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Explore the Outdoors and More in Texas #TexasTraveller

Something you may not know about me is that I was once in a relationship with an Ohio country boy who enlisted as a sailor while we were dating.   Once he completed boot camp he was assigned to Naval Station Ingleside in Texas, which is just across Corpus Christi Bay from the city of Corpus Christi.  We decided I should cross the border to stay with him and we would rent a house off base together in Robstown, a Suburb of Corpus Christi.  It was short lived as he was deployed several months later and I made the decision to return to Canada to complete my post-secondary education. 

I was there only a few months but it was long enough to fall completely in love with Texas between the warm weather (in February even!), the amazing food, all of the attractions and activities available, and of course Texans themselves.  I honestly felt so much at home in Texas because of how genuinely friendly and polite everyone was.  Trade in the “I tell you what!” for an “Eh?” and you could almost mistake a Texan for a Canadian.  Yes, seriously just that friendly! 

The main reason I would love to head back to Texas is to take in some of the varying landscapes and attractions found in Texas.  If you’ve never been to Texas you probably don’t know that Texas is divided into 7 different geographic regions with varying landscapes including beaches, canyons, rolling hills and lush forests. 

 

Texas Gulf Coast BeachKEVIN STILLMAN/TXDOT

I spent a lot of time at the beach during my stay in Texas; there’s over 600 miles of coastline and fabulous beaches to suit just about everyone.  From my first hand experience, the South Texas Gulf Coast has some pretty amazing stretches of white sand beach studded with palm trees.  Some of the beaches even offer experiences like horseback riding right on the waterfront, windsailing and surfing.  There are wonderful beaches for families too that tend to be quieter and great for building sandcastles and wading out into the water.

One of the most stand-out experiences for me though was visiting Padre Island which is a barrier island off of the Gulf of Mexico.  There is so much to do at the Padre Island National Seashore including fishing, bird watching, camping, hiking, horseback riding, and a whole lot more.

 

The Alamo, TexasJ. GRIFFIS SMITH/TXDOT

I was able to take in some pretty fun attractions during my stay in Corpus Christi – most notably the USS Lexington and the Texas State Aquarium.  I highly recommend both attractions and would happily take my girls to experience both.  Of course, Texas is filled with all kinds of unique-to-Texas family friendly attractions from the historical to the just plain old fun.  On my must-see with my family list is The Alamo, The River Walk in San Antonio, The Houston Space Centre, the State Capitol in Austin, and that is really just scratching the surface!

Palo Duro CanyonBRYAN FRAZIER/TXDOT

I definitely loved the beaches and the near tropical environment of the Gulf Coast and wouldn’t hesitate to return for a nice family vacation but I’d also love to return to Texas for a bit of a family adventure.  I’d love to see the Canyons first hand at the Palo Duro Canyon State Park.  I’ve never seen a canyon but I think it’s something I need to take in as soon as possible.

 

Big Bend National ParkJ. GRIFFIS SMITH/TXDOT

I’m curious about camping or even just hiking in one of the State or National Parks such as Caddo State Park.  I have to say though, I definitely must spend some time at the Big Bend National Park.  I love exploring new places and Big Bend National Park is full of trails and beautiful landscapes from mountain ranges to the desert. 

Texas is full of amazing must-see attractions that can make pinning down exactly what you want to do a bit of a challenge, (always a good problem to have). The Travel Texas website makes planning your trip a breeze with their interactive passport which allows you to customize and plan your trip.   Visit Texas Tourism for more exciting trip ideas your whole family will enjoy.  You can also download the FREE Texas Travel Guide and sign up for the E-Newsletter for easy trip planning.

Read on for an amazing contest where you could win a huge cash prize and send me back to Texas, where I left a piece of my heart all those years ago!

 

 

WIN IT:

Vote for me, If you feel that my photos represent your ideal trip to Texas. Enter to win a $1,000 cash prize by voting for my Texas Roundup Photos Below to help me win a trip back to Texas for two! Only 1 vote allowed per day.  Contest ends March 24, 2015 at 11:59 PM EST, open to Canadian residents only (excluding Quebec).  See full contest terms and conditions below.

 

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Disclosure:  Although this post has been generously sponsored by Texas Tourism, the opinions and language are my own, and in no way do they reflect Texas Tourism.

 

 

Debbie White Beattie

Wednesday 31st of August 2016

Your pictures are beautiful. It's been a dream of mine for a long time to actually live in Texas

bemose

Friday 27th of March 2015

Wondering if you found out if you won a trip back to Texas? curious too which one of us voters is the lucky winner! Good luck to you and the rest of us too :-)

wayne galvin

Monday 23rd of March 2015

everyone should visit !

Maria Griffin

Monday 23rd of March 2015

You've just put Texas on my list of go to places.

Bonnie Humphrey

Saturday 21st of March 2015

I have never been to Texas but would love to go