A note regarding COVID-19
Amarillo
Route 66 Bus Tours
June 7-8
Various locations
Amarillo Convention and Visitors Bureau hosts these bus tours that take passengers along the west and east sides of Texas Route 66, from Amarillo to as far away as Shamrock (east tour) and Glenrio, New Mexico (west tour). Visit the most iconic places along the route and learn about the history of the towns that the Mother Route went through.
Lockhart
Chisholm Trail Roundup
June 7-10
Various locations
The roundup is Lockhart's largest annual festival and tourism event. Now celebrating its 50th year, it kicks off with the Queen's Coronation on Thursday. Activities the next three days include a petting zoo, pig races, a carnival, rodeo, barbecue cookoff, the Grand Parade, and live entertainment.
Amarillo
"Green Book" Event
June 8
Amarillo College Recital Hall, West 22nd Avenue
"The Negro Motorist Green-Book" was a guidebook in the mid 20th century for African American travelers. It provided a list of hotels, boarding houses, taverns, restaurants, service stations, and other establishments throughout the country that served African Americans patrons. Learn more about this chapter in the history of Route 66 from award-winning author, photographer, and cultural documentarian Candacy Taylor.
Concan
I'll Be Back Again Next Year
June 9-10
Garner State Park, 234 RR 1050
A summer dance tradition for generations of campers, this event invites visitors to honor the past as part of the Texas State Parks centennial celebration. The event features a concert by a surprise Texas artist, vintage campsites set up to show the evolution of camping tools and equipment over the past 100 years, and a presentation on the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps at Garner State Park.
East Bernard
Czech Kolache Klobase Festival
June 10
Riverside Hall, 14643 Buls Road
Enjoy live music, dancing, and lively entertainment with bands and entertainers from morning into the night. A plate lunch of barbecue chicken, sausage, sauerkraut, and trimmings is available for purchase. Hamburgers are available in the evening. There are also arts and crafts, raffle prizes, a cake walk, and plenty of kolaches for sale.
Mexia
Lakeside Legacy Celebration
June 10
Fort Parker State Park, 194 Park Road 28
Celebrate the 100th birthday of Texas State Parks at Fort Parker State Park's community-wide birthday bash. Participate in a wide variety of fun activities for the family including canoe and kayak rides, Cabela's "Catch and Release" fish tank, the "Take Me Fishing" trailer with a scavenger hunt, fishing with a Texas Parks and Wildlife angler, an authentic chuckwagon cooking demonstration, Blackland Prairie Raptor Center's live raptors, tour boat rides, and a tour of Fort Parker Lake on the Cynthia Ann pontoon boat.
tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/fort-parker/lakeside-legacy-celebration
Amarillo
Historic Sixth Celebration
June 10
Historic Route 66 Disctirct , Sixth Street
Celebate the finale of the Texas Route 66 Festival on the Route 66 historic district in Amarillo, where visitors can hear live music, participate in contests, peruse an array of vendors, discover local purveyors, and enjoy other festivities.
Boerne
Kuhlmann-King Museum Tour and Programs
June 10, 24; July 8, 22; Aug. 12, 26
Kuhlmann-King Museum, 402 E. Blanco Road
The Kuhlmann-King house gives the public the opportunity to step back in time to see what a historic Boerne home looked like "way back when." Monthly events and themes vary.
Lake Jackson
Alden B. Dow Office Tour
June 10
Alden B. Dow Office Museum, 101 S. Parking Place
Witness the restored mid-century architectural beauty of Alden B. Dow’s 1943 office in downtown Lake Jackson. Learn all about the city’s beginnings and the indelible mark that Dow left as the principal architect of Lake Jackson.
Boerne
Abendkonzerte
June 13, 27; July 11, 25
Main Plaza, 100 N. Main St.
Come hear traditional German music and stories of Boerne's historic past at these summer concerts featuring the Boerne Village Band.
Galveston
Juneteenth Celebrations
June 15-19
Various locations
Galveston is the birthplace of Juneteenth, and every year the community hosts citywide events that include symposiums, galas, an emancipation gospel celebration, a Juneteenth parade and picnic, and a reenactment of the reading of General Order No. 3, which informed the people of Texas that slavery ended.
Bastrop
Juneteenth Celebration
June 16-17
Bastrop Main Street and Fisherman's Park, Main Street
The Bastrop Juneteenth Celebration committee has been observing the emancipation of African Americans and the contributions and accomplishments of local African American individuals for the past 36 years. The official celebration kicks off on Saturday with a parade down historic Main Street. The day continues with Family Freedom Festival at Fisherman's Park featuring live music, a DJ, food and small business vendors, kids and adult activities, and family competitions. A musical guest in the evening wraps up the festivities.
Palestine
The Historic Bower Mansion Ghost Hunt
June 16-17, July 7-8, Aug. 5-6
Bowers Mansion, 301 S. Magnolia St.
Over 140 years old and harboring stories of murder, suicide, and death, the Historic Bowers Mansion is growing a reputation for one of the most haunted locations in the country, according to Haunted Rooms America.
hauntedrooms.com/texas/ghost-hunts/historic-bowers-mansion-palestine-tx
Buda
Juneteenth Celebration
June 17
204 San Antonio St.
Come celebrate Juneteenth at the Buda Amphitheater and City Park Pavilion. Enjoy food, music, vendors, and activities for the whole family.
Sherman
Juneteenth Celebration
June 17
Sherman Municipal Grounds and Martin Luther King Park, 405 N. Rusk St.; 1120-1198 N. Broughton St.
Sherman's Juneteenth celebration features live music, a parade, and delicious food. Bring your family and join in commemorating the anniversary of the end of slavery in Texas.
El Paso
Viva! El Paso
June 23-Aug. 5
McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre, 1331 McKelligon Canyon Road
Enjoy El Paso’s outdoor musical extravaganza, in the McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre. This colorful musical spectacular celebrates the four major cultures that have influenced the City of the Sun. The Native American, the Spanish Conquistador, the Mexican, and the Western American cultures and their histories come alive through drama, song, and dance by a cast of over 50 performers.
Freeport
Fort Velasco Day
June 24
Freeport Historical Museum, 311 E. Park
Fort Velasco Day commemorates the 191st anniversary of the Battle of Fort Velasco. This living history event brings reenactors from across the state to give visitors a glimpse of what life and conflict was like at the mouth of the Brazos River in 1830s Texas.
Tyler
Rose City Airfest
June 30-July 1
Tyler Pounds Airport, 150 Airport Drive, #2-7
A tribute to the nation, Rose City Airfest is a family event that features military aircraft from the past and present. At the static display, guests can walk right up and see the aircrafts up close. Some let you actually climb inside them. The event also offers lots of vendors, information about flight, food, and games.
Bandera
Cowboys On Main
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Bandera County Courthouse , 500 Main St.
Enjoy free cowboy fun in downtown Bandera. Activities can include chuckwagon storytelling, hopping on a saddle-broke longhorn, or possibly a horse-drawn wagon tour of Bandera. Most Saturdays, the Bandera Cattle Company performs gunfights at Rattlesnake Ridge located behind the Bandera Visitors Center.
Lake Jackson
Abner Jackson Plantation Site Tour
July 1
Abner Jackson Plantation Site, Farm-to-Market Road 2004 near State Highway 332
Visit the historic archeological site of Maj. Abner Jackson, the namesake of the city of Lake Jackson. Once a prosperous sugar plantation, the site was destroyed by the same hurricane that devastated Galveston in 1900. Discover the sugar-making process of the 1840s and how convict labor replaced slave labor during the 1870s.
Giddings
Freedom Fest
July 3
Veterans Honor Park, 191 Raymond St.
Enjoy music in the park just like the good ol' days. Bring your cooler, lawn chairs, blankets, and snacks, and then listen and dance to tunes of Texas Unlimited Band and The Lost Cause Band. Be sure to visit the Veterans Honor Memorial and military tank display while you're at the park. There is a M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle, an M110 Tracked Howitzer, M113 Ambulance, and M901 TOW Missile Battery on display.
Waxahachie
Crape Myrtle Festival and Parade
July 3-4
Waxahachie Sports Complex and Downtown , 151 Broadhead Road; 100 W. Main St.
Designated the "Crape Myrtle Capital of Texas," Waxahachie hosts this annual patriotic celebration featuring a tailgate party and concert at Waxahachie Sports Complex, followed the next day by a parade through historic downtown Waxahachie, where blooming crape myrtles line the street, and a fireworks show.
Fredericksburg
Fourth of July Parade
July 4
Main Street
Originally started in 1991 by a group of community-minded friends, this small-town patriotic parade has grown over the years to be one that is loved by many. The parade begins in the morning, heading east on Main Street to the National Museum of the Pacific War. It then makes a U-turn and goes west on Main all the way to Bowie Street. Bring your lawn chairs for a great seat or use the tailgate of your pick-up.
Grapevine
Ice Cream Social
July 8
Nash Farm, 626 Ball St.
Enjoy a sweet treat out at Nash Farm. This family-oriented event features hand-cranked ice cream, 1920s music, antique cars, lawn games, and other old-fashioned festivities.
Palestine
The Historic Bower Mansion Ghost Hunt
June 16-17, July 7-8, Aug. 5-6
Bowers Mansion, 301 S. Magnolia St.
Over 140 years old and harboring stories of murder, suicide, and death, the Historic Bowers Mansion is growing a reputation for one of the most haunted locations in the country, according to Haunted Rooms America.
hauntedrooms.com/texas/ghost-hunts/historic-bowers-mansion-palestine-tx
Lake Jackson
Alden B. Dow Office Tour
July 8
Alden B. Dow Office Museum, 101 S. Parking Place
Witness the restored mid-century architectural beauty of Alden B. Dow’s 1943 office in downtown Lake Jackson. Learn all about the city’s beginnings and the indelible mark that Dow left as the principal architect of Lake Jackson.
San Antonio
National Day of the Cowboy
July 22
Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W. Market St.
One of the Briscoe Western Art Museum's most treasured annual events, National Day of the Cowboy is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of July each year. Attracting Western fans of all ages to the museum's home on the River Walk, the day is filled with boots, hats, and all things cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero. The celebration includes hands-on Western lessons like the art of the lasso, cowboy poetry, chuckwagon treats, and cowboy crooning filling the air of the museum's McNutt Sculpture Garden.
Bandera
National Day of the American Cowboy
July 22
Bandera County Courthouse and Mansfield Park, 500 Main St.; 2886 SH 16
Celebrate the National Day of the American Cowboy with activities at the Bandera County Courthouse lawn. Enjoy chuckwagon storytelling from cowboys on Main Street, wagon rides, pictures with a longhorn, games, shootouts from the Bandera Gunfighters, trick ropers, live music, and special Old West guests, and a medicine show. Ridin' the River Cowboy Fellowship Rodeo takes place at Mansfield Park Arena, with the "Bulls, Barrels, and Breakaway Contest" evening event.
Frontier Times Fourth Sunday Jamboree
July 23
Frontier Times Museum, 510 13th St.
On the fourth Sunday of each month, the Frontier Times Museum hosts this afternoon jamboree with live music, storytelling, and fun for all ages.
San Angelo
Buffalo Soldier Memorial Weekend
July 28-30
El Paseo de Santa Angela and Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, 630 South Oakes St.
The San Angelo chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People unveils a new memorial dedicated to buffalo soldiers, the 19th-century Army units that were made up of Black soldiers who served on the frontier. In addition to the unveiling, there is a church service, dinner and dance celebration, ongoing tours, and children's activities and games at nearby Fort Concho National Historic Landmark and other sites in San Angelo.
Huntsville
Summer Genealogy Weekend
Aug. 4-5
Huntsville Public Library, 1219 13th St.
This two-day event highlights helpful genealogical records and collections. A light supper is provided on Friday and the library remains open in the evening for further research for attendees only. A silent auction of books and genealogical materials also takes place during the weekend.
Jefferson
Civil War Symposium
Aug. 4-5
Jefferson Visitor Center, 305 E. Austin St.
History buffs can expect presentations, speakers, exhibits, and vendors, with a focus on Jefferson and the surrounding areas that played a role in this unique time in the country’s history.
Alpine
Fiesta 1888: Fiesta Musical
Aug. 5-6
Historic Murphy Street, 105 E. Murphy Ave.
This free concert and street festival on historic Murphy Street celebrates Alpine’s history and has featured storytellers, video interviews, historic exhibits, a tour of homes, music, food, and dancing over the years. This year's featured artist is Grammy Award-winning Tejano legend Augustin Ramirez, “La Ley de Tejas.”
Bandera
Cowboys On Main
Aug. 5, 12, 19, 26
Bandera County Courthouse , 500 Main St.
Enjoy free cowboy fun in downtown Bandera. Activities can include chuckwagon storytelling, hopping on a saddle-broke longhorn, or possibly a horse-drawn wagon tour of Bandera. Most Saturdays, the Bandera Cattle Company performs gunfights at Rattlesnake Ridge located behind the Bandera Visitors Center.
Palestine
The Historic Bowers Mansion Ghost Hunt
June 16-17, July 7-8, Aug. 5-6
Bowers Mansion, 301 S. Magnolia St.
Over 140 years old and harboring stories of murder, suicide, and death, the Historic Bowers Mansion is growing a reputation for one of the most haunted locations in the country, according to Haunted Rooms America.
hauntedrooms.com/texas/ghost-hunts/historic-bowers-mansion-palestine-tx
Lake Jackson
Abner Jackson Plantation Site Tour
Aug. 5
Abner Jackson Plantation Site, Farm-to-Market Road 2004 near State Highway 332
Visit the historic archeological site of Maj. Abner Jackson, the namesake of the city of Lake Jackson. Once a prosperous sugar plantation, the site was destroyed by the same hurricane that devastated Galveston in 1900. Discover the sugar-making process of the 1840s and how convict labor replaced slave labor during the 1870s.
Galveston
Air, Car, and Boat Show
Aug. 11-13
Moody Gardens, 1 Hope Blvd.
The air show ranges from P-63 King Cobra and DH-115 Vampire to the Ghostwriter pyrotechnics show planes with daredevil pilots sending off fireworks trails to light up the night sky. The boat show showcases an array of yachts at the Moody Gardens Marina. The car show at Moody Gardens Convention Center is filled with rows of classic vehicles and the stories that accompany them.
Lake Jackson
Alden B. Dow Office Tour
Aug. 12
Alden B. Dow Office Museum, 101 S. Parking Place
Witness the restored mid-century architectural beauty of Alden B. Dow’s 1943 office in downtown Lake Jackson. Learn all about the city’s beginnings and the indelible mark that Dow left as the principal architect of Lake Jackson.
Bandera
Frontier Times Fourth Sunday Jamboree
Aug. 27
Frontier Times Museum, 510 13th St.
On the fourth Sunday of each month, the Frontier Times Museum hosts this afternoon jamboree with live music, storytelling, and fun for all ages.
San Antonio
World Heritage Festival
Sept. 6-10
Various locations
This annual collaborative event celebrates and promotes the San Antonio Missions, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Festivities include a visit at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park’s historic grist mill (the park owns the oldest water right in Texas and is the state’s first grist mill); a 3-mile hike along the park’s San Juan Acequia trail; and the Tour de Las Misiones, a leisurely ride ranging from 7 to 22 miles with stops at one or all of the missions and an enjoyable 5K and 10K walk and run through the scenic Mission River Reach and Mission San Jose.
Winnsboro
Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering
Sept. 30
Winnsboro Center for the Arts, 200 Market St
Winnsboro Center for the Arts presents two music and poetry concerts featuring award-winning entertainers Dom Flemons, Andy Hedges, Pipp Gillette, Kristyn Harris, Teresa Burleson, and Jay Snider. The shows are reminiscent of old cowboy storytelling that used to take place around a campfire during cattle drives. The performers tell stories, recite poetry, sing, and play instruments. Time is allowed in between concerts for guests to get dinner, browse shops, and enjoy a Western-themed art exhibition, “Cowboy Tales.” Other cowboy-themed activities take place throughout the day.
San Antonio
Dia De Los Muertos Celebrando Las Misiones
Oct. 28
Mission Marquee Plaza, 3100 Roosevelt
Over the years, the annual Dia de los Muertos celebration has featured live performances, interactive and educational workshops, arts and crafts activities for kids including face painting, vendors and artisans, and a community altar.
