Outdoor Fun

Top Things to do for Spring Break in Texas

Texas Wildflowers. perfect spring getaway to Garner State Park
Along Texas highways and scenic byways, see wildflowers, including the Texas Bluebonnet. Photo Credit: Catherine Parker

The kids are out of school and winter is finally over. Texas in the springtime is gloriuos with pleasant temperatures and lots of sunshine. It’s time to get out and explore Texas. Families can head to the beach, take a  hike, or go camping. Then there are the wildflowers lining the highways wherever the road  leads. Here are  the top things to do in Texas for Spring Break.

Table of Contents

Top Things to do in Texas for Spring Break

Best Beaches 
Best Texas Hill Country Destinations
Central Texas Destination for Spring Break
Top Places to go in West Texas 
Top Wildflower Drives Across Texas
Best Cave Tours in Texas
Guide to Swimming Holes in Texas
Corpus-Christi-Sunset
Catch a sunset in Corpus Christi. credit: Catherine Parker

Top Texas Beaches and the Gulf Coast

Beaches are the best antidote to winter. Texas offers lots of sand to spread out.

Corpus Christi

For Spring Breakers who want culture and a beach trip, Corpus Christi offers both. With its museums, the Texas State Aquarium and the USS Lexington, there’s lots to do. It is one of the top things in Texas for Spring Break

Top Things to do in Corpus Christi

Mustang Island
The beach long Mustang Island. credit: Catherine Parker

Port Aransas and Mustang Island

The beach is a favorite for a reason. Get beachcombing, surfing, sand castle making and more along a wheat-colored sand of Mustang Island. A few hours south of Austin and San Antonio, it’s a world away.

Port Aransas Planning Guide

Galveston Island

For beach lovers in the Houston area, Galveston Island has been a destination of choice for over 100 years. Get miles of beaches, resort hotels overlooking the Gulf of Mexico along with the Pleasure Pier (rides and arcade games) and the historic Strand District.

In addition to beach getaway, Galveston is a cruise ship port with several Caribbean cruises departing weekly. Add a day or two onto your cruise to extend your vacation.

Galveston Island Planning Guide 

Big Thicket Texas
Along the Kirby Trail in the Big Thicket National Preserve. credit: Catherine Parker

Beaumont and the Big Thicket

This is an under-the-radar destination for Southeast Texas. Located about an hour east of Houston, Beaumont is a base for outdoor adventure.

Explore the wilds of the Big Thicket National Preserve, a National Park Service site along with a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. As a noteble ecosystem, explore the byways and bay galls of the Big Thicket, home to several carnivorous plants along with hiking and paddling trails. See more wildlife than people in the Big Thicket and consider a guided kayak trip to make the experience more meaningful.

Guide to Beaumont and the Big Thicket

perfect spring getaway to Garner State Park
The jewel of the western Texas Hill Country, Garner State Park is the most popular state park in Texas. Photo Credit: Catherine Parker

Top Texas Hill Country Destinations 

Fredericksburg

With a state park, bats, museums, wineries and breweries, it’s a Hill Country getaway to please everyone. As a spring break bonus, the drive to Fredericksburg is a scenic byway and will be bursting with blooms.

Find lots of lodging options from camping to glamping, to tiny homes and luxury options. Enjoy a German flair and flavor with beer gardens and bakeries along with architectural elements across town.

Weekend Guide to Fredericksburg 

Garner State Park in the Hill Country

Spend a weekend in the most popular state park in Texas. Garner State Park in Concan, Texas, lays on the western edge of the Texas Hill Country. It’s been a favorite with Texans for generations. So popular in fact, some families return for the same weekend year-after-year.

Find cabins, screen shelters along with RV and tent camping. Garner State Park offers lots of activities, like mini golf, tubing the Frio River and the popular weekend dances under the trees at the historic concession building.

Planning Guide for Concan and Garner State Park

LBJ National Historical Park
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park offers wildflower meadows. Photo Credit: Catherine Parker

Johnson City 

Located between Austin and Fredericksburg, Johnson City is the home of former President Lyndon B. Johnson. This small town destination is home to two parks dedicated to the life of LBJ, a National Park Service site and a Texas State Park.

In addition to learning about Johnson and touring the Texas White House, learn about the pioneer days of Texas. For STEM kids, find a cool science museum too.

Top Central Texas Destinations

Lake Bastrop LCRA
Rent an airstream trailer at the LCRA Lake Bastrop. credit: Catherine Parker 

Bastrop

This historic small town is packed with outdoor fun. The Colorado River runs through the center of town and offers some easy paddling trails for families and it features an outfitter who will get you geared up. Find Bastrop State Park in the area, with its grove of pine trees.

Lake Bastrop offers two LCRA parks, one on the north and south. Find a day-use hiking area in the area long with zip lines and more.

Weekend Getaway Guide to Bastrop

Waco Mammoth NPS site. things to do in Waco with kids.
Tour Waco’s National Park Service site. Photo Credit: Catherine Parker

Waco

The Magnolia empire isn’t that fun for kids, though find lots of activities for kids while in exploring Waco. There’s a museum dedicated to a popular soda, a National Park Service site that’s dedicated to the Mammoths of Texas and another museum all about the Texas Rangers (elite law enforcement group). Also find a good zoo and more.

Waco Planning Guide 

Pace Park Salada. Texas Swimming Holes.
W. A. Pace Park in Salado offers a cool and shallow water for splashing. Photo Credit: Catherine Parker

Salado

About an hour north of Austin, find a quaint art town along the shores of Salado Creek. It’s got a biergarten along with glass blowing studio, hosting popular blow-your-own events. Find about a hundred shops within walking distance along with a hotel that has a outlaw and stagecoach heritage.

Planning Guide to Salado

Mount Bonnell. Austin Itinerary
Catch the sunset at Mount Bonnell. Photo Credit: Catherine Parker

Best City Destinations for Spring Break in Texas 

Texas offers a lot of outdoor spaces between the parks and the small town destinations. But that doesn’t mean you can’t spend your Spring Break exploring one of the Texas cities. Each offer lots of activities, like museums, urban parks along with dining and lodging for every need or desire.

Houston

As the fourth largest city in the U.S., it is one of the top destinations in Texas for Spring Breaks, especially for the culture hounds. Travelers will find some of the top museums in the state in Houston along with a NASA visitor center and many urban parks.

Top Things to do in Houston

Austin

Known as the live music capital of Texas, it hosts the wildly popular South X Southwest Music and Media Festival. Anchored in the entertainment district of downtown, families can still visit Austin without running into huge crowds. Just skip downtown during Spring Break.

Tour the University of Texas if you have teens, take in all the fun in Zilker Park and watch the sunset at Mt. Bonnell. Stroll South Congress for a vibrant food scene along with lots of fanciful murals and more.

Weekend Itinerary of Austin

Austin Fun Guide

Top Museums in Austin

Dallas Arboretum,
Stroll the garden room at the Dallas Arboretum. Photo Credit: Catherine Parker

Dallas

Head to the Big D and enjoy lots of museums from art to science and more, best of all most are free. Learn about the John F. Kennedy assignation at the 6th Floor Museum then learn about the George W. Bush presidency at his library. In-between find urban parks and there’s even a vintage street car the kids want to ride.

Best 30 Things to do in Dallas with Kids

Best Things to do in West Texas and North Texas

Fort Davis Sunset
A sunset at Davis Mountains State Park is a must your visit. credit: Catherine Parker

Fort Davis in West Texas

With a National Park Service site and a Texas State Park nestled in the mountains of West Texas, it’s a getaway for those looking for a taste of the desert. Located near Balmorhea State Park and on the way to Big Bend National Park, it’s a perfect stopover.

Guide to Fort Davis

Bests of Big Bend National Park

Balmorhea Pool with kids in West Texas.
The deep end of Balmorhea Pool features 25-foot depths along with fish of all sizes. Photo Credit: Catherine Parker

Balmorhea State Park in West Texas

As the home to the largest spring-fed swimming pool in the U.S. it’s a must stop after a hot day of traveling. Conveniently located along Interstate 10 in-between Fort Stockton and El Paso, find a pool with lots of space for lounging along with a bath house along with a snack bar located inside a Texas State Park

Balmorhea State Park Guide

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, CCC cabins, Places to camp in Texas, Texas State Park Cabins,
Palo Duro Canyon State Park is east of Canyon, Texas, in the Panhandle south of Amarillo. credit: Catherine Parker

Palo Duro State Park in the Texas Panhandle

As another popular Texas State Park, visit Palo Duro State Park for the red canyons walls and the historic cabins. It’s got outdoor musical shows during the summer and find horses too.

Guide to Palo Duro State Park 

Top Things to do for Spring Break in Texas

Blanco State Park in bloom. Photo Credit: Catherine Parker

Take a Scenic Wildflower Drive

Driving to see the Texas Wildflowers in the Spring is a family tradition for a lot of people. Then they stop and take some wildflower photos. Though some areas of Texas are better than others.

Top Texas Wildflower Road Trips 

Where to find Dinosaurs in Texas

Yep, dinos lived in Texas and their remains can be found in stone. From footprints to museums displays, find dinosaurs all over Texas.

Top Places to find Dinosaurs in Texas

Tour a Cave in Texas

It seems like one day can feel like summer then the next feels like winter during Spring Break in Texas. So it’s nice to have a back-up for a cool and rainy day. Caves tours to the rescue, the weather is always the same in a cave.

Top Caves to Tour in Texas

Lake Bastrop LCRA
Rent an airstream trailer at the LCRA Lake Bastrop. credit: Catherine Parker

Go Camping in Central Texas

Not everyone loves to camp though for those who do, or those who want to try it out, Central Texas offers a lot of interesting camping locations. Find a bit of everything from primitive sites to glamping in an Airstream.

Top Central Texas Campgrounds

Top Swimming Holes across Texas

If the weather is warm and the kids want to swim, then Texas is jammed back with natural swimming holes.

Guide to Texas Swimming Holes

Visit a National Park

Find National Park Service sites across Texas. Explore a bit of everything from the watery byways of Southeast Texas to the desert sage bush out in West Texas. Also find a few National Trails along with NPS sites dedicated to history and more.

Guide to Texas National Park Sites 

Make it a Spring Break to remember with your kids. Here's a list of the top places to visit in Texas for Spring Break with kids. Find destinations for across the state. Get tips on best beaches in Texas, top small town destinations in Texas, best places to camp and more. What to do in Texas for Spring Texas #SpringBreak #Texas
credit: Catherine Parker

Catherine Parker has a passion for travel and seen all 50 U.S. States. As a former flight attendant with one of the largest airlines, there isn't a North American airport that she hasn't landed in at least once. Since clipping her professional wings after 9/11, she combines her love of the open road with visiting architectural and cultural icons. She is based out of Central Texas dividing her time between writing and restoring a pair of 100-year-old houses. She shares her life with her three kids and her husband.

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