Welcome back! Once again, we’ve reached out to our travel-savvy Au Pairs in America, to get their opinion on a state that is very dear to our little American hearts…
In this series, we’re shedding some light on our au pairs’ favourite spots in the USA. Whether it is a city, a state or just a general area that our au pairs are currently obsessed with – we’ll introduce some of North America’s “places to be” in an entirely new way. Our secret? We get our recommendations right from the source – our lovely au pairs – to ensure that our travel tips cover everything an Au Pair in America needs to know about and more!
Rather than focusing on a specific city, we feel like we’re ready to take it to the next level this time around. Ladies and gents: Take a seat and make sure to put your seat belts on, cause we’re about to take on the 2nd largest state of the Unites States of America. Welcome to Texas, everyone!
Austin
Buses | Can be handy for getting around downtown and to S Congress Ave
Light Rail | for when you need to get out of town and into the suburbs
Dallas
Light Rail | downtown & suburbs
McKinney Ave Trolley | uptown & downtown
Trinity Express trains | connects Dallas & Fort Worth on weekdays
Houston
Light Rail | downtown & museums
Buses
San Antonio
Street Cars | bus-like trolleys that connect all major downtown sights
The Texas State Capitol | Austin
The Alamo | San Antonio
Rothko Chapel | Houston
Japanese Tea Garden | San Antonio
Space Center | Houston
Hope Outdoor Gallery | Austin, Graffiti park, including the infamous “Greeting from Austin” graffiti
Congress Avenue Bridge | Austin, hosts the world’s largest urban bat colony (1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats)
Pennybacker Bridge | Austin
National Butterfly Center | Mission
Preservation Texas | Austin
Sea Turtle Inc | non-profit organization in South Padre Island
Barton Creek Greenbelt | Austin
The Alamo | San Antonio
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center | Houston
The Lone Star Flight Museum | Houston
Bullock Texas State History Museum | Austin
Blanton Museum Of Art | Austin
The Kimbell Art Museum | Fort Worth
The Thinkery | Austin
Sonic Drive-In
Whataburger
Tookie’s
Cured
Franklin Barbecue
Terry Black’s Barbecue
Salt Lick BBQ
La Barbecue
Louie Mueller Barbecue
Lockhart Smokehart
Raining Cane’s Chicken Fingers
Chicken Fried Steak
Torchy’s Tacos
Los Salsas
Cheesecake Factory
live music all day every day | Austin
Zilker Park Events | Austin
House of Blues | Houston
Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival | 
5th – 14th October 2018
SXSW Music Festival | 11th – 17th March 2019, Austin
In Bloom Music Festival | 23rd & 24th March 2019, Houston (replacing the Free Press Summer Fest)
Kerrville Folk Festival | every May, Kerrville
Texas Folklife Festival | every June, San Antonio
Performing Arts Theater | Houston
Stageworks Theatre | Houston
National Youth Theatre | Spring
Esther’s Follies Comedy Club | Austin
SXSW Film Festival | 8th – 16th March 2019
Fantastic Fest | 20th – 27th September 2019, Austin
Poteet Strawberry Festival | every April, Poteet
Luckenbach 4th July Family Picnic | every July 4th
Wurstfest | 2nd – 11th November 2018, New Braunfels
Ice Cream Festival | every August, Austin
State Fair Of Texas | 28th September – 21st October 2018, Dallas
Dickens On The Strand | 30th November – 2nd December 2018, Galveston
SXSW Interactive Festival | 8th – 12th March 2019
Galleria | Houston
La Cantera | San Antonio
Barton Creek Square | Austin
The Domain | Austin
South Congress | Austin
Zilker Park | Austin
Sunset Springs Park | The Woodlands, Houston
Rob Fleming Park | Spring
Big Bend National Park | Mexican border, one of the biggest national parks in the US
Barton Creek Greenbelt | Austin, ideal for hikes
Colorado Bend State Park | Bend, ideal for hikes
Padre Island National Seashore | Corpus Christi
River Floats | tube down a river, e.g. Guadalupe, Comal River, Brazos, Possum Kingdom Lake, New Braunfels
Lady Bird Bike Trail | Austin
Palo Duro Cabyon | Amarillo, the “Grand Canyon of Texas”
Lake Travis | Austin
Inks Lake | Austin
Lake Conroe | Conroe
Lake Livingston | Houston
Possum Kingdom Lake | Fort Worth
Barton Spring Pool | Austin
Krause Springs | Spicewood
Caddo Lake State Park | Kamack, ideal for kayaking
Jacob’s Well | between Austin & San Antonio
Riverwalk | San Antonio
Schlitterbahn Waterparks & Resorts | different locations, e.g. Corpus Christi, Galveston, New Braunsfeld, South Padre
Mount Bonnell | Austin
Buffalo Bayou Park | Houston
Lady Bird Lake | Austin
McDonald Observatory | Fort Davis
Historic Downtown | McKinney
The Texas State Capitol | Austin
The Alamo | San Antonio
Battleship Texas State Historic Site | Houston
Space Center | Houston
Rodeo | e.g. Fort Worth Show & Rodeo, San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Stockyards Championship Rodeo
Congress Avenue Bridge | Austin, hosts the world’s largest urban bat colony (1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats)
Line Dance
Dia de los Muertos | Celebrate the Day of the Dead in San Antonio
State Fair Of Texas | 28th September – 21st October 2018, Dallas
McDonald Observatory | “Star Parties” in Davis Mountains State Park
Route 66 | 178 miles along several of Texas’ infamous ghost towns
The Enchanted Rock | Fredricksburg, stargazing at the nation’s 2nd largest granite dome
Marfa Lights | Marfa, minimalistic Prada art installation in the middle of the desert
Bluebonnet Trails
