Texas is the state that does ‘big’. The second largest in the USA (second only to Alaska), the ‘Lone Star State’ serves life and travel in super-sized portions.

 

Long known as cowboy country, Texas is also an important urban state. It features three of America’s key cities, each offering something different. Houston, the fourth biggest United States metropolis, is home to Space Center Houston, which salutes the role the city has played in space exploration. Dallas has the Sixth Floor Museum, which examines the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (at the site of the shooting) in detail – and Southfork Ranch, which will be familiar to fans of America’s most iconic soap opera. San Antonio has The Alamo, where the landmark battle between Texan fighters and Mexico occurred in 1836.

 

Then there is Austin, the state capital, with its renowned live music scene (it’s considered the live music capital of the world), great bars, boutique shopping and now home to the Circuit of the Americas which hosts the F1.

 

But Texas spreads far beyond its city limits; it is almost a country and a destination in itself. Lubbock, in the north of the state, is the gateway to the Texas wine industry. Big Bend National Park offers geographical wonder as the Rio Grande cuts through rugged terrain. Guadalupe Mountains National Park throws out huge limestone peaks. The Gulf Coast also delivers seaside days galore – particularly on the resort island of Galveston.

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