Day Trips & Beyond: July Events Roundup: Texas travel tips for a spectacular summer – Travel

Celebrate your daytripping independence in July with barbecue and festivals.

Luling has changed a lot over the years, but since 1958 there’s been the City Market Barbecue. And now there’s the Swoonworthy Sourdough Artisan Bakery to make a visit a little sweeter. (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)
Here’s a twofer for y’all. Back in the day, the intersection of highways U.S. 183, U.S. 90, and TX-80 in Luling was known for its vegetable stands. Colorful bougainvillea in baskets hung from the open-air farmers market renowned for its vine-ripe tomatoes and juicy Luling watermelons.
The produce stands are gone, but the Luling City Market remains at the intersection. Opened in 1958 by brothers Howard and Lanos Ellis and still operated by their descendants, this is one of the pillars of traditional Texas barbecue. The market started as a meat market and transitioned into barbecue after the brothers were tutored by the pitmasters at Kruez Market up the road in Lockhart. This is one of the consistently best barbecue joints in the state. The brisket is cooked to perfection and flavorful, the pork ribs are sweet and crispy, the sausage is Old World wonderful, and the sides are simply traditional.
You’ll want to get some barbecue to take home, but before you leave town, walk next door to Swoonworthy Sourdough Artisan Bakery to get a loaf of bread or two to take with you. Opened in 2024, this locally owned bakery is dessert heaven. The classic sourdough bread is not advertised as gluten-free but has proven to be tolerated by many of those with an allergy. The muffins are cake-like, and the oatmeal cookies are substantial. This is a bakery that grandma would rave about, and the grandkids will beg for.
City Market & Swoonworthy Sourdough Artisan Bakery, 600 block of Davis Streer, Luling

Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, Glenwood Springs Resort offers visitors full amenities and a mineral bath with varying temperatures. (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)
Taking the waters. Before antibiotics, soaking in mineral-rich springs was thought to cure all kinds of ailments. Soaking in natural mineral water is still a time-honored tradition to enhance wellness. Colorado has several hot springs destinations in the western part of the state and the town of Glenwood Springs is one of the most popular. About a 2.5-hour drive west of Denver, depending on road construction on I-70, Glenwood Springs Resort has attracted visitors since it opened on July 4, 1888.
Today, the resort’s two-block-long pool claims to be the largest hot springs pool in the world. It has been enlarged to incorporate more than seven pools cascading down a slight incline ranging in temperatures from 122 degrees at the Yampah Source Spring to 52-degree cold plunges. Over the years the resort has added play areas for children, a 107-room lodge, snack bar, and a fitness center in the beautiful old multistory red sandstone bathhouse.
A summer afternoon soak in the various pools surrounded by mountains relaxes the mind and body. The baths are full of swimmers taking the water but are not crowded. With the water temperatures ranging from hot to bathwater warm, the cool mountain breeze feels cold even in the bright sunlight. The mineral content of the water has a slight sulfur smell but leaves your skin tingling and your muscles stress-free.
Glenwood Springs Resort, Glenwood Spring, Colo., www.hotspringspool.com
Travel Notes:

Maybe you can’t kiss a fish, but you can see them up close at the improved TFFC. (Photo courtesy TPWD)
A fish tale. After nearly a year of renovations, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Edwin L. Cox Jr. Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens will welcome visitors again beginning July 1. Part fish hatchery and part aquatic education center, TFFC opened in 1996 with fishing ponds where visitors could try their luck and aquariums showcasing diversity of our native waters. All of this has been updated and enhanced with new additions. Whether you’re an angler or not, the center is an exciting look at our inland waterways. The center is day-use only and is closed on Monday.
Toll house cookies. The price of driving on the toll roads in North Texas went up on July 1. The North Texas Tollway Authority increased tolls from 21 cents a mile to 22 cents. Those without a TollTag – using the ZipCash billing by the mail system – will continue to pay about twice the rate. There are now more than 50 toll roads in Texas, spanning around 850 miles. The Dallas North Tollway and the President George Bush Turnpike are the longest ones. NTTA operates the TollTag system in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, while TxTag is a separate system managed by the Harris County Toll Road Authority for the Texas Department of Transportation. Both systems allow drivers to use their tags on most Texas toll roads. The two tags are also good on toll roads in Oklahoma, Kansas, and most of Florida and Colorado.

Knowing where to park is key to getting around downtown San Antonio.
Park like a native. Like any big city, parking your car in downtown San Antonio can be a hassle – unless you know where to go. Because the streets in the central city are narrow, street parking can be by trial and error. A better bet is one of the 10 city-owned lots and garages. All of the city lots and on-street parking downtown only take credit cards or the SAPark app, which will also guide you to empty on-street parking spots. All street parking is free after 6pm and on Sunday. Downtown Tuesday offers free parking on Tuesdays from 5pm to 2am in all city-owned parking facilities. City Tower Garage, 60 N. Flores, provides free parking on Sunday from 7 a.m. to midnight.
Star shine. The Delta Aquarid meteor shower is visible July 18 to August 21, but it’s best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere. In Texas, the time to watch is after midnight until dawn, with the radiant (the point the meteors appear to come from) being highest in the sky around 2am. The meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can be seen anywhere in the sky. It’s recommended to find a dark location away from city lights and allow your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness.
Other July Events:
Jump to a region: | Big Bend | Gulf Coast | Hill Country | Panhandle | Piney Woods | Prairies & Lakes | South Texas | Out of State
BIG BEND

McDonald Observatory (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)
Star Parties
The McDonald Observatory is extending the welcome mat to vacationers. Normally, evening star parties are on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, but they have added a special show for the Fourth of July.
July 4, Fort Davis, www.mcdonaldobservatory.org
Davis Mountains Preserve Open Weekends
The Nature Conservancy only opens the preserve to the public a few times a year for camping, hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities. Reservations required.
July 11-13, Aug. 22-24, Fort Davis, www.nature.org
Snake Days
In the heart of gray-banded kingsnake territory, celebrate the wonderful reptile and amphibian diversity of West Texas and raise money for wildlife conservation at this “no kill” festival.
July 18-20, Alpine, www.snakedays.com
GULF COAST

See Nativity scenes from around the world when you go to the beach at Port Lavaca. (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)
Ohana Surf Dog Competition
Bring your pooch or just come to watch the pups compete for bragging rights to benefit the Galveston Humane Society.
July 19, Galveston, www.ohanasurfandskate.com
Great Mosquito Festival
Food, fun, music, and a chance to meet Willie-Man-Chew, the 26-foot-tall mosquito mascot, are all part of the family-friendly weekend.
July 24-26, Clute, www.mosquitofestival.com
Christmas in July
For the first time, Veronica and Kevin Koliba will open their collection of over 1,000 nativity scenes from around the world during the summer instead of just the week after Thanksgiving.
July 25-27, Port Lavaca, www.facebook.com
HILL COUNTRY
Abendkonzert
Means a good time on the Main Plaza with traditional German music and stories with the Boerne Village Band founded in 1860.
June 1, 15, Boerne, www.ci.boerne.tx.us
Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing
Enjoy the excitement of live horse racing action over four weekends at the oldest continuously operated county fair in Texas (Aug. 21-24).
July 5-6, 19-20; Aug. 9-10, 23-24, Fredericksburg, www.gillespiefair.com
Spring Ho
It’s a weeklong festival for the entire family with music, shops, parades, and a fireworks show.
July 7-13, Lampasas, www.springho.com
Purple Martin Watch Party
After dining on insects during the day and prior to settling down for the night, these highly social birds put on spectacular aerial acrobatics shows before landing in roost trees. The location is tentatively set for La Frontera between Old Navy and Barnes & Noble from 8pm to 9pm.
July 18-19, 25-26, Aug. 1-2, 8-9, Round Rock, www.travisaudubon.org/purple-martin-parties

Sample Texas wines in Fredericksburg. (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)
Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival Summer Preview
Get an exclusive look and taste at some of the Hill Country’s finest drinking and eating establishments.
July 21-27, Fredericksburg, www.fbgfoodandwine.com/preview-week
Open Nights at Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve
Millions of Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from the cave at twilight, forming a “batnado” on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. Call the bat hotline at 325/347-5970 before visiting to confirm the start time and for any weather/river flooding-related closures.
July 3-Aug. 24, Mason, www.nature.org
PANHANDLE PLAINS

See the production as big as Texas in Palo Duro Canyon. (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)
Texas Outdoor Musical
The biggest summer musical continues in the beautiful Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Tuesday through Sunday evenings.
July 1-31, Aug. 1-9, Canyon, www.texas-show.com
Shakespeare in the Canyon
Pioneer Amphitheater, a natural basin in the majestic Palo Duro Canyon, sets a beautiful stage to see William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
July 14, 21, Canyon, www.texas-show.com/p/about
Cheeseburger Festival
The little town in cattle country invites everyone to sample a variety of burgers and local activities in the Cheeseburger Capital of Texas.
July 20, Friona, www.cityoffriona.com/cheeseburgerfestival
PINEY WOODS

Steamboat House, Huntsville (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)
Texas Shakespeare Festival
East Texas’ only professional theatre company performs productions on a rotating basis Thursday through Sunday.
July 3-27, Kilgore, www.texasshakespeare.com
Steamboat House Open House
The house where Sam Houston died is open to the public only a few times a year on the grounds of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and Presidential Library.
July 26, Huntsville, www.samhoustonmemorialmuseum.com
PRAIRIES & LAKES
Live Horse Racing
The last two weekends of the 2025 thoroughbred racing season should be exciting as the ponies try to make their reputations.
July 1-6, 11-13, Grand Prairie, www.lonestarpark.com

Ride an antique carousel in Giddings. (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)
Firemen’s July 4th Celebration and Lee County Sheriff’s Posse Fury on the 4th
The Lee County Sheriff’s Posse and Giddings Volunteer Fire Department team up for a big Fourth of July celebration. It starts with a lazy day in the park riding the antique carousel, barbecue, and an auction to benefit the Fire Department. In the evening, the Sheriff’s Posse will host Championship Bull Riding, including Mutton Bustin’, followed by fireworks and a dance.
July 4, Giddings, www.giddingstx.com/events-list
Fourth of July Parade
Be a part of the longest-running Fourth of July celebration west of the Mississippi with a community-wide barbecue in the afternoon followed by fireworks Saturday evening.
July 4, Round Top, www.exploreroundtop.com/fourthofjuly
Bin Ein Amerikaner
Now’s the time to visit one of the original Texas breweries for a look at how German-Texans celebrate Independence Day with historic games, crafts, and homemade ice cream.
July 5-6, La Grange, www.visitkreischebrewery.com
Gault Site Tour
Join a tour to learn about Paleoindian culture and the many artifacts excavated at one of the oldest occupied sites in Texas. This is not an active dig site; however, research is still being conducted on the over 1 million artifacts found at the site.
July 12, Florence, www.bellcountymuseum.org/events/gault-site-tours2
Parker County Peach Festival
The county west of Fort Worth throws its biggest party of the year saluting their famous peach crop in historic downtown Weatherford.
July 12, Weatherford, www.parkercountypeachfestival.org
Waco Independent Film Festival
Formerly known as Deep in the Heart Film Festival, this festival puts you on the edge of the latest independent films and lets you meet the people that made them.
July 17-20, Waco, www.wacoindie.com

See the Bard’s plays in an old hay barn in Winedale. (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)
Shakespeare at Winedale
Students live and work in a peaceful pastoral setting and perform in a century-old hay barn outside of Round Top that has been converted into an Elizabethan-style theatre Thursdays through Sundays.
July 17-Aug. 10, Windedale, www.liberalarts.utexas.edu/winedale
Fuzzy Peach Festival
It’s peach season in Freestone County and they’re having a party to celebrate the new crop of peaches.
July 18-19, Fairfield, www.fairfieldtexaschamber.com/events/fuzzy-peachfest
Harvest Festival
Help salute the new crop of grapes with grape stomping, wine tastings, tours, and more.
July 25-Aug. 16, Bryan, messinahof.com/harvest-festival
SOUTH TEXAS
Fiesta Noche del Rio
The oldest outdoor dance performance of its kind in the U.S. continues with authentic Mexican, Spanish, and Texan songs and dance.
July 1-Aug. 2, San Antonio, www.fiestanochesa.com
CineFestival San Antonio
The nation’s original and longest-running Latino film festival returns leading with two prominent documentaries focusing on Tejano music and culture: the long-anticipated Selena y Los Dinos documentary about the Queen of Tejano music, Selena, and Take It Away, tracing the life and career of Johnny Canales.
July 9-13, San Antonio, guadalupeculturalarts.org/cine-festival
Balcones Heights Jazz Festival
Admission is free to the annual concert this year featuring guitarist Steve Oliver with the show starting at 7:30pm.
July 18, San Antonio, bhtx.gov
OUT OF STATE

The World of Bob Dylan
This year’s conference celebrates the 60th anniversary of Dylan going electric at the Newport Folk Festival with a diverse array of panels, roundtables, keynote speakers, musical performances, and creative experiences exploring all aspects of Dylan’s music, art, life, and influence.
July 24-27, Tulsa, Okla., www.dylanutulsa.edu/wobd25
Gerald McLeod has been traveling around Texas and beyond for his “Day Trips” column for more than 30 years. Keep up to date with his journeys on his archive page and follow him on Facebook.
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