Day Trips & Beyond: May Events Roundup
It's a great time to get out and explore
By Gerald E. McLeod, 8:00AM, Thu. May 5, 2022
Big changes come to Big Bend, a popular swimming hole opens for the season, and there are lots of fun things to do throughout the month.
Cold dip. The water in the second largest fully submerged cave in Texas stays at a constant 68 degrees. Reservations for swimming at Jacob’s Well Natural Area are now being accepted. The swimming season runs from May 1 through September 30. Reservations are required in two-hour increments from 10am to 6pm. Weekends through June are already booked. Non-swimmers can use the park outside of Wimberley for free.
May 1-Sept. 30, Jacob’s Well Natural Area swimming, Wimberley, 512/214-4593, hayscountytx.com/departments/hays-county-parks-recreation
Chisos Changes. Plans announced in late April by the staff of Big Bend National Park call for the replacement of the Chisos Mountains Lodge by fall 2025. At the April 21 video conference Park Superintendent Bob Krumenaker gave the tentative timeline for the demolition of the old lodge and construction of a new lodge as beginning in summer 2023. During the two-year period there will be major disruptions to visitation at the popular Chisos Basin. At this point the stone cabins built in the 1930s and the motel buildings are not part of the $22 million project that is being paid for by the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020.
No design for the new building has officially been agreed up, but the leading contender uses the footprint of the original building. The dining area would be on the second floor with improved views of the Window and Casa Grande.
The current lodge, which is not really a lodge at all, but mainly a restaurant, gift shop, and lobby area, was built in 1964 and is showing its age. Debbie Cooper with Architectural Resources Group said the structure is slowly sliding down the mountain due to a faulty foundation. The 58-year-old building doesn’t meet any fire or energy codes, and hardly needs minimum ADA requirements.
The public is invited to comment by email on the project and design of the building through May 21, 2022.
Heat warning: As a side note to his presentation, Park Superintendent Krumenaker said the “warm season” in Big Bend has already begun. About a month earlier than normal the temperature is already in the 90s on the desert trails and above 100 degrees along the Rio Grande. Dangerously high temperatures on average continue through mid-September.
Big Bend National Park Chisos Lodge comment period open through May 21; email ChisosLodge_Comments@nps.gov
Travel Notes:
Star bright. What most residents and visitors to Far West Texas already knew is now official – the night skies out there are something special. The Big Bend Sentinel of Marfa reported on April 14 that the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, which includes parts of northern Mexico, is now the world’s first certified bi-national and the largest International Dark Sky Reserve. The designation recognizes the community’s efforts to protect the night sky from excessive light and comes from the International Dark Sky Association. The communities around McDonald Observatory have jealously guarded the night sky with lighting ordinances going back to the 1970s, according the article by Sam Karas. Speaking of the Big Bend Sentinel and the Presidio International, you can help support local, independent journalism next time you’re in Marfa by purchasing the latest issue while you’re in town or by visiting the newspapers’ restaurant at 209 W. El Paso for breakfast, lunch, coffee, or cocktails between 7:30am and 3pm. Can’t make the drive? Shop online.
Is it rolling Bob? To be alone with you and thousands of our closest friends at the grand opening of the Bob Dylan Center on May 10 in Tulsa, Okla., would be a dream come true. Opening two weeks before his 81st birthday, the depository of all things Dylan contains a gallery of handwritten manuscripts, a screening room of rare film footage, and unreleased music. To complete your visit to northeast Oklahoma the Woody Guthrie Center (exhibiting “Bruce Springsteen Live!” through September 25) is in the same block, and the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center is an 8-minute walk away. The Dylan Center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm.
Becoming Jane. Few scientists have had as big an impact on conservation as Dr. Jane Goodall. The British primatologist and anthropologist studied chimpanzees for more than 60 years as individuals rather than as research subjects. From May 21 through September 5, The Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas presents “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall.” Produced in partnership with the National Geographic Society and the Jane Goodall Institute, this is an intimate look at Dr. Goodall’s extraordinary work and her inspiring life.
Other May Events:
Live Thoroughbred Racing
May 1-29, Grand Prairie, www.lonestarpark.com/racing-calendar
Scarborough Renaissance Festival
May 1-30, Waxahachie, www.srfestival.com
“Lonesome Dove” Exhibit
May 1-June 25, Temple, www.templeparks.com
San Antonio Flavor
May 5, San Antonio, sacurrentflavor.com
Rockets2022
May 5-7, Anahuac, www.systemsgo.org
Marfa Invitational
May 5-8, Marfa, www.marfainvitational.com
Salado Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering
May 5-8, Salado, www.saladocowboypoetry.org
Black History River Cruise
May 8, San Antonio, saaacam.org/events
Buccaneer Days
May 5-15, Corpus Christi, bucdays.com
First Friday
May 6, Corpus Christi, www.artmuseumofsouthtexas.org
Cinco de Mayo Fiesta
May 6-7, Goliad, www.generalzaragozasociety.com
Crawfish Bash
May 6-7, Mauriceville, www.crawfishfest.org/festival
Hill Country Run Motorcycle Rally
May 6-8, Luckenbach, www.hillcountryrun.com
Fresh Farmers and Artisan Market
May 7, Bellville, www.discoverbellville.com
White Oak School 175th Open House
May 7, Fredericksburg, www.historicschools.org
Festival of Eid
May 7, Houston, asiasociety.org/texas/events/festival-eid
Underground Sounds with ROCO
May 7, Houston, buffalobayou.org/visit/destination/the-cistern
“Howdy-Roo” Regional CASI Chili Championship and Lone Star Barbecue State Championship
May 7, Marble Falls, www.lonestarbarbecue.com
Honey Bee Jubilee
May 7, New Ulm, www.newulmtexas.com/events/honey-bee-jubilee
Songwriters Serenade
May 7, Schulenburg, songwriterserenade.com
Free State Historic Sites Day
May 7, Various locations, www.thc.texas.gov
Wharton County Courthouse Tour
May 7, Wharton, cca.whartonchamber.com
Nautical Flea Market
May 7-8, Rockport, www.rockportyachtclub.org
Galveston Historic Homes Tour
May 7, 8, 14, 15, Galveston, www.galvestonhistory.org
Lavender Fest
May 7-8, Stonewall, www.beckervineyards.com
Raptor Center Tour
May 7, 28, Houston, houstonaudubon.org
51st Birthday of the Frozen Margarita
May 11, Dallas, www.laharanch.com
Rockets2022
May 12-14, Stonewall, www.systemsgo.org
Western Heritage Classic
May 12-15, Abilene, www.westernheritageclassic.com
Darden Smith in Concert
May 13, La Grange, thebugleboy.org
Cajun Fest
May 14, Celina, www.lifeincelinatx.com
Cherry Mountain School Open House
May 14, Fredericksburg, www.historicschools.org
Robot Day
May 14, Johnson City, www.sciencemill.org
Bluff Schuetzenfest
May 14, La Grange, www.thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/kreische-brewery-state-historic-site
FolkFest
May 14, New Braunfels, texashandmadefurniture.com
Museum Market
May 14, San Antonio, www.samuseum.org
San Antonio Ford Model T Show
May 14, San Antonio, www.txtransportationmuseum.org
Black Heritage Celebration
May 14-15, Dallas, www.dallasarboretum.org
Train Show and Train Days
May 14-15, Jefferson, www.diamonddonempire.com
Muttfest
May 15, Amarillo, www.fb.com/events/starlight-ranch-event-center/amarillo-spca-muttfest/2843527119254850
Doug Montgomery, Pianist, In Concert
May 15, Fredericksburg, www.fredericksburgmusicclub.com
Tejano Conjunto Festival
May 16-22, San Antonio, www.guadalupeculturalarts.org
Come and Taste It
May 19, Gruene, www.grapevineingruene.com
Lee County Fair
May 19-21, Giddings, www.leecountyfairtx.com
Magnolia Days
May 20-21, Columbus, www.magnoliadays.org
Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival
May 20-22, Grand Prairie, www.asiatimessquare.com
Texas Steak Cook-off
May 21, Hico, www.texassteakcookoff.com
Bird Banding
May 21, Lake Jackson, www.gcbo.org
San Antonio Book Festival
May 21, San Antonio, www.sabookfestival.org
Comicon in the Alley
May 21, San Antonio, do210.com/events/2022/5/21/comicon-in-the-alley-tickets
Sun City Craft Beer Festival
May 21-22, El Paso, www.suncitycraftbeerfest.com
Old Gruene Market Days
May 21-22, Gruene, gruenemarketdays.com
50th Kerrville Folk Festival
May 26-June 12, Kerrville, www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org
John Wayne Birthday Celebration
May 27-28, Winterset, IA, www.johnwaynebirthplace.museum/2022-birthday-celebration
Crawfish Festival
May 27-29, Fredericksburg, www.fbgjaycees.com
Memorial Day Weekend Stampede Parade and Rodeo
May 27-29, Bandera, www.banderaprorodeo.org
Crider’s Rodeo and Dance Hall Opening Night
May 28, Hunt, www.cridersrandd.com
BuzzFest
May 28, Navasota, beeweaver.com
Rockport Wine Festival
May 28, Rockport, www.texasmaritimemuseum.org
Audie Murphy Days
May 28-29, Greenville, www.cottonmuseum.com
Gerald 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 and follow him on Facebook.
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Gerald E. McLeod, May 1, 2025
Gerald E. McLeod, April 3, 2025
May 2, 2025
April 25, 2025
Day Trips, Jacob's Well, Wimberley, Big Bend, Chisos Mountains Lodge, Big Bend Sentinel, Presidio International, Bob Dylan Center, Tulsa, Perot Museum, Dallas
