Texas West (El Paso, Lubbock, Amarillo)
NOMAD MANIA Texas West (El Paso, Lubbock, Amarillo)
Tentative WHS: Big Bend National Park
Museums: Alpine: Museum of the Big Bend
World of Nature: Big Bend
Borders
Mexico-United States
United States of America 48 states (sea border/port)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Wyler Aerial Tramway
Modern Architecture Buildings: Ransom Canyon: Robert Bruno Steel House
Caves: Caverns of Sonora
Religious Monuments: Groom: Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Bizzarium
Odesa: Stonehenge Replica
Valentine: Prada in the Desert
Cities of the Americas
SAN ANGELO
AMARILLO
Airports: Amarillo (AMA)
Museums: Amarillo Museum of Art
Aviation Museums: Air and Space Museum
EL PASO
Airports: El Paso (ELP)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: El Paso Streetcar (Heritage)
Museums:
Museum of Art
Museum of History
National Border Patrol Museum
LUBBOCK
Airports: Lubbock (LBB)
Aviation Museums: Silent Wings Museum
MIDLAND/ODESSA
Airports: Midland/Odessa (MAF)
Villages and Small Towns
MARFA
Museums: Chinati Foundation
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Texas Northeast (Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin)
There was a big change in weather as I approached Dallas – from -8°C 2 nights previously to +20°C. Leaves were on trees and wild flowers were growing in the ditches.
Dallas major roads are tolled by a tag system. It is an impressive variety of extreme freeways – three tiers, amazing webs of roads converging on some areas.
PLANO (pop 360,000). Located approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) north of downtown Dallas. The city of Plano is a part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The city is a hub for many corporate headquarters. Plano was also considered to be the safest city in the nation by Forbes in 2011.[3]
Cockroach Hall of Fame. In the NM “Bizzarium” series, until 2012, Plano was home to a unique attraction: the Cockroach Hall of Fame Museum.
“It is not the Smithsonian,” as owner Michael Bohdan liked to say – but it was an interesting enough oddity to merit appearances on “The Tonight Show” and “The View,” as well as mentions on websites like Atlas Obscura and Roadside America.
You had to know where to look for it. The museum was part of the Pest Shop, a small do-it-yourself shop that sold extermination products for getting rid of pests in your home – ants, mice, roaches, rats and more. (The shop is still located at the corner of Custer and 15th Street, under new ownership.)
When the museum was open, visitors were treated to exhibits like the Bates Roach Motel office, which featured a roach dressed in a housecoat and wig that moved along a track from the office to Room 1 with a tiny knife in its hand, and a collection of “celebrity” roaches with names like Elvis, David Letterroach, Elvis, Marilyn Monroach and Liberoachi.
Michael is an expert on cockroaches and other critters. He earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
When the museum was open, Michael enjoyed greeting thousands of visitors each year and answering questions, always sporting his green felt fedora dotted with the carcasses of 14 cockroaches. He still calls himself “Cockroach Dundee.”
The Cockroach Museum was a hidden treasure that many Plano residents didn’t know about. The Pest Shop is still open and still helping customers who want to get rid of bugs in their homes. But alas, the Cockroach Hall of Fame Museum is no more. Michael Bohdan moved to Phoenix to retire but returned to Dallas a few years ago. He still has his cockroaches and hopes one day he can find a new home to display them.
“Most of the dressed-up cockroaches are still in their cases, stored in boxes,” he said. “It’s a shame that we had to close. I always thought my museum would have legs. It helped educate a lot of people and changed their perceptions about cockroaches.”
DALLAS/ FORT WORTH World Cities and Popular Towns
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Chapel of Thanksgiving. Religious Temples:
The Adolphus Hotel. In both the NM “Hospitality Legends” and “Modern Architecture Buildings” series
John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza
Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey PlazaThe Dark Side
Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge.
Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth:
Arlington.
WACO
ALICO Building Modern Architecture Buildings:
Waco Suspension Bridge. Pedestrian Bridges:
AUSTIN/ROUND ROCK
Festivals
SXSW (Mar 13-22, 2020)
Entertainment/Things to do: Austin Bouldering Project
Pedestrian Bridges: Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge
Bizzarium: Museum of the Weird
Tejano Monument is a memorial commemorating the impact of Tejanos on Texas culture and history, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The monument was sculpted by Armando Hinojosa and erected by Tejano Monument, Inc. in 2012. It features nine life-size bronze statues on a 275-ton Texas Sunset Red Granite base, and five plaques describing Tejano history.
NOMAD MANIA Texas Northeast (Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin)
Sights (Temporarily Reinstated)
Texas / Illinois / Missouri / Kansas / Oklahoma / New Mexico / Arizona / California: Route 66 Cultural Heritage
Texas: Cadillac Ranch
XL: Texarkana (Texas/Arkansas border)
House Museums/Plantations
Bonham: Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
Denton: Bayless Selby House Museum
Nacogdoches: Nacogdoches Sterne-Hoya Museum
Theme Parks: Florida/Texas/Kentucky: Dinosaur World
Monuments: Las Colinas: Mustangs Statue
Religious Monuments: Ballinger: Ballinger Cross
Railway Museums: Frisco: Museum of the American Railroad
Villages and Small Towns
FREDERICKSBURG
Museums: Fredericksburg: National Museum of the Pacific War
JEFFERSON
SALADO
WIMBERLEY
Cities of the Americas
ABILENE
KILLEEN
LONGVIEW
TYLER
WACO
House Museums/Plantations: Mc Culloch House Museum
Modern Architecture Buildings: ALICO Building
Pedestrian Bridges: Waco Suspension Bridge
ARLINGTON
Museums: International Bowling Museum
House Museums/Plantations: Fielder House Museum
AUSTIN/ROUND ROCK World Cities and Popular Towns
Airports: Austin (AUS)
Museums
Blanton Museum of Art
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
Mexic-Arte Museum
Texas Memorial Museum
Thinkery
House Museums/Plantations: Neill-Cochran House Museum
Festivals
Austin City Limits (Oct 2-20, 2020)
Fun Fun Fun Fest
SXSW (Mar 13-22, 2020)
Cine Las Americas International Film Festival
Entertainment/Things to do: Austin Bouldering Project
Monuments: Tejano Monument
Pedestrian Bridges: Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge
Bizzarium: Museum of the Weird
DALLAS/ FORT WORTH World Cities and Popular Towns
Airports
Dallas – Love Field (DAL)
Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Museums
Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas: George W. Bush Presidential Library
Dallas: Nasher Sculpture Center
Dallas: Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Fort Worth: Kimbell Art Museum
Fort Worth: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Religious Temples: Chapel of Thanksgiving
Modern Architecture Buildings
Dallas: Adolphus Hotel
Fort Worth: Bass Performance Hall
Festivals: Dallas: North Texas Irish Festival
Zoos
Dallas: Dallas Zoo
Fort Worth: Fort Worth Zoo
Botanical Gardens: Dallas: Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Aquariums: Dallas: The Dallas World Aquarium
Hospitality Legends: Dallas: The Adolphus Hotel
Monuments: Dallas: John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza
Pedestrian Bridges: Dallas: Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge
Aviation Museums
Dallas: CAF Airpower Museum
Dallas: Frontiers of Flight Museum
The Dark Side
Dallas: Holocaust and Human Rights Museum (opens Sep 19)
Dallas: Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
PLANO
Museums: Heritage Farmstead Museum
Bizzarium: Cockroach Hall of Fame
WICHITA FALLS
House Museums/Plantations: Kell House Museum
Railway Museums: Wichita Falls Railroad Museum
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Texas Southeast (Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi)
SAN ANTONIO World Cities and Popular Towns
World Heritage Sites: San Antonio Missions
Modern Architecture Buildings: San Antonio Public Library
Hospitality Legends
Menger Hotel. Established in 1859, this is one of the better lobbies of any hotel. Full of history presented in glass cases around the lobby and stores, there is lots to see. The highlight is the 3-story rotunda, the original part of the hotel with its stained glass ceiling. The Menger Bar is an exact replica of the bar in the House of Lords, was where Teddy Roosevelt organized the “Rough Riders” in 1898, saw more cattle deals than anywhere else and is the oldest still operating saloon in San Antonio.
The Emily Morgan Hotel. Established in ? this 12-story hotel has a great triangular shape. It is famous for the Oro Restaurant and Bar.
Alamo Cenotaph Monument. This great limestone monument has 2 dioramas on each side with Travis and Bowie featured.
Sights: River Walk, San Antonio
Rosita’s Bridge. This is one of many small arched pedestrian bridges crossing the
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Spanish Governor’s Palace
Market Square
St Mary’s Catholic Church, High Hill. In a very rural area about half way between San Antonio and Houston, this is an imposing brick church with a central copper steeple. There are four sets of lovely stained glass windows per side.
HOUSTON (pop 2,325,502)
Houston is the most populous city in Texas, fourth most populous city in the United States, most populous city in the Southern United States, as well as the sixth most populous in North America. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The Greater Houston metropolitan area has a population of 6,997,384 in 2018.
The city of Houston was founded by land investors on August 30, 1836, at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou. The city is named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had won Texas’ independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto 25 miles east
The arrival of the 20th century saw a convergence of economic factors which fueled rapid growth in Houston, including a burgeoning port and railroad industry, the decline of Galveston as Texas’ primary port following a devastating 1900 hurricane, the subsequent construction of the Houston Ship Channel, and the Texas oil boom. In the mid-20th century, Houston’s economy diversified as it became home to the Texas Medical Center—the world’s largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions—and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where the Mission Control Center is located.
Houston’s economy since the late 19th century has a broad industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, and transportation. Leading in healthcare sectors and building oilfield equipment, Houston has the second most Fortune 500 headquarters of any U.S. municipality within its city limits (after New York City). The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled.
Nicknamed the “Bayou City” “Space City”, “H-Town”, and “the 713”, Houston has become a global city, with strengths in culture, medicine, and research. The city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse metropolitan area in Texas and has been described as the most racially and ethnically diverse major metropolis in the U.S. It is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District and offers year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.
Spring Skatepark. Entertainment/Things to do North Houston Skate Park is the largest skate park in North America. It has an incredible variety of objects. Free
Bank of America Center. In the NM “Modern Architecture Buildings” series, it was built in 1983 and is known as TC Energy Center since 2019 and serves as the company’s US headquarters. At 56 stories the TC Energy Center is the 55th tallest building in the United States and is the seventh tallest building in Texas. It is one of the first significant examples of postmodern architecture construction in downtown Houston, Texas. It has three segmented tower setbacks, each with “a steeply pitched gabled roofline that is topped off with spires. The banking center is housed in a separate building, due to construction problems, and has a three-story lobby. There are 32 passenger elevators each finished with wood panels. The building contains an art gallery in the lobby and plans to host curated exhibitions.
Houston Galleria. This upscale shopping mall in the Uptown District consists of a retail complex, as well as the Galleria Office Towers complex, two Westin hotels, and a private health club.
With 3 million square feet and 339 stores, the Galleria is the largest mall in Texas and seventh-largest in the United States.It is currently anchored by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Macy’s.
Williams Tower. In the NM “Modern Architecture Buildings” series, Williams Tower is a 64-story (909 feet, 277 m), 1.4 million square feet office tower in the Uptown District. Completed in 1982. it is among Houston’s most visible buildings as the 4th-tallest in Texas, and the 44th-tallest in the United States
In December 2002, Ryan John Hartley climbed the tower and jumped from about halfway up, resulting in his death, which was ruled a suicide.
On the morning of September 13, 2008, during Hurricane Ike, the top of the tower was damaged near the rotating beacon, many windows were blown out and suffered over $3.5 million in wind damages. Twelve of the 49 elevators were damaged, most by water damage[6] due to roof failures and others due to extreme building sway. Major tenants: Williams Corporation, Quanta Services, Valaris plc, Cadence Bank, the Consulate General of Denmark and the headquarters for the Hines companies.
The building was built to function as two separate towers stacked directly on top of one another, one comprising the first forty floors and the other the forty-first to sixty-fourth. The building has separate banks of elevators and lobbies for each of the two building sections. There is no public observation deck. The tower was “designed to be energy efficient”.
The building became an “instant classic” when it opened. During the night-time hours, the building is defined by a 7,000 watt beacon that sweeps across the sky and can be seen up to 40 miles (65 km) away on a clear night, a Houston landmark that identifies the Uptown Houston district.
The building is connected to a 10 level, 3,208 car parking garage by a sky bridge. The bridge also connects the building to retail outlets, like The Galleria, and two Federal Aviation Administration-licensed helipads.
Sagemont Church Cross. The Sagemont Church. It built a 170-foot (52 m) Christian cross at Beltway 8 at Interstate 45, the largest roadside cross in Houston. It was first established in 1966 as a mission of the Pasadena church First Baptist Church. Its current church building, 118,000 square feet (11,000 m2) large, opened in 2012. This building includes a 2,496-seat sanctuary, a wing for elderly people, a wing for young people, a café, a television studio, and a bookstore. The campus altogether is 55 acres (22 ha) large. In 2012 it had 17,700 members.
GALVESTON (pop 48,000)
Galveston is a coastal resort city and port off the southeast coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island.
Galveston, or Galvez’ town, was named after the Spanish military and political leader in the 18th century: Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez (1746–1786). Galveston’s first European settlements on the Galveston Island were built around 1816 by French pirate Louis-Michel Aury to help the fledgling Republic of Mexico fight for independence from Spain, along with other colonies in the Western Hemisphere of the Americas in Central and South America in the 1810s and 1820s. The Port of Galveston was established in 1825 by the Congress of Mexico following its independence from Spain. The city was the main port for the fledgling Texas Navy during the Texas Revolution of 1836, and later served temporarily as the new national capital of the Republic of Texas.
During the 19th century, Galveston became a major U.S. commercial center and one of the largest ports in the United States. It was for a time, Texas’ largest city, known as the “Queen City of the Gulf”. It was devastated by the unexpected Galveston Hurricane of 1900, whose effects included massive flooding and a storm surge which nearly wiped out the town. The natural disaster on the exposed barrier island is still ranked today as the deadliest in United States history, with an estimated death toll of 6,000 to 12,000 people. The city subsequently reemerged during the Prohibition era of 1919–1933 as a leading tourist hub and a center of illegal gambling, nicknamed the Free State of Galveston until this era ended in the 1950s with subsequent other economic and social development.
Much of Galveston’s economy is centered in the tourism, health care, shipping, and financial industries. The 84-acre (34 ha) University of Texas Medical Branch campus with an enrollment of more than 2,500 students is a major economic force of the city. Galveston is home to six historic districts containing one of the largest and historically significant collections of 19th-century buildings in the U.S., with over 60 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places, maintained by the National Park Service in the United States Department of the Interior.
Bishop’s Palace (Gresham Castle). ornate 19,082 square feet (1,772.8 m2)[2] Victorian-style house, in the East End Historic District of Galvaston. The mansion was made all of stone, and was sturdy enough to withstand the great hurricane of 1900. The Greshams welcomed hundreds of survivors of the hurricane into their home.
The house was built between 1887 and 1893 for lawyer and politician Walter Gresham, his wife Josephine, and their nine children. In 1923 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston purchased the house, and, situated across the street from the Sacred Heart Church, it served as the residence for Bishop Christopher E. Byrne. After the diocesan offices were moved to Houston, the diocese opened the mansion to the public in 1963, with proceeds from tours being used to help fund the Newman Center, operating in the basement, serving Catholic students at the nearby University of Texas Medical Branch.
The home is estimated to have cost $250,000 at the time; today its value is estimated at over $5.5 million.
The house is owned by the Galveston Historical Foundation and self-guided tours are available daily. It has four floors with the raised basement followed by three formal floors. This grand stone mansion has a dramatic skyline with several towers and spires.
NOMAD MANIA Texas Southeast (Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi)
World Heritage Sites: San Antonio Missions
Borders
Mexico-United States
United States of America 48 states (sea border/port)
Airports: Harlingen/Valley (HRL)
Museums: Bandera: Frontier Times Museum
House Museums/Plantations: Orange: W H Stark House
Religious Temples: High Hill: St Mary’s Catholic Church
Festivals
Sandfest, Port Aransas
Texas – San Antonio: Texas Folklife Festival
Botanical Gardens: Orange: Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
Theme Parks
Katy: Forbidden Gardens
Kemah: Kemah Boardwalk
New Braunfels: Schlitterbahn Waterpark
Lighthouses: Port Isabel: Port Isabel Lighthouse
??Windmills: Victoria: Victoria Mill
Caves
Bracken Cave Preserve
Natural Bridge Caverns
Maritime/Ship Museums: Rockport: Texas Maritime Museum
Railway Museums: Rosenberg: Rosenberg Railroad Museum
The Dark Side: Huntsville: Texas Prison Museum
Islands
PADRE
GALVESTON
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Galveston: Bishop’s Palace (Gresham Castle)
Maritime/Ship Museums: Galveston: Texas Seaport Museum
Cities of the Americas
COLLEGE STATION/ BRYAN
McALLEN
Airports: McAllen (MFE)
LAREDO
Museums: Border Heritage Museum
BEAUMONT
House Museums/Plantations
Chambers House Museum
The McFaddin-Ward House Historic Museum
BROWNSVILLE
Museums: Historic Brownsville Museum
House Museums/Plantations: Stillman House Museum
CORPUS CHRISTI
Airports: Corpus Cristi (CRP)
Museums:
Art Museum of South Texas
Texas Surf Museum
House Museums/Plantations: Selena Museum
Botanical Gardens: South Texas Botanical Gardens
Aquariums: Texas State Aquarium
Maritime/Ship Museums: USS Lexington
HOUSTON World Cities and Popular Towns
Airports:
Houston – George Bush (IAH)
Houston – Hobby (HOU)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Houston METRO Rail
Museums:
Buffalo Soldier Museum
Children’s Museum
Contemporary Art Museum of Houston
Menil Collection
Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Natural Science
Space Center Houston
Modern Architecture Buildings
Bank of America Center
Williams Tower
Entertainment/Things to do
Burke Baker Planetarium
Spring Skatepark
Zoos: Houston Zoo
Aviation Museums: 1940 Air Terminal Museum
Malls/Department Stores: Houston Galleria
Religious Monuments: Sagemont Church Cros
Maritime/Ship Museums: Houston Maritime Museum
The Dark Side: Holocaust Museum Houston
SAN ANTONIO World Cities and Popular Towns
World Heritage Sites: San Antonio Missions
Sights: River Walk, San Antonio
Airports: San Antonio (SAT)
Museums:
Briscoe Western Art Museum
McNay Art Museum
San Antonio Museum of Art
Witte Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Spanish Governor’s Palace
Modern Architecture Buildings: San Antonio Public Library
Entertainment/Things to do: Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio
Zoos: San Antonio Zoo
Theme Parks: Six Flags Fiesta
Hospitality Legends
Texas – San Antonio: Menger Hotel
Texas – San Antonio: The Emily Morgan Hotel
Markets: Market Square
Monuments: Alamo Cenotaph Monument
Pedestrian Bridges: Rosita’s Bridge
Bizzarium: Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Art Museum