas: A Nature Travel Guide

by Mary O. Parker, Jeff Parker (Photographer)

Overview

If you are interested in birdwatching, wildlife viewing, or stargazing; flowers, geology, or water; nature centers, festivals, or photography, a destination in Texas awaits you.

From the desert gardens of Big Bend to hawk watching on the Gulf Coast to caving and bat watching in the Hill Country, nature-oriented travel in Texas also includes lesser known getaways.

Organized by the seven official state travel regions, Explore Texas features descriptions of almost one hundred nature-oriented sites, including information about the best time to visit and why it’s worth going; location, and other logistics; and a “learn” section on the observations and natural phenomena a visitor might expect to experience. Photographs by professional photographer Jeff Parker accompany the accounts, and handy color-coded icons help guide readers to the activities of their choice.  

Perfect for planning the family’s next outing or vacation, this book also contains a message of how nature tourism helps to protect biodiversity, promote conservation, and sustain the state’s tourism economy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623494032
Publisher:	Texas A&M University Press
Publication date:	06/14/2016
Series:	Myrna and David K. Langford Books on Working Lands
Edition description:	Travel Guides
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	437,019
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

MARY O. PARKER is a freelance writer and owner of Red Belly Writing School. Her work regularly appears in Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. She lives in Central Texas. JEFF PARKER is an award-winning wildlife and nature photographer whose work has appeared in Audubon, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and American Profile. He leads photo tours and workshops in South Texas and throughout the Americas.

Table of Contents

Foreword Carter Smith xi

How to Use This Book xv

Introduction 1

Big Bend Country

1 Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta at Franklin Mountains State Park 5

2 Chihuahuan Desert Gardens 7

3 Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center 10

4 Davis Mountains State Park 12

5 El Paso Desert Botanical Gardens at Keystone Heritage Park 15

6 Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration 17

7 McDonald Observatory's Rebecca Gale Telescope Park and Visitors' Center 20

8 McKittrick Canyon Fall Foliage 22

9 Rio Bosque Wetlands Park 24

10 Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River at Big Bend National Park 27

11 Wilderness Park at El Paso Museum of Archaeology 30

Gulf Coast

1 Armand Bayou Nature Center 37

2 Boat-Based Wildlife Watching 40

3 Brazos Bend State Park / George Observatory 43

4 Corpus Christi Hawk Watch 47

5 Fennessey Ranch 49

6 Galveston Island FeatherFest 52

7 Gulf Coast Bird Observatory 55

8 HummerBird Celebration 58

9 Jesse H. Tones Park and Nature Center / NatureFest 60

10 King Ranch Nature Tours 62

11 Migration Celebration 66

12 Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival 68

13 Sabal Palm Sanctuary 70

14 Sea Turtle, Inc. 74

15 Smith Oaks Rookery 76

16 South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center 81

17 Waugh Drive Bat Colony 84

18 Welder Wildlife Refuge 88

19 Whooping Crane Festival 91

Hill Country

1 Balcones Songbird Festival / Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge 97

2 Block Creek Natural Area 99

3 Canyon of the Eagles Nature Park 103

4 Cascade Caverns 105

5 Caverns of Sonora 108

6 Cave Without a Name 111

7 Congress Avenue Bridge Bat Viewing 113

8 Eaton Hill Nature Center and Preserve 116

9 Frio Bat Flight 119

10 Hill Country Adventures and Nature Center 122

11 Inner Space Cavern 126

12 Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center 129

13 Lost Maples State Natural Area 131

14 The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment 134

15 Natural Bridge Caverns 137

16 Purple Martin Parties 140

17 Vanishing River Cruises 142

18 Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center 145

19 Wings Over the Hills Nature Festival 148

20 X Bar Ranch Nature Retreat 151

Panhandle Plains

1 Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument 157

2 Bar H Working Dude Ranch 160

3 Canadian Fall Foliage Festival 162

4 Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway 165

5 Fort Griffin State Historic Site 170

6 Gene Howe Wildlife Management Area 173

7 Hummer House 177

8 Palo Duro Canyon State Park 179

9 River Bend Nature Center 182

10 San Angelo Nature Center 185

11 Sibley Nature Center 187

12 Wildcat Bluff Nature Center 190

Piney Woods

1 Caddo Ramsar Wetland of International Importance 195

2 Daingerfield State Park's Fall Foliage 199

3 Eastex Canoe Trails 202

4 East Texas Arboretum and Botanical Society 206

5 East Texas Wildflower Trails 209

6 Fall Foliage Driving Tour 212

7 Pineywoods Native Plant Center 215

8 Northeast Texas Bluebird Trails 218

9 Walker County Monarch Festival 220

10 Watson Rare Plant Preserve 222

11 Wildflower Trails of Texas 225

Prairies and Lakes

1 Acton Nature Center 231

2 Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge 234

3 Blackland Prairie Raptor Center's Photography Day 237

4 Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) Prairie Day 239

5 Eagle Fest 241

6 Ennis Bluebonnet Trails 245

7 Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge 248

8 Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary 251

9 McKinney Roughs Nature Park 254

10 Prairie Fest at Tandy Hills / Tandy Hills Natural Area 257

11 River Legacy Living Science Center 260

12 Trinity River Audubon Center 263

South Texas Plains

1 Dos Venadas and Campos Viejos Photo Ranches 268

2 Edinburg Scenic Wetlands 271

3 Estero Llano Grande State Park 275

4 Laguna Seca Ranch 278

5 Laredo Birding Festival 281

6 National Butterfly Center 284

7 Quinta Mazatlan 287

8 Roma Bluffs World Birding Center 290

9 Santa Clara Ranch 292

10 Santa Margarita Ranch 296

11 Valley Nature Center 299

Index 303

Interviews

Austin, TX

Editorial Reviews

The state of Texas represents a vast region of contrasting landscape and cultures, one that can easily be daunting to travelers seeking specific areas in which to spend a weekend or vacation. Explore Texas offers an excellent preview of essentially all major locations where one might embark on a venture to see a little of everything in the Lone Star State!”—Wyman Meinzer, official photographer for the State of Texas

Wyman Meinzer

"Nothing pleases me more than to see another book that helps the world understand the remarkably rich and diverse state we call home. I heartily endorse this wonderful new guide, and I can’t wait to visit a few of the sites in the book that have eluded me.” —Ted Lee Eubanks, author of Finding Birds on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail

Ted Lee Eubanks

As a leader in nature-based tourism, Texas continues to innovate with new ideas (such as the paddling trails) and communication tools to engage people in learning about the outdoors (both print and web-based). This book is timely in that it is written to engage families, which is especially important given the concern that too many children today spend way too much time indoors attached to electronic devices. I like the practical advice given about what to bring and how to approach visits to each site. It is written to be sure families, especially those with young children, are well prepared."—Linda Campell, TPWD (retired)

Linda Campell