If Texans share one defining characteristic, it is the spirit of independence. Otherwise, the Texan cultural pulse feels like numerous heartbeats at once. Reaching back through the centuries, Texas is the definitive melting pot, peopled by ethnicities as diverse as Native American, Cajun and Polish. Not only has Texas flown under six flags, but it is as vast and diverse as the U.S. itself.
That is what makes Texas, marketed as “a whole other country,” such a win for groups. Frequently tied to the past, the cultural interactions here are so authentically diverse that you might think you’re in a different place altogether. Here are six authentic experiences of Texas life, along with some great festivals and fairs around the state.
Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum, Beaumont
As far back as 1543, locals knew there was oil in the area south of Beaumont. Wildcatters began exploratory drilling in the late 1800s, unsuccessfully, until Anthony Lucas, certain of a strike on Spindletop Hill, hit black gold on Jan. 10, 1901. Thus was launched the mighty oil industry that fuels the Texas economy today, and with 15 re-created boomtown buildings and period furnishings, this engaging museum and its grounds provide a memorable setting for a number of indoor and outdoor events. After dining on a traditional roughneck’s lunch of red beans and rice, groups can see an old-fashioned shoot-out or “gush” at the water soaring 100 feet above the 65-foot replica derrick.
Frontier Texas!, Abilene
Also functioning as Abilene’s official visitor center and gateway to the 700-mile Texas Forts Trail, this unique “storytelling” museum is one of only a few in the world that features life-sized holograms as museum guides. Depicting life on the Texas frontier from 1780 to 1880, the event-ready venue is fresh off a $2 million upgrade that includes “Blood & Treasure on the Frontier.” Led by virtual trail guide “Buck Taylor,” this showcase experience features holographic figures that come to life to tell stories as chosen by visitors.
Outside, the newly erected “Buffalo Herd in the Sky” is the world’s largest weathervane, featuring eight oxidized steel buffalo statues “flying” through the sky in tribute to the vast herds that once roamed this area.
The Broken Spoke, Austin
Fresh out of the Army in 1964 and with no set plans, James White, a country music fan since childhood, began building a dance hall just south of downtown Austin. Opened that year, his authentic Western honky-tonk today is a local institution and mecca for country and western dancing. Offering private party facilities for up to 600 people from Sunday through Thursday, food and entertainment included, the Broken Spoke is a true Texas dance hall, complete with real wood floors. Join and learn from the best as cowboys do dances like the polka, the two-step and the chicken to live music from bands from around the state. PageBreak
Stockyards National Historic District, Fort Worth
Once the shipping point for millions of cattle, few destinations come as well stocked for planners as this heritage treasure in “Cowtown.” Every inch a step back into the Old West, this sprawling historic district south of downtown Fort Worth is rich with authentic interactions.
Twice daily, cowhands drive longhorns along Exchange Avenue in a faithful recreation of those rollicking days past. Every weekend year-round, the Stockyards Championship Rodeo displays bull riding, barrel racing, calf roping and more at the historic Cowtown Coliseum. Inside the historic Livestock Exchange Building, the Stockyards Museum is filled with Old West artifacts. There is the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the inestimable Billy Bob’s Texas, originally a cattle barn from the early 1900s and now “The World’s Largest Honky-Tonk” with 127,000 square feet of Western-style entertainment.
Southfork Ranch, Parker
During its 357-episode run from 1978 to 1991, the original Dallas TV show was one of the guiltiest pleasures going. It was pure soap opera, yet many believed that the feuds and follies of the fictional oil-rich Ewing clan were archetypes of Texan culture, complete with giant egos in 10-gallon hats. Fact or fantasy? Interestingly, that is the title of one of the exhibits at this premier group destination just outside of Plano, which served as the filming location for the show. Set on over 300 acres of ranchland, the venue’s 63,000-square-foot conference and event center hosts a wide range of large-scale corporate and social gatherings.
These Boots are Made for Walking, El Paso
Is there anything more authentically Texan than cowboy boots? Home to more than 11 boot manufacturers, several offering factory tours by appointment (check with the El Paso CVB), El Paso is one of the world’s major boot capitals. Since 1883, Lucchese Boot Co. has been making custom boots for movie stars, royalty, cavalrymen, cowboys—and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. At Rocketbuster Boots, a team of just six people hand-makes approximately 500 pairs of boots each year. And when Hollywood needs boots, they head to CABoots Cowboy Boots, in business for four generations and supplier of authentic cowboy boots for features including Pirates of the Caribbean and 3:10 to Yuma.
