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Dance Your Way Through Texas

In Texas, boots are made for dancing.

Live music is as important a part of Texas heritage as cattle ranches and oil rigs. The state has a legendary place in country and Western music, but there’s more to Texas tunes than twangy guitars. Groups that visit the state today will find abundant live music of all types, including jazz, rock ’n’ roll and Tejano, in addition to country favorites.

Austin is one of America’s foremost live-music cities, with more than 100 music venues. Not far away, the tiny town of Luckenbach is a country music legend, drawing travelers to enjoy dance parties hidden in the Texas Hill Country. And in the Texas Metroplex, the suburb of Denton hosts an annual jazz festival that is the toast of Dallas and beyond.

Texas claims a number of music stars, such as Buddy Holly, who was born in Lubbock, and Selena, a native of Corpus Christi. Both cities have museums and live music in honor of these local heroes.

Live Music Mecca

You can’t talk about music in Texas without talking about Austin. With an eclectic culture and a love of all things musical, Austin has one of the best live-music scenes in the United States.

Austin bills itself as the Live Music Capital of the World because on any given night there are more than 100 venues around town featuring musical performances. Groups can experience the best of traditional country and Western music at iconic honky-tonks such as the Whitehorse and the Broken Spoke, and sample a wide variety of musical styles in the clubs in the South Congress neighborhood. Another great option for groups is the Gospel Brunch at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q.

Many people know the city’s popular “Austin City Limits” television program, which features live musical performances. Groups can make plans to attend tapings of the show at the Moody Theatre. And for the adventurous, Austin’s South by Southwest has become one of the most famous music festivals in the country.

www.visitaustin.org

Brian Jewell

Brian Jewell is the executive editor of The Group Travel Leader. In more than a decade of travel journalism he has visited 48 states and 25 foreign countries.