Texas Culture & Culinary Tour

DAY 1 – Arrive in Grapevine
At host hotel in Grapevine, experience a little western entertainment while enjoying wine tasting and one of the oldest structures in Grapevine. Be sure to ask about the historic home’s permanent resident – the ghost of Pattie Weatherman.

DAY 2 – Explore Grapevine
With a guided tour of Historic Downtown Grapevine, where the past meets the present. A destination for wine, shopping, entertainment, dining, galleries and a complete selection of services! View paintings and sculpture created by the finest Western Artists in the world at the Great American West Gallery. These works depict authentic representations of the West holding true to the Western American Realism Movement. Experience the Grapevine Glockenspiel, the only Glockenspiel in North America featuring the Would-Be Train Robbers, Nat Barrett and Willy Majors. Watch an exciting confrontation between larger-than-life mechanical figures. Enjoy lunch and shopping in Historic Downtown Grapevine. Grapevine isn’t some sleepy burg; it’s a vibrant, bustling center of commerce with modern shops, galleries and boutiques to appeal to the most sophisticated urban tastes. After lunch, get ready to board a motor coach and depart for Fort Worth and stop at the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. The museum honors and celebrates women whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience and independence that helped shape the American West. Then explore the western shops and saloons of the Fort Worth Stockyards, the history book of the livestock industry in Texas, or enjoy a behind the scenes guided tour. Next, visit the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, which honors the men and women who have excelled in the sport and business of rodeo and the western lifestyle. While you are there, see the Sterquell Wagon Museum, the world’s largest collection of lifestyle wagons. Followed by seeing a live Cattle Drive take place in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Afterwards, take a tour of the world’s largest honky-tonk, Billy Bob’s Texas, where a personal instructor will teach you both new and classic line dances. For dinner, enjoy your choice of BBQ or Steak at Riscky’s BBQ or Riscky’s Steakhouse, serving quality meals since 1927! Shortly after, show off your line dancing skills at Billy Bob’s Texas or any of the other watering holes in the Fort Worth Stockyards or enjoy the Stockyards Championship Rodeo, where you will see Bull Riding, Bareback Riding, Tie Down Roping, Team Roping, Barrel Racing & More! (Friday& Saturday evenings only).

DAY 3 – See The Real Cowboys
Now that you’ve seen the traditional Cowboy, time to tour the home of the more modern Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. More than that, it’s a world of facts and figures about the world’s largest domed structure, an art museum, and a classroom. With Texas as the 5th largest producer of wine in the United States, visit Delaney Vineyards and get an insight into the wine industry from vine to wine. Then for lunch get ready to feast on food that is made of only fresh, natural ingredients at Willhoite’s in Historic Downtown Grapevine. Willhoite’s was the first service station in Grapevine. After lunch, customize and bottle your own wine at D’Vine Wine or Su Vino Winery. Design a special label in advance to commemorate your tour. Finish the day with a Texas Star Murder Mystery in Historic Downtown Grapevine where you will have unforgettable fun and a great meal while being in the middle of a hysterical, award winning, entertaining comedy murder mystery (Fri & Sat evenings only). Or plan a visit to SouthFork Ranch (approximately 45 mins. from Grapevine), where the hit show Dallas is once again being filmed. Your visit to SouthFork can be made complete with a Chuckwagon Dinner.

DAY 4 – Arrive in San Antonio
Visit the Shrine of Texas – The Alamo. Get the history, see the beautiful grounds and learn about the Battle of the Alamo, the cradle of Texas liberty. Then take a river barge tour on the famous River Walk where you will hear how the River Walk was developed and now extends both to the north and the south of downtown to create a 13 mile oasis. For the evening, it’s dinner at Azuca! A unique concept inspired by a desire to unite the cuisine, service and atmosphere of the Caribbean, Central and Latin America with all of its glamour and vitality in one place.

DAY 5 – Experience the Culture
After breakfast at the hotel, visit with papel picado artist Kathleen Trenchard. See how this intricate cultural art is shown at its best through Kathleen’s extraordinary talent. Next, visit Mission San Jose, one of the five Spanish colonial missions and see the film, People of the Missions. With your guide, tour the grounds and the mission church where Mass is still conducted each Sunday. Return to the downtown area for lunch at one of the most famous Mexican restaurants, Mi Tierra. You will savor the Tex-Mex food and be entertained with Mariachi music before shopping in El Mercado, the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico. Continue your experience at La Villita (Little Village), one of the first settlements in San Antonio. La Villita is now home to galleries and artisans. From La Villita you will head over to the Institute of Texan Cultures to learn about the many different cultures that settled in Texas. Finish the afternoon with some rest at your hotel before the evening event. That evening, enjoy a margarita demonstration and dinner at Aldaco’s. You also get a special lecture and demonstration of Mexican Folklorico dancing from the talented performers of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center.

DAY 6 – Experience the Cuisine
After breakfast, just outside of downtown, you will visit the new South Texas Heritage Center. Here you learn the real-life stories of the gritty settlers of Texas and hear historical narratives of Tejano freighters, chili queens, Texas Indians, ranchers and farmers. Next, tour the newest development in San Antonio, the Pearl Brewery complex. This complex is home to the third campus of the famous Culinary Institute of America specializing in Latin cuisine. Get ready for lunch at La Gloria Ice House in the Pearl Brewery. Celebrity Chef Johnny Hernandez (or one of his staff), will speak about the many ingredients that create such wonderful flavors in Mexican food. Thereafter you will dine from his famous “street food” recipes. Continue your afternoon at the San Antonio Art Museum with its collection of Mexican Folk Art. Your docent will explain the collection and its cultural importance. Return to downtown San Antonio for a tour to the oldest cathedral in America, the San Fernando Cathedral. The cathedral sits in the heart of San Antonio on Main Plaza. From here you will visit the Spanish Governor’s Palace and Marti’s which is a high end boutique filled with clothing, jewelry and furniture from some of Mexico’s finest artists. Then retreat to your hotel before leaving on your tour and dinner of Sandy’s Oaks Olive Orchard. See how olives are grown, pressed and enjoy some handmade olive items. You will also be served a gourmet dinner using only the best olive products and produce from the surrounding areas.

DAY 7 – The Bayous
Enjoy the Cajun bayou culture with an airboat tour of the Blue Elbow Swamp and the Sabine River. See live alligators, birds, turtles, cypress trees and much more. Ever dine with a gator? You can at Gator Country Texas’ only alligator-themed park while relaxing on spacious decks overlooking dozens of gators. After lunch, feed your adventurous spirit at Gator Country. Have a hands-on experience by helping feed live gators and see the jaw dropping half-ton alligator, lovingly named ‘Big Al’. Enjoy some free time perusing the quaint shops of Nederland’s Boston Ave Shopping District. Park once and guests can walk to shops selling candles, gifts, toys, home décor, and even pick up lunch at area cafés. Be sure to take a tour of the La Maison Des Acadien Museum, a replica of an early Acadien home of southern Louisiana. Dinner tonight at Beau Reve in their luxurious dining room set next to an elegant historic Southern mansion. Learn to dance Cajun Style, while enjoying a local Cajun band— be sure stick around for a surprise Cajun Ceremony!

DAY 8 – The Cajun Culture
Treat yourself to a scrumptious breakfast at the historic Rao’s Bakery & Coffee Café. Established in 1941, Rao’s serves up fresh brewed coffee, piping hot croissants and breakfast burritos every morning. Continue your Cajun Trail Adventure by exploring La Maison Beausoleil, an authentic Acadian farm house moved from original site in Louisiana to its current home, the Neches River. Dubbed “The Lucas Gusher,” the oil discovery on Spindletop Hill changed the economy of Texas and helped to usher in the petroleum age. Discover Spindletop Gladys City Boomtown Museum where you’ll step back in time to witness Beaumont’s rich oil heritage. Lunch at the Two Magnolias Café, uniquely tucked away in the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in downtown Beaumont. Inside the Atrium dining room, you will enjoy a scrumptious lunch in a rotating gallery of art. Follow the history of the “Cradle of the Petroleum Age” with a tour of the Texas Energy Museum and experience the fascinating world of oil exploration and refining – After all, we do Oil the World. For an authentic Cajun Culture experience, visit this legendary restaurant and dance hall, Larry’s French Market & Cajun Restaurant opened in 1925. It has the largest variety of fresh Gulf seafood, along with hand-cut black angus steaks, grilled chicken, and an all-you-can eat seafood buffet. Larry Judice invites guests to dance to the live tunes of Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop bands. (Thursday, Friday and Saturday)

DAY 9 – End Your Visit
Enjoy breakfast in your hotel before visiting the Museum of the Gulf Coast. Yes, Janis Joplin and the Big Bopper are from Port Arthur, but this unique Museum also honors many Country, Rock, and Cajun artists that have their roots set in the heart of Port Arthur. Follow the sea wall down to historic Rose Hill, Port Arthur’s oldest home to date. Enjoy this water front property while snacking on homemade Cajun cake, pralines and good ole’ Southern style lemonade. Located under the iconic Rainbow Bridge, Ancelet’s Marina is where you’ll stand side by side with the chef, learning the ropes and boiling some Cajun crabs and shrimp. Enjoy passing boaters and the bayou. Cross the bridge to Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center. The formal Botanical Gardens contain more than 300 plant species in five formal “rooms” as well as four sculpture “rooms.” Adjacent to the 252 acres of Botanical Gardens is a bird blind which allows visitors to observe nesting birds in Shangri La’s heronry. The Nature Center includes a hands-on exhibit called the Nature Discovery Center, a laboratory, and three outdoor classrooms located deep in the cypress swamp. The Orientation Center includes an Exhibit Hall, Discovery Theater, Children’s Garden, Exhibition Greenhouses, Café, and Garden Store.