Day Trips & Beyond: February Events Roundup
February's full of fun
By Gerald E. McLeod, 8:00AM, Fri. Feb. 1, 2019
February begins with Lunar New Year celebrations and ends with the beginning of Mardi Gras season with lots of fun in between.
The repurposing of an abandoned railroad viaduct through Lower Manhattan as a linear park is one of the most inspired urban projects of the young century. The High Line in New York City shows what can be accomplished with public spaces as our aging cities evolve. Texas has its own such projects. In the Houston, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership has turned the waterway through downtown into a greenbelt and a former underground reservoir into the Cistern art space. In Austin, the Waller Creek Project has reimagined a drainage ditch into a public park. These innovative projects, along with ones in Chicago and Toronto, have united to form the High Line Network Joint Art Initiative. Five artists from the five cities responded to the question “What should a contemporary monument look like?” The 25 artworks will travel to the five cities beginning with Houston and ending in New York City in September.
Feb.19-April 30, “New Monuments for New Cities,” Houston, www.buffalobayou.org
Take a ride back in Houston history on the Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s boat tours. The 1.5- to 2-hour history lessons offer a view of downtown not normally seen. Led by local historians, there is the Looking Back History Boat Tour on Feb. 16 at 10am for $40 and the Port to Port History Boat Tour on Feb. 23 at 10am that cruises from Allen’s Landing to the Port of Houston Turning Basin.
Feb. 16, 23, History Boat Tours, Houston, 713/752-0314, www.buffalobayou.org/boat-tours
Blow your sweetheart’s mind on Valentine’s Day with a glass heart or heart-shaped bowl you created by you just for them at Salado Glassworks. Budding artists 12 years old and older can create a one-of-a-kind art project with the help of resident glassblowers. Online registration is available. There is a special session for children ages 3 and up on Feb. 1.
Feb. 1-2, 8-9, Blow Your Own Valentine, Salado Glassworks, Salado, 254/947-0339, www.saladoglassworks.com
Travel Notes:
It’s not too early to start working on your entry into the 2019 Houston Art Car Parade to be held April 11-14. This is one of the largest free events in Texas’ largest city. Rolling artworks from around the country participate. Entries must be registered by Feb. 15 and should include photographs of the creation.
LEGO® bricks are not just for kids. In the exhibit “The Art of the Brick” at the Perot Museum in Dallas, artists use the familiar toy building blocks to re-create famous works of art. The national touring show of structural marvels fills the gallery from Feb. 23 to Aug. 18.
Closed in May 2018 due to structural concerns, the pool at Balmorhea State Park may reopen to swimmers later this year. In January, Apache Corporation, which has oil drilling operations in the area, delivered on a $1 million promise to help repair the popular swimming hole. According to Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation, the grant matched more than $1 million donated by more than 575 donors. Sixty percent of the donations were under $100. Apache also donated $1 million to establish an endowment to support the park in perpetuity.
The Gault Archaeological Site, outside of Florence in northern Williamson County, has been named one of the Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in the World for 2018 by Archology Magazine. Evidence suggests that the large deposit of flint at the site attracted human toolmakers prior to when scientists had thought people had inhabited North America. Dr. Clark Wernecke, executive director of the Gault School, will present a new movie about the site at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Feb. 19. Tours of the dig site are available through the Williamson County Museum and the Bell County Museum.
On the weekend of Feb. 1-3, The Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock commemorates the 60th anniversary of Holly’s death with The Day the Music Died. The three days of music, special exhibitions, and trolley tours includes tours of the J.I. Allison Home. Allison was the drummer in the Crickets and Holly’s songwriting partner. You can help support of the Holly Center by buying a personalized paving brick for $125 or $500. Or you can have your name inscribed on a permanent art exhibit at the Lubbock Entertainment/Performing Arts Center for $250 to $5,000.
In North Texas, February is when the tulips bloom. By the end of the month, the fields at Texas-Tulip outside of Pilot Point will be ablaze in color. Visitors are invited to tour the fields and pick the flowers (for a fee) seven days a week. The blooms only last until late March or early April.
Other February Events:
Lunar New Year
Feb. 1-3, Grand Prairie, www.asiatimessquare.com
Renaissance Festival
Feb. 1-3, Kerrville, www.kerrvillerenfest.com
The Day the Music Died
Feb. 1-3, Lubbock, www.buddyhollycenter.org
SPI Kitefest
Feb. 1-3, South Padre Island, www.sopadre.com
Early Texas Ceramics and Furniture
Feb. 1-March 30, San Angelo, www.samfa.org
Hidden Dallas Tour
Feb. 2, Dallas, www.dallasbychocolate.com
Texas Lunar New Year Celebration
Feb. 2, Houston, www.texaslunarfest.net
Abner Jackson Plantation Site Tour
Feb. 2, Lake Jackson, www.lakejacksonmuseum.org
Trade Day
Feb. 2, Llano, www.llanochamber.org
Civil War Reenactment
Feb. 2-3, Canton, www.cantonmountain.com
Wine & Chocolate Trail
Feb. 2-10, Brenham, www.texasbluebonnetwinetrails.com
Super Beef Sunday
Feb. 3, Houston, www.saintarnold.com
Planetarium Show
Feb. 5, 12, 19, 22, 26, Clute, www.brazosportcenter.org
Winter Lecture Series
Feb. 6, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, Corpus Christi, www.stxbot.org
Laredo Birding Festival
Feb. 6-9, Laredo, www.laredobirdingfestival.org
Eddie Durham Jazz Celebration & Hill Country Jazz Festival
Feb. 7-9, San Marcos, www.txstate.edu/jazzstudies
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
Feb. 7-24, San Antonio, www.sarodeo.com
Chinese New Year Festival
Feb. 9, Dallas, www.crowcollection.org
Czech Music Festival,
Feb. 9, Ennis, www.ennisczechmusicfestival.com
Wine & Chocolate Fantasia
Feb. 9, Lubbock, www.llanowine.com
Confucius Wishing Lanterns
Feb. 9, San Antonio, www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com
Asian Festival
Feb. 9, San Antonio, www.texancultures.com
Chocolate Fantasia
Feb. 9, Silver City, N.M., www.silvercity.org
South Padre Island Chili Expo Chili Cook-off
Feb. 9, South Padre Island, www.spiwalkforwomen.org/spice-chili-cook-off
Gallery Trail
Feb. 9, Wimberley, www.gallerytrail.com
Market Days
Feb. 9-10, Boerne, www.visitboerne.org
Lunar New Year Houston
Feb. 9-10, Houston, www.lunarnewyearhouston.com
Bloodless Bullfights
Feb. 9, 23, La Gloria, www.fredrenk.com
ReelAbilities Film and Art Festival
Feb. 12-13, 17-21, Houston, www.reelabilitieshouston.org
Inspire Film Festival
Feb. 14-18, The Woodlands, www.inspirefilmfest.com
Luckenbach Hug-In & Valentine Ball
Feb. 15-17, Luckenbach, www.luckenbachtexas.com
Matagorda Bay Birdfest
Feb. 15-17, Palacios, www.matagordabaybirdfest.org
Market Days
Feb. 15-17, Rockport-Fulton, www.rockportfultonmarketdays.com
Houston Glass Show and Sale and the Best Little Antique Show in Texas
Feb. 15-17, Rosenberg, www.maxmillerantiques.com
From Broadway With Love
Feb. 16, Boerne, www.cavewithoutaname.com
Castell Chili Cook-off
Feb. 16, Castell, www.castellgeneralstore.com
Wolves Behind-the-Scenes Tour & Dinner
Feb. 16, Glen Rose, www.fossilrim.org
Aquaponics Greenhouse Grand Opening
Feb. 16, Johnson City, www.sciencemill.org
Bird Banding
Feb. 16, Lake Jackson, www.gcbo.org
African American Heritage Day
Feb. 16, Palacios, www.citybytheseamuseum.org
Greater Houston Train Show
Feb. 16, Stafford, www.sanjacmodeltrains.org
Trade Days
Feb. 16-17, Fredericksburg, www.fbgtradedays.com
Market Days
Feb. 16-17, Gruene, www.gruenemarketdays.com
Trinity Singers in Concert
Feb. 17, Fredericksburg, www.fredericksburgmusicclub.com
Meet Texas’ Best Winemakers
Feb. 21, Gruene, www.grapevineingruene.com
11th Street Cowboy Mardi Gras
Feb. 21-23, Bandera, www.banderacowboycapital.com
Mardi Gras, Nocona Style
Feb. 21-23, Nocona, www.fb.com/mardigrasnoconastyle
Fiesta Edinburg
Feb. 21-24, Edinburg, www.edinburg.com
Whooping Crane Festival
Feb. 21-24, Port Aransas, www.whoopingcranefestival.org
Harlingen Art Night
Feb. 22, Harlingen, www.harlingenartnight.com
Troutfest Texas
Feb. 22-23, New Braunfels, www.grtu.org/troutfest
Mardi Gras
Feb. 22-March 5, Galveston, www.mardigrasgalveston.com
Cave Creek School Open House
Feb. 23, Fredericksburg, www.historicschools.org
Mardi Gras Parade
Feb. 23, Palestine, www.visitpalestine.com
Krewe of Centaur Parade
Feb. 23, Shreveport, La., www.shreveport-bossier.org/mardigras
Hill Country Antiques Show
Feb. 23-24, Boerne, www.visitboerne.org
Under the Green Flag
Feb. 23-24, Goliad, www.presidiolabahia.org
Art of the Brick
Feb. 23-Aug. 18, Dallas, www.perotmuseum.org
Mardi Gras Southeast Texas
Feb. 28-March 3, Port Arthur, www.mardigras.portarthur.com
Gerald E. McLeod has been traveling around Texas and beyond for his "Day Trips" column for more than 25 years. Keep up to date with his journeys on his archive page.
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Gerald E. McLeod, June 1, 2023
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