Take It Outside of DFW

For an even more colorful trip to the region, take your visit beyond the Dallas-Fort Worth area. There are so many towns to see, and each one is chock-full of history, adventure and hidden gems just waiting to be explored. North of the metroplex, you’ll find the city of Denton, or the “Lil’ d.”

This city is scattered with charming public art and the architectural works of O’Neil Ford, and the chamber welcomes visitors to see it all with multiple tour options and sample itineraries.

Nocona, named after Comanche chief Peta Nocona, is known for cowboy boots and baseball gloves. Their gloves and other sports equipment are still made there today; if you’ve ever wondered how a baseball glove is made, you can stop in for a tour of the Nokona baseball glove factory. The boot and athletic goods sectors of the company are both part of the magnificent Leather Goods Collection at the Tales ’N’ Trails Museum, where you can also hear stories of the Native Americans, agriculture, Western heritage and the oil and gas industry in Montague County. 

From Nocona, head to Weatherford and visit the Vintage Car Museum & Event Center, where some of Tom Moncrief’s collection is displayed. Of course, cars aren’t the only things on display in Weatherford. The Museum of the Americas started with the personal collections of Dr. Harold Lawrence (Native American artifacts) and his wife, Elizabeth (Mexican and Latin American folk art), that they now share with the public. And to spend some time in nature, you can visit the fabulous Chandor Gardens, which combines Chinese architecture with a formal English garden, all originally built by English portrait artist Douglas Chandor for his wife, Ina.

Other towns have amazing collections, as well. In Cleburne, you’ll find a massive display of Gone with the Wind-related dolls, posters and other items at the Gone with the Wind Remembered Museum & Gift Shop. The Chisholm Trail Museum, also in Cleburne, depicts local history through its assemblage of historic buildings. And Dublin celebrates what used to be the oldest Dr Pepper bottling plant in Texas with memorabilia at Dublin Bottling Works.

And Waco is a happening little town with some big activities. One of the biggest is the BSR Surf Resort, with its world-renowned surf pool offering three different levels of waves, as well as a lazy river for those with more relaxed travel goals. BSR also offers a variety of accommodations at its surf hotel, cabins and RV spots. But the fun doesn’t end there, Waco also boasts the Dr Pepper Museum right where the soft drink was created, honors the history of the Texas Rangers with a hall of fame and museum and provides a Fixer Upper fan experience with Joanna and Chip Gaines’ Magnolia Market at the Silos. Also at the Silos, you can shop, visit the bakery, grab lunch at food trucks and play games on the lawn. And on top of all that, Waco is also home to the Mammoth National Monument, the only nursery herd of Columbian mammoths discovered in the nation.

For history, art, shopping and delicious food, you don’t have to stay in DFW. There are little towns scattered through the Prairies and Lakes region that are bursting with places to see and activities to enjoy.