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Texas, the twenty eighth state accepted into the United States of America, is the second largest state in the United States. To give an idea of how big Texas is, there are counties in West Texas that are larger than several other whole states combined. Because of its great size the climate, culture, and landscape of Texas changes drastically from one side to the other. Because of these changes, the experience that a traveler in Texas will have depends drastically on the region that is being visited.

Regions of Texas:
Texas is divided into 4 regions: the Coastal and Gulf Plains Region, the Central Plains Region, the Great Planes Region, and the Mountain Basins Region. These 4 regions are further subdivided into 7 subdivisions including the Texas Panhandle, the Prairies and Lakes Region, the Piney Woods Region, the Gulf Coast Region, the South Texas Plains Region, the Hill Country Region, and Big Bend Country.

Texas Climate:
The Climate in Texas varies from region to region. Most of the state is hot in the summer months especially in south and west Texas where temperatures are often above 100 degrees and the Gulf Coast Region where the humidity makes the heat even worse. The rest of the year is usually pretty pleasant in Texas. The temperatures in the winter rarely get unbearable and the spring and autumn months in Texas offer ideal weather conditions.

History:
One of the best things about traveling in Texas is the history. Nearly every region of Texas boasts a fascinating story from the history of Texas. The battles that Texas fought in the journey to statehood left behind hundreds of battlefields, forts, monuments, and memorials. Some of the most famous of these include the Alamo in San Antonio, and the San Jacinto Monument in San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park near Houston. You may also visit Dealey Plaza in Dallas where John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Texas also has a great Native American history that can be explored throughout most of the state.

Culture:
Texas has a vast diversity of culture that is expressed in its variety of populations, architecture, and entertainment. Much of the diversity of Texas culture is separated geographically. The cultures of Texas vary from the largely ethnic population in the urban areas to the agrarian culture of the vast rural areas. The Rio Grande River Valley is rich in Mexican American culture that has grown from years of immigration from neighboring Mexico. Many regions of South Texas enjoy festivals and special events that celebrate their Mexican culture. Native American culture is also prominent in much of Texas. Many of the great tribes of American history have had a role in the history and culture of Texas including the Comanche tribe in the South Plains, the Atakapan tribe of east Texas, and the Wichita tribe in central Texas.

Top Cities:
- Houston
- Galveston
- Corpus Christi
- Beaumont
- Rockport
- South Padre Island
- Brownsville
Top Destinations:
- Schlitterbahn Waterpark
- Moody Gardens
- Sea Rim State Park
- NASA Space Center
- Spindletop
Resources:
- Photo Gallery
- Blog The Gulf Coast Region includes all of Texas adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico from the Rio Grande River to Louisiana. The Gulf Coast Region of Texas is divided into 4 regions including the North Barrier Coast, the Bayous, the South Barrier Coast, and the Rio Grande Valley.

The North Barrier Coast is probably the most visited area of the Texas Gulf Coast Region. This region includes Galveston, Houston, and many other heavily developed coastal cities. Galveston and the Crystal Beach area of the North Barrier Coast is a great spring break destination for students.

The Bayous section of the Gulf Coast Region in Texas spans from the Galveston area to Louisiana. This area is mostly visited by those seeking to enjoy fishing, swimming, boating, or other water sports. Many visitors come to the Texas Gulf Coast Region to take advantage of one of the many deep sea fishing charter services. Sabine Lake and Sea Rim State Park are two great fishing areas in the Texas Bayous.

The South Barrier Coast includes the area surrounding Corpus Christi and Port Lavaca. This section of the Texas Gulf Coast Region is mostly visited for the beaches or the entertainment and night life offered at its port cities.

The Rio Grande Valley is the southernmost part of the Texas Gulf Coast Region. One of the most known tourist destinations in the Rio Grande Valley is South Padre Island. South Padre island is known for its beautiful beaches, water activities, resorts, and spring break destinations.

Top Cities:
- Austin
- Fredericksburg
- New Braunfels
- San Marcos
- Llano
- San Angelo
- Gruene Top Destinations:
- Guadalupe River State Park
- Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort
- Texas State Capitol
- South Llano River State Park
- Colorado Bend State Park
- Longhorn Cavern
- Natural Bridge Cavern
- McKinney Falls State Park
Resources:
- Photo Gallery
- Blog The Hill Country Region of Texas is located in central Texas south of the Panhandle. The Texas Hill Country landscape is perfect for many of the greatest pastimes enjoyed in Texas including camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, climbing, kayaking, bird watching, sightseeing, and much more. Many visitors also enjoy the serenity and solitude that the vast rural areas of the Texas Hill Country has to offer. This region of Texas is also one of the best places to see the wild flowers that run wild in Texas, including the blue bonnet, the official state flower of Texas.

The Texas Hill Country is subdivided into 3 regions including the German Hill Country, the River Region, and the West Hill Country.

The German Hill Country is possibly the most visited part of the Texas Hill Country Region. The urban destinations in this region includes Austin, the capitol of Texas and home to the University of Texas Longhorns and Fredericksburg, a popular honeymooning spot and home to many exciting German festivals, events, and marketplaces. Fredericksburg is a great place to explore German culture. The German Hill Country also has several rural attractions including caverns, state parks, and historic sites.

The River Region in the Texas Hill Country is also known as Texas Canyon Country due to the river carved limestone canyons. These canyons make the hill Texas Hill Country one of the most scenic regions in Texas. Due to the fertility of the rivers beds, this is also one of the few green areas of this part of Texas.

The West Hill Country is the westernmost part of the Texas Hill Country Region. This area bordering the South Part of the Texas Panhandle Region is where the North Texas Plains and grassland stops and where the hill country starts.

Top Cities:
- Abilene
- Amarillo
- Lubbock
- Wichita Falls
- San Angelo
- Plainview
Top Destinations:
- Garner State Park
- Big Spring State Park
- Caprock Canyons State Park
- Alibates Flint Quarry National Monument
Resources:
- Photo Gallery
- Blog The Texas Panhandle is the northeastern most region of Texas. This region of Texas is mostly flat but it also has some canyon country. The Texas Panhandle is subdivided into 4 regions including the High Plains, the North Central Plains, Northern Edwards Plateau, and Llano Estacado.

The High Plains Region is the northern most part of the Texas Panhandle. This region is known mostly for its cowboy culture. One of the notable experiences in the High Plains is the rodeos that nearly every town in the region enjoys. Other than Amarillo, the High Plains of Texas offers mostly rural attractions including state parks, wildlife reserves, historic villages, and more open country than you can explore in a lifetime.

The Northern Central Plains Region is to the south east of the High Plains and east of the Northern Edwards Plateau. The attractions in this region include Wichita Falls, several state parks, and popular fishing lakes.

Northern Edwards Plateau is the southernmost part of the Texas Panhandle. This region of the Texas Panhandle has very few tourist destinations to mention besides Big Spring State Park. The area is very beautiful but it is mostly open plains with very few notable places to see.

The Llano Estacado region of the Texas Panhandle is nearly entirely rural although it does have several moderate sized cities including Lubbock and Plainview. The Llano Estacado region is what most outsiders think of when they think of Texas with its wide open prairies as far as the eye can see. Llano Estacado is one of the few places in the world where you may still see wild buffalo herds.

Top Cities:
- El Paso
- Alpine
- Fort Davis
- Marathon
- Midland
- Odessa Top Destinations:
- Big Bend National Park
- Big Bend Ranch State Park
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Hueco Tanks State Historic Site
- Monahans Sandhills State Park Resources:
- Photo Gallery
- Blog Big Bend Country, also known as the Mountain Basin Region, in west Texas is largely open and undeveloped. This region is one of the last few places in this country that you can go to see the American frontier as it was hundreds of years ago.

The terrain in Texas Big Bend Country varies vastly from the highly mountainous western section to the open prairies and grasslands. Much of the region is also encompassed by the Chihuahua Desert. Big Bend is named for the big bend in the Rio Grande River that makes up its southern border with Mexico.

Big Bend Country stretches west to east from El Paso on the Texas-New Mexico border to Midland/Odessa and the Pecos River. The region stretches north to south from the southernmost part of the Texas Panhandle to the Texas-Mexico border. Big Bend Country is made up of two sub-regions including the Permian Basin Region and the Trans-Pecos Region.

The Permian Basin Region of Texas Big Bend Country got its name from the geological qualities of the area. This name refers to the oil rich basin buried deep beneath the surface. This is important because much of the industry in the region is due to this basin. This region is located in the north eastern part of Big Bend Country around the Midland/Odessa Metropolitan area. There is very little travel potential in this part of Texas. Most of the travel opportunities in Texas Big Bend Country revolves around the mountainous areas in the western and southern sections of the region.

The Trans-Pecos region is located in the western part of Big Bend Country near El Paso and Southern Texas near the Texas-Mexico Border. The Trans-Pecos region is the most traveled region of Big Bend Country. This higher travel volume is due mostly to the mountain destinations including Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Big Bend National Park. This region is also part of the beautiful Chihuahua Desert.

Top Cities:
- Huntsville
- Nacogdoches
- Lufkin
- Texarkana
- Tyler
- Longview
- Athens
- Marshall
- Jasper Top Destinations:
- Big Thicket National Preserve
- Village Creek State Park
- Sam Houston State Park
- Lake Livingston State Park
Resources:
- Photo Gallery
- Blog The Texas Piney Woods Region is located north of the Gulf Coast Region and east of the Prairies and Lakes Region and on the western border of Louisiana. The Piney Woods are named for the hundreds of thousands of acres of pine forest.

This region has many wildlife preserves that offer recreation for the outdoorsman including hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and much more. One of the most famous of these preserves is the Big Thicket National Preserve near Beaumont.

The Piney Woods Region of Texas is subdivided into 3 regions including Northeastern Texas, Central Piney Woods, and Deep East Texas.

Northeastern Texas stretches from Tyler on its west to Longview on its east. Along with the pine forests that are indicative of the rest of the Piney Woods, Northeastern Texas is also known for its wildflowers including the Bluebonnet, the state flower of Texas. This section of Texas also has rivers, swamps, bayous, lakes, and many other water sources that are sought by outdoorsman. Some of the more famous of these water sources include the Sabine River, the Red River, Cypress Bayou, and Caddo Lake.

The Central Piney Woods Region is the oldest region of Texas including Nacogdoches, the oldest city in Texas. This region has many historic towns, buildings, and museums that reflect the rich history of East Texas.

The Deep East Texas Region is the southernmost part of the Piney Woods. This section of the Piney Woods has some of the biggest lakes in Texas including Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, and Lake Livingston. Many people travel to this region for fishing, camping, swimming, and other water recreations.

Top Cities:
- Dallas
- Fort Worth
- Arlington
- Waco
- Mesquite
- College Station Top Destinations:
- Six Flags Over Texas
- Cleburne State Park
- Enchanted Rock State Park
- Dinosaur Valley State Park
- Dallas World Aquarium Resources:
- Photo Gallery
- Blog The Prairies and Lakes region is located in north and central Texas. The Prairies and Lakes Region is subdivided into 4 sections, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolis, the Cross Timbers, the Blackland Prairie, and the Post Oak Savannah.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolis is one of the largest urban areas in Texas. Here you can enjoy towering skyscrapers, an exciting night life, museums, sports, great food, and much more. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolis also has several theme parks including Six Flags over Texas.

The Cross Timbers are the northwestern section of the Prairies and Lakes region. This region extends from the Oklahoma border to the southwest side of Fort Worth. This region is famous for its entertainment based around its many lakes. This region also has Dinosaur Valley State Park, where you can see dinosaur footprint preserved in ground in and around the streams in the park.

The Blackland Prairie extends south from the Oklahoma border to the north side of Austin. This section takes a little from each of its surrounding geographic areas including the Piney Woods on its east side, the Hill Country on its south side, the urban country on the east side of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and the vast prairies in the north.

The Post Oak Savannah is located in the southernmost part of the Prairies and Lakes region of Texas. This region extends near many of the largest cities in Texas including, San Antonio, Houston, Galveston, New Braunfels, and Austin. One of the most notable cities in the Post Oak Savannah is Bryan-College Station. College Station is home to Texas A&M University.

Top Cities:
- San Antonio
- Brownsville
- Del Rio
- Carrizo Springs
- McAllen Top Destinations:
- Six Flags Fiesta Texas
- Sea World
- River Walk
- The Alamo
- Hemisfair Park Resources:
- Photo Gallery
- Blog For the most part the South Texas Plains is a desert with no available travel opportunities but there are a few exceptions. The northern part of the South Texas Plains around San Antonio has many urban travel destinations and the southern section around the Rio Grande Valley has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. The South Texas Plains also offers some of the best Mexican culture that America has to offer. The South Texas Plains Region stretches from San Antonio to the North and America-Mexico border to the South.

Most visitors to the South Texas Plains Region go to San Antonio. San Antonio offers Theme parks (Six Flags, Sea World, and Splashtown), caverns (Natural Bridge Cavern and Cascade Caverns), historic sites (The Alamo and Spanish Mission), and of course the world famous River Walk.

The Rio Grande River is one of the biggest attractions in the South Texas Plains Region. The Rio Grande runs through many miles of beautiful canyons. Many adventure seekers come to this region for white water rafting, canoeing, and kayaking. Rio Grande rafting adventures range from a couple of hours long to several weeks long.

Much of the South Texas Plains Region is strongly influenced by Mexican culture. This influence is reflected by the food, the architecture, the music, the museums, and the festivals. Many of the towns close to the America-Mexico border are hardly different from actually being in Mexico.