Texas Travel Regions

Have you visited the Texas Tourism website, TravelTex.com?  Something that always puzzles visitors is the travel regions on the Texas map.  I worked for the Texas Department of Economic Development-Tourism Division and I do not know why Texas is divided into these regions. Indeed, many of the towns included in a region complain that they are not in “this” region but “that” region.

Below are the descriptions of and links to the regions.

Big Bend Country – mountains and deserts, flatlands, El Paso, Midland-Odessa, Del Rio
Hill Country – spring-fed rivers, music, Austin, Fredericksburg, San Marcos, Schlitterbahn
The Gulf Coast- 600 miles of beaches, sand dunes, birding, Houston, Corpus Christi, S. Padre Island
Panhandle Plains – canyonlands, million mile sunsets, Amarillo, Route 66
Piney Woods – pine forests, small towns, history, Jefferson, Tyler, Texarkana, Nacogdoches
Prairies and Lakes – bright lights, big cities, Dallas, Fort Worth
South Texas Plains – San Antonio, Laredo, McAllen, borderlands, historical sites, birding

If you are visiting Texas, I would encourage you to visit the TravelTex site.  You may request a Texas Travel Guide, Texas map and other publications; browse discounted travel packages; download podcasts for walking tours; search events and activities; and view videos of various Texas destinations.

Probably the most useful tool on the site is the online travel planner. After you register and login, you may choose from preplanned itineraries; find the location of photographs you may have seen in Texas advertisements; select a theme-based road trip, and save up to 35 activities or events to your itinerary with just the click of your mouse.