7 Days/6 Nights

Heart of Texas

Come along! We’re headin’ for Texas, where friendly folks are waiting to show you big ranches, fine cattle, beautiful horses and wide-open spaces. Taste some of the best food, visit some of the most interesting ranches and relive some of the state’s fascinating history.

Tour Highlights

• “Ride the range” on the King Ranch; it’s bigger than Rhode Island!
• Walk along San Antonio’s famous River Walk and ride a river taxi.
• Tour the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and see displays depicting the story of offshore oil and gas.
• Visit the Y.O. Ranch, home of the world’s largest herd of Longhorns.

Itinerary

Day 1—Houston: Welcome to Texas! This evening we’ll have a private reception at the hotel. You’ll meet your traveling companions and your tour director. Welcome Reception included.

Day 2—Burton/Austin: After breakfast, we’ll head to the town of Brenham to visit the Monastery of St. Claire Miniature Horse Farm. Friendly people and fun animals make this the perfect start to our tour. Then we’ll visit the famous Blue Bell Creamery, whose ice cream Time magazine called “the best in the world.”

Next we’ll go where, being true Texans, they have more horse ranches than any other county in the United States. The Caloudas family will welcome us at their Nueces Canyon Equestrian Center for an exclusive tour and home-cooked meal.

Then it’s off to the Burton Cotton Gin, where our local hosts will share the history of the cotton industry and the story of the dedicated volunteers who helped preserve this Texas landmark. Meals included: B, L.

Day 3—Fredericksburg/Kerrville: This morning we’ll visit the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch. You’ll love the rolling hills and pastureland that LBJ roamed before becoming President of the United States.

We’ll continue on to Fredericksburg, a German community complete with half-timbered houses. You’re free to stroll Main Street to explore the numerous shops. If you’re a WWII history buff, the National Museum of the Pacific War is a must-see!

This afternoon we’ll ride into Hill Country and meet Dwight Harkey, who will share the area’s history. We’ll drive along the back roads to the tiny town of Mountain Home, population 96. It’s the home of a Texas landmark—the century-old, 40,000-acre Y.O. Ranch. We’ll meet some of the ranch hands who manage the world’s largest herd of registered Longhorns and North America’s largest collection of exotic animals—zebras, gazelles and more. We’ll join the cowboys for a ranch-style dinner. Meals included: B, D.

Day 4—San Antonio: Start this morning with a tour of Love Creek Orchards, pioneers of the Texas apple industry. No more than six feet tall, the trees don’t need much water, and the fruit is delicious.

Our next stop is exciting San Antonio, the “cradle of Texas liberty.” We’ll have a delicious lunch overlooking the scenic River Walk. Later we’ll experience a spectacular view of the city with a water taxi ride on the river itself.

Back on land, we’ll visit Texas’ most famous shrine—the Alamo. We’ll walk in the footsteps of Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and other valiant men who will live in Texans’ memories forever. Meals included: B, L.

Day 5—King Ranch/Corpus Christi: Peanuts are a major crop in Texas, so we’ll tour the Wilco Peanut Company, an efficient operation that shells 25,000 tons of peanuts a year.

Our next stop is big, even for Texas. With over 850,000 acres, the King Ranch is one of the largest working ranches in the U.S. Our first stop will be a Texas-style barbeque lunch at a rustic camp house that was once used at chow time by cowboys herding cattle. We’ll continue the afternoon with an exclusive tour and explanation of the history and the modern-day workings of the ranch.

Then we’ll head down the trail to the Gulf of Mexico and Corpus Christi, where we’ll spend the night. Meals included: B, L.

Day 6—Corpus Christi/Lake Jackson: After a hearty breakfast, we tour the legendary aircraft carrier USS Lexington. Those would-be “top guns” in our group can feel the excitement of a jet fighter in action in the flight simulator, if they wish.

We’ll have a change of scenery as we travel along the Texas Gulf Coast through the fishing towns that populate these pristine bays.  See the sand dunes all along the way to the “City of Enchantment”—Lake Jackson, where we’ll spend our last night. Meals included: B, L.

Day 7—Galveston/Houston: This morning we’ll drive along the intracoastal waterway to the bustling port and tourist center of Galveston. We’ll hop aboard the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum and experience day-to-day life on a working offshore rig and learn the “lingo” of the oil industry.

After this exciting week of traveling, we’ll enjoy a final lunch together and say farewell to the Lone Star State! Meals included: B, L.

Accommodations

• Day 1: Houston Marriott North/Greenspoint Hotel, Houston
• Day 2: Drury Inn, Austin
• Day 3: Y.O. Ranch Resort Hotel & Conference Center, Kerrville
• Day 4: Drury Inn, San Antonio
• Day 5: Best Western Marina,Corpus Christi
• Day 6: Cherotel/Brazosport Hotel, Lake Jackson