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.
• Enjoy warmhearted hospitality from proud Texans eager to give you a taste of life in the Lone Star State.

Itinerary

Day 1—Houston: You’ll get a big Texas “howdy” here in Houston, the starting point for our visit to the Lone Star State.

This evening we’ll have a private reception at the hotel to kick things off. You’ll meet your traveling companions and your World Wide Country Tours director. Welcome Reception included.

Day 2—Burton/Austin: After breakfast, we’ll head to Washington County (the “birthplace of Texas”) and 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. You’ll be a person of “great taste” at the famous Blue Bell Creamery, whose ice cream Time magazine called “the best in the world.” After watching how they make this tasty treat, you’ll get to try a sample. Mmm!

Next we’ll go where, being true Texans, they have more horse ranches than any other county in the United States. We’ll see part of what cowboyin’ is all about, when the Caloudas family welcomes us at their Nueces Canyon Equestrian Center to watch how they train Quarter Horses.

After all this, we’ll relax in their exquisite dining room for a hearty, Texas-style lunch they’ve prepared just for us.

Then it’s off to the Burton Cotton Gin, where our local hosts are eager to 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 boyhood home of a famous Texan, Lyndon B. Johnson. You’ll love the rolling hills and pastureland that LBJ roamed before becoming the 36th President of the United States.

We’ll continue on to Fredericksburg, a German community complete with gingerbread-trimmed houses. One of the locals will tell the history of the early settlers. You’re free to stroll Main Street to explore the numerous specialty 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 some of the area’s history. As we drive along the backroads, we’ll visit the tiny town of Mountain Home, population 96. It’s the home of a Texas legend—the century-old, 40,000-acre Y.O. Ranch.

We’ll meet some of the ranch hands who manage the largest herd of registered Longhorns in the world and North America’s largest collection of exotic animals—zebras, gazelles and more. We’ll come in from our tour in time to join the cowboys for a ranch-style dinner. Meals included: B, D.

Day 4—San Antonio: Texas is also home to some small things. Carol and Baxter Adams have invited us to visit their orchard of dwarf apple trees. No more than 6 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. It’s bigger than the entire state of Rhode Island!

A ranch guide will join us and our first stop will be a Texas-style barbeque lunch at a rustic camphouse that, in days gone by, was used at chow time by cowboys herding cattle. We’ll continue the afternoon with an exclusive tour of the agricultural operations, including a stop at the impressive Feed Yard.

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/Galveston: 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 through Texas’ rice-growing territory and see how it’s grown here. After lunch, we’ll visit the Gulf Coast town of Galveston. Meals included: B, L.

Day 7—Galveston/Houston: This morning we’ll enjoy a unique experience. We’ll hop aboard the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum, experience day-to-day life on a working offshore rig and learn the “lingo” of the oil industry.

Finally, a guide will lead us through Galveston’s districts and tell how the city was battered by the Great Storm of 1900. After this exciting week of traveling, it’s time to say farewell to the Lone Star State! Meals included: B.

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: Omni Hotel, Corpus Christi
• Day 6: Holiday Inn on the Beach, Galveston