A Taste of Texas & The Two Step

A Taste of Texas & The Two Step

This 8-day tour of Texas immerses you in Texas culture, food and dance halls. From the Fort Worth Stockyards to NASA Space Center, Texas truly is an authentic American Experience. American Experiences small group, multi-day tours provide you with authentic, in-depth experiences not found elsewhere. Your trip includes more than just the basics-- a welcome reception, one or two unique specialty meals, three and four star quality boutique hotels, multiple guided tours with opportunities to choose your activity as well as free independent exploration, and transportation. Plus, our knowledgeable tour guide stays with you for the duration of the trip and can personalize your experiences to meet the needs of both you and the group. Get to know like-minded people from all over the world who enjoy similar experiences and enrich your appreciation of America's toe-tapping, cattle rustling Texas culture with American Experiences small group tours.

Itinerary

Day 1: Fort Worth

Stop At: Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, 131 E Exchange Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76164-8212
Make your own way to the hotel for check-in and start of the tour. This evening, mingle with other group members at a meet and greet reception hosted by your guide, a destination
specialist. You will be introduced to your 8-day exploration of Texas culture, food and dance halls at a nearby Saloon in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District.
Duration: 3 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 1 night accommodation at the Courtyard Fort Worth Historic Stockyards or similar.

Day 2: Fort Worth - Dallas - Fort Worth (65mi/104km)

Stop At: The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, 411 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75202-3301
This morning you will take an orientation tour of Dallas, a city that offers a unique blend of Southwestern warmth, cosmopolitan flair, old west charm and modern sophistication. You will visit the Sixth-Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, The Museum, located within the former Texas School Book Depository building, chronicling the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. After visiting the museum, you will travel the route of the Presidential Motorcade and follow the timeline of Lee Harvey Oswald as that fatal day in November 1963 unfolded.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Cowtown Coliseum, 121 E Exchange Ave at Main St, Fort Worth, TX 76164-8211
In the afternoon, you return to the Stockyards in time to watch the late afternoon cattle drive. There will be time for dinner before gathering to attend the Stockyards Championship Rodeo at the Cowtown Coliseum. Afterwards you may choose to cap off the night at Billy Bob’s for a drink, listening to country music and dancing the Texas Two-Step, or try riding a mechanical bull!
Duration: 6 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 1 night accommodation at the Courtyard Fort Worth Historic Stockyards or similar.

Day 3: Fort Worth - Beaumont Ranch - Austin (195mi/314km)

Stop At: The Beaumont Ranch, 10736 County Road 102, Grandview, TX 76050-3964
Depart Fort Worth for Beaumont Ranch. This western ranch reflects Texas in the 1880s when cowboys were driving their herds along the Chisolm Trail, where it now stands. Beaumont Ranch is a working cattle ranch with herds of Longhorn Cattle and horses, and also offers outdoor adventure activities to guests. You can experience ranch life how you choose from a variety of activities: take a horseback trail ride, learn how to rope cattle or shoot sporting clays.
Duration: 5 hours

Stop At: Austin, Austin, Texas
Continue to Austin, the capital of Texas, better known these days as the Live Music Capital of the World and a mecca for foodies. Tonight, tickle your taste buds with a taste of Texas Bar-B-Que and local craft beer at one of the city’s iconic smokehouses.
Duration: 4 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 1 night accommodation at the Lonestar Court or similar.

Day 4: Austin

Stop At: Austin City Limits Live, 310 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701-4609
Begin the day with an orientation tour of downtown Austin to see such sites as the University of Texas, the Capitol Building and 360 Bridge. Head to ACL Live at the Moody Theater, the permanent home of the PBS program. Austin City Limits is the longest running music series in American television history and the only TV series to be awarded the National Medal of Arts. The pilot episode in 1974 featured Willie Nelson.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Austin, Austin, Texas
Stop for lunch at one of Austin’s famous Food Truck parks - started in the early ‘90s, this has blossomed into a citywide movement and all over town chefs are eschewing sit-down establishments and serving inexpensive, unpretentious cuisine whipped up in the back of refurbished Airstreams and concession trailers. The tour continues through Austin’s Hill Country before time to visit SoCo, a vibrant neighborhood that oozes homespun character and boasts the story of Austin’s yesteryear with its boutiques, eateries, galleries and music venues.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Continental Club, 1315 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704-2432
No trip to Austin is complete without a visit to the Continental Club. This retro Austin vestige opened in 1957 and is a mecca for roots, rockabilly, country and swing music. A classic neon sign hangs above the entrance and custom hot rods line South Congress Avenue in front of the dimly lit club which both Rolling Stone and Playboy Magazine named one of the Best Clubs in America.
Duration: 2 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 1 night accommodation at the Lonestar Court or similar.

Day 5: Austin - Fredericksburg - San Antonio (148mi/238km)

Stop At: Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg, Texas
A drive through the Texas hill country brings you to Fredericksburg, a charming town that proudly embraces its extensive German heritage. Walk the town's streets and pass gothic-style churches with pointed archways and vaulted ceilings, restaurants serving savory schnitzels and tall pints of dunkelweizen, with the sweet smell of German pastries emanating from historic bakeries. The scenic rolling hills that surround the town are home to approximately 45 wineries. You will follow along the Fredericksburg Wine Road and make stops to taste some of the region’s delicious merlots or fruity zinfandels.
Duration: 6 hours

Stop At: San Antonio River Walk, 849 E Commerce St, San Antonio, TX 78205-3939
You will arrive in San Antonio late afternoon and this evening you will take an early evening narrated riverboat cruise.
Duration: 2 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 1 night accommodation at the Crocket Hotel or similar.

Day 6: San Antonio

Stop At: The Alamo, 300 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205-2606
In the 18th century, Spanish priests established five Catholic missions along the San Antonio River. Today, the five missions represent the largest concentration of Spanish colonial missions in North America and have been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Rd, New Braunfels, TX 78130-3003
There will be free time this afternoon to explore more of the Riverwalk and surrounding area before a drive out to Gruene National Historic District to experience “bona fide Texas”. The centerpiece of this sleepy, former ghost town is Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in Texas. There is nothing fake or gentrified about Gruene Hall—it’s the real thing! The old wooden floors creak and give a little when you dance, and flaps are lifted on the side of the building to create instant natural air conditioning. Here it’s all about listening to the live music and trying the two-step if so inclined.
Duration: 4 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 1 night accommodation at the Crocket Hotel or similar.

Day 7: San Antonio - Houston (197mi/315km)

Stop At: Space Center Houston, 1601 NASA Parkway, Houston, TX 77058-3145
Upon arrival in Houston, you will visit Space Center Houston, the gateway to NASA’s Johnson Space Center where you will get a behind-the-scenes look at space exploration. The Johnson Space Center is the home of Mission Control where human space missions and the operations of the International Space Station are monitored. A variety of astronauts prepare and train for missions here.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Houston, Houston, Texas
Northeast of Downtown sits a section of historic neighborhoods that date back to the late 1800s. Residents once flocked to the Heights to escape the big city, but today it is the hipsters and young couples that are drawn to this area's rich and character-filled architecture, mom and pop-type shops and funky restaurants. You will enjoy an included final night dinner surrounded by century-old bungalows and unique architectural accents. The area offers an eclectic mix of ice houses, pubs and eateries and you will taste some of the area’s best local Southern Comfort Foods.
Duration: 1 day 16 hours

Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: 1 night accommodation at the Hotel Indigo or similar.

Day 8: Houston - Depart or Houston - New Orleans (348mi/556km)

Stop At: Houston, Houston, Texas
Those ending their tour in Houston will be transferred to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Those passengers who will be joining “A Southern Story” tour will stay on the coach and depart for New Orleans. En route, you will stop in Lake Charles before arriving New Orleans late afternoon.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.