Day Trips
By Gerald E. McLeod, Fri., Jan. 1, 1999
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Happy New Year. It's time once again to do a little bit of housekeeping and clean of off my desk some of those tidbits of travel information that I have been saving.
More frontier forts were built in Texas than in any other state between 1848 and 1900 -- nearly 150 posts and camps. Many of the forts survive as ruins or reconstructed museums. Several state agencies and Chambers of Commerce joined together to produce a travel guide to the old Texas forts scattered from Jacksboro to Mason to Eldorado to San Angelo (picture above) to Abilene and Throckmorton. The free Texas Forts Trail guide is available from the San Angelo Visitors Bureau at 800/375-1206 or Abilene Visitors Bureau at 800/727-7704.
There are nine other colorful brochures in the trails series documenting points of interest along some of Texas' most interesting highways. To check on the availability of the other guides, call 800/888-8TEX.
To find out more about other exciting heritage and cultural tourism opportunities, visit these Internet sites:
Texas Historical Commission: http://www.thc.state.tx.us
Texas Tourism: http://www.TravelTex.com
Texas Commission on the Arts: http://www.arts.state.tx.us
Wild Texas: http://www.wildtexas.com.
Texas ranks third as a tourist destination behind California and Florida, according to the Texas Department of Economic Development. San Antonio is the most popular tourist destination with 13.8 million visitor days in 1997. Corpus Christi edged out Dallas and Houston to become the state's second most-visited city.
Perhaps it is the Winter Texan Survival Kit, an off-season promotion package of information guides, coupons, and discounts, that attracted the cold weather season visitors. To get your survival kit, call 512/881-1888.
Port Aransas also offers off-season discounts for winter visitors. The local Chamber of Commerce recently opened a new visitor center at 130 W. Goodnight. They can be reached at 512/758-2750.
Texas has more historic courthouses than any other state, with 225 that are 50 years old or older. Courthouses along the Colorado River is the theme of the Lower Colorado River Authority's free 1999 calendar. Each month a story is told about how a courthouse stood the tests of time. Intended to promote tourism in the river basin, the calendars are full of useful information. Available from merchants in the electric company's service area, the calendars can be obtained by calling 473-3200 (http://www.lcra.org).
LCRA parks are the first parks outside the state parks system to use the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's central reservation system. Beginning Jan.1, campers will be able to make reservations at the parks up to 11 months in advance by calling TPWD at 389-8900.
Texas is one of three states that now offers park reservations over the Internet. The Internet system is available 24 hours a day. Reservations and cancelation cost an extra $6 convenience fee, but there is no charge for checking availability. The new booking system is good only for single campsites and shelters. A credit card must be used to confirm reservations. Only Indian Lodge and the Texas State Railroad handle their own reservations. Check out the new reservation system at: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us.
Reserve a water taxi from Silver Creek Lodge and Marina near Burnet for a ride across Lake Buchanan to Vanishing River Cruise's eagle tours, Fall Creek Vineyards, Buchanan Dam, or any of the lake's public parks. Fares vary by destination and duration of layover; reservations required. For information on the Silver Creek Water Wagons or the lodge, call 512/756-4854.
The stars are big and bright in Texas and they provide the atmosphere for gourmet raft trips on the Rio Grande with Chef Francois Maeder. Guides with Far Flung Adventures provide the commentary on the region's geology, history, and botany. The owner of Crumpets Restaurant in San Antonio fixes the meals for the three-day, 20-mile treks. Beginning from Lajitas in the Big Bend National Park, the voyage passes through the narrow cliffs of Santa Elena Canyon. There are four Rio Grande trips planned beginning in late February. Maeder also accompanies five-day gourmet raft trips on the Salt River in Arizona, Rio Grande Gorge in Taos, and Rio Chama in New Mexico. For information call the restaurant at 210/821-5600 or e-mail to francosis@aol.com.
Returned from the ashes of the great fire, the Hill County Courthouse in Hillsboro has been nearly restored. After the devastating fire on Jan.1, 1993, a steady rebuilding project has completed the exterior and interior of the limestone courthouse. On April 24, 1999, Willie Nelson will lead a benefit concert in Hillsboro to raise funds for furnishings. Reserved seat tickets ($100-150) go on sale in January from the Chamber of Commerce, 800/HILLSBORO. General admission tickets ($25) go on sale through Ticketmaster in March.
The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston is currently hosting two exceptional traveling exhibits. "Brassa: The Eye of Paris" presents 140 of the French photographer's pictures of Paris during the early 1930s through Feb. 28. "Rhapsodies in Black: Art of the Harlem Renaissance" documents a fascinating period in African-American art history on exhibit through Feb. 14. On Wednesdays and Thursdays at noon, the museum offers free 45-minute tours of the major exhibits. For information, call 713/639-7597 or go to http://www.mfah.org.
Spending the night at a Hill Country B&B just got easier with Gästehaus Schmidt's online reservation service. The Fredericksburg guest house clearing agent lists four pages of homes for rent by the night. The site includes photographs and descriptions of the properties as well as a breakdown of which ones allow smoking or pets and are handicapped accessible. Gästehaus Schmidt is at http://www.ktc.gschmidt/guest.htm or at 830/997-5612. Other Hill Country Reservation services include: Hill Country Accommodations at http://www.texasvacations.com or 800/926-5028, Country Innkeepers at http://www.homestead-tx.com/ci.htm or 800/230-0805, and Wimberley Lodging Reservation Service at 800/460-3909.
You have coffee and Internet access at 1,900 cyber cafes around the world. Internet Cafe Guide at http://www.netcafeguide.com gives visitors detailed descriptions of businesses in 109 countries that offer Internet hookups, some for free. The site also has useful travel links and news.
397th in a Series. Collect them all.
