Close to the border with Louisiana, the Beaumont area is Texas served Cajun-style. A local favorite for tours and off-site dinners and receptions is Gator Country, an alligator theme park featuring more than 350 alligators and four species of crocodiles along with caimans, snapping turtles, snakes and other reptiles. At 1,000 pounds and almost 14 feet long, “Big Al” is the largest alligator in captivity in Texas. Visitors can feed, hold and swim with the alligators (their mouths taped) and other reptiles.
In Midland, the I-20 Wildlife Preserve & Jenna Welch Nature Study Center features a 30-acre “playa” or shallow depression found across the Great Plains that fills with rainwater and goes through several wet-dry cycles throughout the year. The center provides group tours of this unique habitat, which features birding and wildlife-viewing opportunities, including many bird and butterfly species, bobcats, badgers, porcupines, raccoons, rabbits, reptiles and amphibians. The site includes a 3.4-mile trail system with a 1.5-mile ADA-accessible loop.
Reminiscent of how north-central Texas looked before roads and skyscrapers, the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge is a remarkable wilderness of forests, prairies and wetlands rich with native flora and fauna. Sprawling over 3,621 acres, this tranquil refuge, one of the largest city-owned nature centers in the nation, includes more than 20 miles of trails and is a great outlet for educational programs and team-building activities such as hiking, kayaking and canoeing.
Tucked in the state’s rugged southwestern corner, El Paso is surrounded by magnificent opportunities to connect with nature and the great outdoors. Renowned for rock climbing and bouldering, Hueco Tanks State Historical Site, featuring 10,000-year-old pictographs hidden among the rocks, is a sight to behold. To protect the site, visitation is limited, with reservations required. The Wyler Aerial Tramway travels to the 5,632-foot Ranger Peak, where visitors can view 7,000 square miles of Southwest vistas encompassing three states and two nations.
In Austin, groups can sail through the trees with Cypress Valley Canopy Tours, the area’s most thrilling zip line adventure.
