100 Things to Do in Texas Before You Die

by E.R. Bills

Overview

Many Texas travel guides are all hat and no cattle, put together by temporary or transplanted Texans who aren’t well familiar with the state in its entirety, much less the experiences and marvels that express bona fide Lone Star spirit. Award-winning author E. R. Bills’ 100 Things to Do in Texas Before You Die is a definitive, quick-reference travel guide put together by a native-born, lifelong Texan who has traveled the state all his life and spent the last several years writing about its distinct treasures, attractions and history. From the Big Bend to the Big Thicket, the Panhandle to the Padre Island National Seashore and all points in between, join Bills in this Lone Star bucket list that emphasizes authentic Texas in in all of its amazing diversity, stark beauty and unparalleled presence in the lower forty-eight.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681061832
Publisher:	Reedy press, LLC.
Publication date:	10/01/2018
Series:	100 Things to Do Before You Die
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	1,062,937
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Born in Fort Worth and raised in Aledo, E. R. Bills is an award-winning author, journalist and travel writer. His Lone Star titles include Texas Obscurities: Stories of the Peculiar, Exceptional & Nefarious (The History Press, 2013) and Texas Far and Wide: The Tornado with Eyes, Gettysburg's Last Casualty, the Celestial Skipping Stone and Other Tales (The History Press, 2017). He currently resides in North Texas and contributes to several publications around the state, including Texas Highways, Texas Co-Op Power Magazine and Fort Worth Weekly.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Preface xii

Amusements and Entertainment

1 Explore the San Antonio Riverwalk 2

2 Go to Luckenbach 3

3 Mill around in Marfa 4

4 Get Wet at the Texas State Aquarium 5

5 Take in a Rodeo 6

6 Eat or Compete at the Terlingua Chili Cookoff 8

7 Two-Step at the Broken Spoke 10

8 Visit a Ghost Town 12

9 Fill Your Stein at Wurstfest 14

10 Stargaze at the McDonald Observatory 15

11 Watch Your Favorite Sports Team Play 16

12 Attend the State Fair of Texas 18

13 Float a River 20

14 Take a Stroll on the Galveston Seawall 22

15 Create Graffiti at the Cadillac Ranch 24

16 Step Aboard the Texas State Railroad 26

17 Feel the Need for Speed 27

18 See Jefferson 28

19 Get Modern in Fort Worth 30

20 Celebrate Cinco de Mayo 31

21 Mosey up to the Bar in a Texas Saloon 32

22 Attend a Texas Festival 34

23 Take a Friend to Try the 72-Ounce Big Texan Challenge 36

24 Buy the Perfect Texas Souvenir 37

Parks and Recreation

25 Experience a Big Bend State of Mind 40

26 Hike the Guadalupe Mountains National Park 42

27 Get Lost on Caddo Lake 43

28 Beachcomb Padre Island National Seashore 44

29 Visit Palo Duro Canyon 46

30 Dive into a Texas Swimming Hole 48

31 Climb Enchanted Rock 50

32 Catch a Dune at the Monahans Sandhills 51

33 Explore a Texas Cavern 52

34 Disappear in the Devils River State Natural Area 54

35 Discover the Devil's Sinkhole 55

36 Greet Autumn at Daingerfield State Park 56

37 Pedal through a Railroad Tunnel 58

38 Debate the Ezekiel Flying Machine 60

39 See the Hueco Tanks 61

40 Endure the Hotter Than Hell 100 62

41 Bask in the Sun at South Padre Island 64

42 Try the Texas Water Safari 65

History and Culture

43 Get a Glimpse of the Pleistocene Age at the Mammoth National Monument 68

44 Take in the Odessa Meteor Crater 70

45 Discover the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument 71

46 Examine the Ancient Native American Petroglyphs at Seminole Canyon 72

47 Walk around the Caddo Mounds 74

48 Visit the Alamo 76

49 Experience the Fort Worth Stockyards 77

50 Wonder at the Johnson Space Center 78

51 See the Texas State Capitol 80

52 Inspect the Sixth Floor Museum 82

53 Visit the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site 99

54 Learn More about Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Davis 100

55 Watch a Six-Man Football Game 102

56 Ponder the Hanging Tree in Goliad 104

57 Trace the Footsteps of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp at Fort Griffin 105

58 Marvel at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral 106

59 Explore Gushers at the East Texas Oil Museum 108

60 Fence Yourself in at the Devil's Rope Museum 109

61 Jam with Janis at the Museum of the Gulf Coast 110

62 Learn the Truth about the Truer der Union Monument 112

63 Remember the Author of the Great Society 113

64 Visit the Briscoe Western Art Museum 114

65 Pay Your Respects at Monument Hill 116

66 Return to Texas at Greenwood Cemetery 117

67 Change History at Avenger Field 118

68 Investigate the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum 119

Food and Drink

69 Explore Your Tex-Mex Roots 122

70 Experience BBQ Nirvana 124

71 Eat Some Chicken-Fried Steak (It's the Law) 126

72 Get Giddy at Gilhooley's 128

73 Get Your Due at Drew's 129

74 Check out the Czech Stop 130

75 Eat at the Old Orange Cafe 131

76 Humble Yourself at Herd's 132

77 Grab a Chair at the Texas Chili Parlor 133

Road Trips

78 Spanish Fort 136

79 Statue of Old Yeller 138

80 Regency Suspension Bridge 139

81 Stay in a Small Town 140

82 River Road from Presidio to Lajitas 142

83 Los Ebanos Ferry 143

84 New London School Explosion 144

85 Roy Orbison Museum 146

86 Big Thicket National Preserve 148

87 Indianola 149

88 Robert E. Howard Museum 150

89 Lemon Jefferson Memorial Cemetery 151

Photo Ops

90 Cowboy Christ 154

91 Balanced Rock (Big Bend) 155

92 Stevie Ray Vaughan Statue 156

93 Earl Campbell Statue 157

94 Aurora Cemetery Historical Marker 158

95 Lightnin' Hopkins Statue 160

96 Guadalupe Peak 162

97 Lighthouse Peak 163

98 Sam Houston Statue 164

99 Buddy Holly Statue 166

100 Invasion of the Picture Snappers 168

Photo Credits 169

Index 171