Day Trips

Photo By Gerald E. McLeod

A list of Top 10 Day Trips out of the first 500 that I have written since April 12, 1991 is a pretty tall order. I once had the idea of doing a list of the top 100 sites in Texas. It was too daunting of a task, so I never completed the project. Fortunately, this list is culled only from places that I have visited. I haven't visited all of the top 100 places, people, and things and I don't know if I ever will.

Number 1: Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose invited me out for a visit in 1994 and it has remained a favorite ever since. This is so much more than just a drive-through animal park. Traveling the 10 miles of road across the 1,500-acre sanctuary, visitors will spot more than 30 species from Africa, Asia, South America, and the United States. Many of the breeds on view are on the endangered or threatened list in their native environments, but they flourish here.

The tourist dollars spent at the gate, the gift shop, or the inn go to support an international conservation effort going on behind the scenes. Participating in the Species Survival Plan, the center has been on the forefront of breeding efforts to save the cheetah, black rhino, Mexican gray wolf, and Attwater's prairie chickens from extinction. All of this led to the creation of one of the premier exotic veterinarian facilities in the U.S. For information, call 254/897-2960 or go to www.fossilrim.org.

Number 2: If I'm not at home look for me on the beaches of Port Aransas. After visiting the fishing port on the Gulf of Mexico for more than 30 years, I always look forward to my next visit. Despite efforts to commercialize the main streets, Port A remains a humble little village of cinder block beach motels and uncrowded beaches. For information, call 800/452-6278 or www.portaransas.org.

Number 3: There is something spiritual about a visit to Enchanted Rock. Maybe it is the physical workout hiking to the top of the 500-foot high granite dome or it is the phantoms of past generations. A state park since 1978, the former Indian ceremonial grounds are now loved so much that the number of daily visitors is limited by the rangers. Even if you can't get into the park there is lots to do in the area north of Fredericksburg. For park information, call 915/247-3903.

Number 4: Speaking of an area where there is too much to see and do in one visit, Fort Davis is one of the best places in Texas to get away from it all. Cellular phones don't even work out there most of the time. The town has a quaint Western motif with just the right level of visitor services without being tacky. Surrounding the town are some of the most beautiful scenic drives in the state, plus the McDonald Observatory, Balmorhea State Park, Big Bend National Park, and more. For information, call 800/524-3015.

Number 5: To visit a living ghost town, go to Paint Rock, east of San Angelo. There isn't much left in the seat of Concho County. The best thing to do is go see the Indian pictographs that gave the town its name. On a cliff on the north bank of the San Angelo River are more than 1,500 markings left by visitors going back to prehistoric times. You'll be one of the extra-lucky visitors if you get the landowner, Kay Campbell, as your tour guide. The site is open June through August, Monday through Saturday, 9am-noon and Sunday, noon-5pm. For information or reservations, call 915/732-4376 or 915/732-4418.

Number 6: Krause Springs is the kind of place that makes the Hill Country special. The spring-fed swimming hole is lined with a cliff covered in ferns and a waterfall. This is the kind of place that you only tell your best friends about. Thirty-four miles west of Austin in Spicewood, this refuge from the city would make anybody's top 10. In addition to a campground there is also a spring-fed swimming pool for those not up to the climb down the rusty staircase to the creek. For information, call 830/598-9851.

Number 7: Willow City Loop is one of many spectacular country drives in the Hill Country. In the springtime the two-lane road is lined with a colorful palette of wildflowers. All year it is a natural wildlife park that runs from shaded creek bottoms to hilltops with panoramic views. Technically, the Loop is 13 miles beginning in Willow City and winding to TX 16. From Austin, the Loop begins in Johnson City where U.S. 281 joins with FM 1323 north of town and travels east to TX 16, then south to Fredericksburg, and back to Johnson City by U.S. 290. This is the trip to show out-of-town guests the wonders of the Hill Country.

Number 8: The Marfa Mystery Lights are one of those strange phenomena that you just don't believe until you see them for yourself. First reported by early settlers in 1883, the lights still defy explanation. The best viewing spot is nine miles east of Marfa on U.S. 90. This is a great area to explore, with an international art foundation and the El Paisano Hotel, where the actors and crew of the movie Giant stayed. For information, call 915/729-4942.

Number 9: Jefferson would be Northeast Texas' version of Fredericksburg if the town had a better PR firm. It is just as well that it doesn't. Once the largest river port in Texas, the sleepy little town is now a collection of historic buildings and quaint neighborhoods. Whether a visit to Jefferson is a honeymoon or a chance to relax, there is plenty there to entertain or surprise. It's just not as crowded as Fredericksburg. For information, call 903/665-2672 or www.jefferson-texas.com.

Number 10: Garrett Wilkinson was one of the true Texas originals that I have met on my 500-day-trips odyssey. The Bertram folk artist started sculpting whimsical creations out of discarded materials in the 1970s while he worked as a welder and machinist on area ranches. His dinosaurs, roadrunners, eagles, and flamingos have appeared at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. and in several magazines, movies, and television programs. The self-taught artist, who passed away in October 1999, produced his creations with a refreshing blend of humor and creativity. He will be missed.