Summer’s not over yet; there’s still time to enjoy a county fair, balloon festival, or a sandcastle contest.
For many years the old Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi has stood at a crossroads – both figuratively and literally. Built in 1914 at a cost of $250,000, the six-story former hall of justice was vacated in 1977 for a new building across town. For the last 48 years the building stood empty and fenced off at the junction of IH37 and US181. County officials and restoration engineers have wrestled with what to do with the structure voted five times “the most beautiful courthouse in Texas.” While they talked, the cost of renovation skyrocketed to over $120 million. The Ed Rachal Foundation offered to buy the building and tear it down. They’re the same charitable organization who offered to replace the historic Hotel Luther in Palacios with a modern extended-stay hotel. The Texas Historical Commission blocked the proposal. This past spring the commission reversed course and removed the property’s historical preservation easement, clearing the way for the edifice’s final destruction. No demolition date has been announced.
Construction delays. Officials at the Big Bend National Park in far West Texas have announced that the popular Chisos Basin area of the park will remain open through this year’s winter season. This includes the Chisos Basin visitor center, Chisos Basin campground, and the trail system in the basin. Original plans were to close the area on May 1, 2025, but work has been delayed multiple times during this past summer. The construction start date has been pushed to May 1, 2026, and will continue for approximately two years. The project will replace the lodge and restaurant that was built in 1964 and replace aging water lines. Funding for the project comes from the Great American Outdoors Act, a bipartisan bill to address a massive backlog of deferred maintenance on public lands.
Overnight lodging in the Chisos Basin will soon be available for Sept. 25, 2025 through April 18, 2026. Lodging options are handled through Casa Grande Hospitality. Reservations for campsites should be made at www.recreation.gov. Once construction begins, the road to Chisos Basin will be closed. The rest of the park, including the Rio Grande Village RV Park and Campground and Cottonwood Campground (closed during the summer), will remain open during the construction.
Travel Notes:
American master. Take a cinematic journey down the Colorado River with The American Southwest. Directed by Ben Masters (The River and the Wall, Deep in the Heart), the documentary takes audiences on an expedition from the Colorado River’s headwaters to its historic delta. The adventure opens Sept. 5 in theaters in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, California, and Colorado. Select screenings will feature community engagement opportunities, educational programming, and Q&As with conservationists, Indigenous leaders, and the filmmaking team. There are lots of stops in Texas. Locally, it’s playing at AFS Cinema and at the Stars & Stripes Drive-In Theatre in New Braunfels. (Read the Chronicle‘s recent interview with Ben Masters.)
Maps as art. The Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute (NRI) launched its new online Map Store, offering the public access to a curated collection of award-winning maps that are as beautiful as they are informative. Each one of the initial six colorful maps goes beyond traditional cartography to such subjects as historic cattle drive trails, boundaries of Texas aquifers, night lights, river basins, and ecoregions. Granted, these are of most interest to those who can see the beauty of some pretty wonky topics. The maps are available as digital downloads or printed posters.
Until further notice. Out of an abundance of caution, the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens will be closed until Texas Parks and Wildlife Department completes emergency repairs to a steel column that structurally supports the main visitor center building. The TFFC reopened on July 1 after extensive remodeling of exhibits, displays, and aquaria in the main visitor center unrelated to the damaged support column. Updates on the repair and the re-opening date will be communicated through the TFFC website and social media accounts. Hatchery operations and fish production at TFFC will be unimpacted and continue as normal.
Sunday drive. More than 120 film productions have used Bastrop County as the backdrop in the last seven years. Now the county has put together a Bastrop County Film Trail guide to a dozen of the most popular. If you want to expand your search for filming locations from movies and television series made in and around Austin and Central Texas, visit the Austin Film Tourism Guide page. Many of these sites are also on the Texas Film Commission’s Texas Film Trails.
Other September Events:
Jump to a region: | Big Bend | Gulf Coast | Hill Country | Panhandle | Prairies & Lakes | South Texas | Out of State
BIG BEND
Tom Lea and Contemporaries
From the 1940s to when he died in 2001, Lea was one of the most prolific artists to come out of El Paso. This exhibit mixes his work with other West Texas artists who created a rich creative community.
Through Sept. 28, El Paso, www.epma.art
GULF COAST
“The Lingering Storm: Climate Change, Displacement, and Action”
Two decades after Hurricane Katrina changed the Gulf Coast – and the nation – forever, a group of experts gather to reflect, reckon, and look forward. In a roundtable panel, former Houston Mayor Bill White, journalist Soledad O’Brien, and others discuss how today’s climate crisis continues to impact vulnerable communities across the United States.
Sept. 10, Houston, www.eventbrite.com/e/the-lingering-storm-tickets-1501358907909?utm
Texas Gator Festival
Celebrate the American Alligator that inhabit the area’s wetlands at Fort Anahuac Park for a weekend of family-friendly fun and entertainment.
Sept. 12-14, Anahuac, www.texasgatorfest.com
AIA Sandcastle Competition
It’s amazing what a bunch of architects and engineers can build out of sand.
Sept. 13-14, Galveston, architecturehouston.org/sandcastle-competition
Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza
See the ruby-throated hummingbirds up close during their fall migration.
Sept. 13, 20, Lake Jackson, www.gcbo.org
Galveston Island Shrimp Festival
Stroll the Historic Strand District to sample some of the best seafood gumbo on the Gulf Coast beginning at 10am on Saturday.
Sept. 26-27, Galveston, www.galvestonislandshrimpfestival.com
Belt Sander Races
Root for your favorite industrial tool while enjoying a pint and a pizza.
Sept. 27, Port Aransas, www.portaransas.org/listing/the-gaff/217
HILL COUNTRY
Hill Country Road Show: Rosé to Rebuild
Come together to support the communities affected by the recent devastating floods for a special tasting event with 30-plus Hill Country wineries and their finest rosés (and other favorites too) from 3-5pm.
Sept. 6, Horseshoe Bay, texashillcountrywineries.org/products/hill-country-road-show-2025
The Austin Chronicle’s 35th Annual Hot Sauce Festival
Join the pyrotechnics as you sample as many sauces as you can handle and vote for your favorite sauces from 25 commercial bottlers.
Sept. 7, Austin, www.austinchronicle.com/hot-sauce/info
Jacobs Well Nature Area Tours
Even though the former swimming hole is short on water, free guided tours happen at 10am, and no reservations are needed. All ages welcome.
Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, Wimberley, www.hayscountytx.gov/tours-events
Snake Fessst
Learn about and interact with the snakes that call our area home.
Sept. 7, San Marcos, sanmarcostx.gov/3695/Snakefessst
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
In Putnam County, a group of high-achieving young students (comically portrayed by adult actors) have gathered for the spelling bee, an annual highlight of their small community. To these dictionary-devouring youngsters, this is more than a contest.
Sept. 12-28, Round Rock, www.penfoldtheatre.org
Old Yeller Day
The annual celebration honors the author Fred Gipson and the frontier heritage of Mason County with free crafts, stick horse and three-legged races, a living history encampment portraying the cavalry of Fort Mason, a dog parade, and an Old Yeller look-alike contest.
Sept. 20, Mason, https://mason.ploud.net/old-yeller-day
Comal County Fair and Rodeo
This county fair retains small-town charm with classic fair attractions with a carnival, livestock show, and barbecue cook-off.
Sept. 24-28, New Braunfels, www.comalcountyfair.org
Llano Music Fest
Enjoy two days of rock & roll on the banks of the Llano River in Robinson Park.
Sept. 26-27, Llano, www.llanotexasmusicfest.com
Bierfest
Experience Texas’ finest craft brews while enjoying Hill Country artists.
Sept. 27, Boerne, www.hccarts.org/bierfest
Kolache Festival
The KC Hall comes alive with music, dominoes, and those delightful pastry pillows.
Sept. 27, Hallettsville, www.facebook.com/HallettsvilleKolacheFest
Czech Heritage Festival
Immerse yourself in Czech heritage and culture with music, food, arts and crafts, and games.
Sept. 28, Victoria, www.victoriaczechs.org
PANHANDLE
Mexican Fiestas
Humanities Texas is sponsoring this traveling exhibition that presents a vivid chronicle of the historic and diverse traditions of Mexican festivals as experienced through the lens of Houston photographer Geoff Winningham.
Sept. 1-Oct. 10, Big Spring, www.bigspringtxhistorymuseum.com
Buddy Holly Birthday Bash
Celebrate a fun-filled day in remembrance of Holly’s 89th birthday.
Sept. 7, Lubbock, ci.lubbock.tx.us/departments/buddy-holly-center/events
Fiesta del Grito
The local community celebrates Mexican Independence Day, Diez y Seis de Septiembre, with parades, cook-offs, and regional vendors.
Sept. 13, Andrews, www.andrewstx.com/dia-del-grito
HOODOO Mural Festival
Come watch 14 muralists at work on downtown walls and stay for the heart-thumping music.
Sept. 27, Amarillo, hoodoomural.com
PRAIRIES & LAKES
Kolache Festival
The Kolache Capital of Texas hosts a day of fun saluting the delightful pastries.
Sept. 13, Caldwell, www.burlesoncountytx.com/kolache-fest
The Sex Pistols Return
In 1978 the Longhorn Ballroom reached international fame for being one of six venues in America to host the original Sex Pistols on their only U.S. tour. The tour was considered one of the seminal moments in rock & roll history. Three of the original members with Frank Carter as vocalist return for a one-night stand at the concert hall opened by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.
Sept. 16, Dallas, www.longhornballroom.com
Addison Oktoberfest
Enjoy a taste of the original Bavarian celebration with a purely Texan twist with four days of family-friendly revelry in German culture, food, polka bands, and bier.
Sept. 18-21, Addison, www.addisonoktoberfest.com
Texas Word Wrangler Book Festival
Texas authors will be available to sell their books, sign autographs, take pictures, read excerpts of their books, and answer audience questions.
Sept. 26-27, Giddings, www.giddingspubliclibrary.org/word-wrangler
Plano Balloon Festival
It’s a spectacular affair with hot air balloons, fireworks, carnival rides, fair food, and music.
Sept. 18-21, Plano, www.planoballoonfest.org
State Fair of Texas
Go for the food like Deep-Fried Deli Tacos and stay for the music, exhibitions, and midway rides.
Sept. 26-Oct. 19, Dallas, www.bigtex.com
Wendish Fest
Spend the day celebrating Wendish history and culture through folklife exhibits, unique cultural activities, delicious food, demonstrations, and live polka music.
Sept. 28, Giddings, www.texaswendish.com
SOUTH TEXAS
World Heritage Festival
Celebrate and explore firsthand, the interweaving of the Spanish and Coahuiltecan cultures that contribute to the historic San Antonio Missions’ World Heritage status.
Sept. 3-7, San Antonio, www.worldheritagefestival.org
Nuestras Voces: Stories of Resilience
An original multidisciplinary production highlighting the stories of influential Mexican American figures featuring the Guadalupe Dance Company and musicians of Mariachi Azteca de América.
Sept. 20, San Antonio, guadalupeculturalarts.org
Skylight Balloon Fest
The weekend features a market, hot air balloons, food trucks, music, and a petting zoo at Retama Park.
Sept. 26-27, Selma, www.skylightballoonfest.com
OUT OF STATE
Ghost Ranch Music Festival
Enjoy the music while surrounded by the desert that Georgia O’Keeffe loved.
Sept. 11-13, Abiquiu, NM, ghostranchmusicfest.com
Louisiana Food & Wine Festival
Experience a showcase of culinary, beverage, and music that highlights the state’s unique culture and heritage.
Sept. 18-21, Lake Charles, La., louisianafoodandwinefestival.com
Gerald McLeod has been traveling around Texas and beyond for his “Day Trips” column for more than 30 years. Keep up to date with his journeys on his archive page and follow him on Facebook.
