Grapevine
Conveniently located 30 minutes from downtown Dallas and Fort Worth and 10 minutes from DFW Airport, historic Grapevine makes a perfect hub for groups. Its name comes from the tart, wild Mustang grapes that blanketed the area. Main Street’s brick buildings offer more than 80 boutiques, galleries and restaurants, among them Vetro, which hosts group glassmaking events.
The city is home to the Grapevine Urban Wine Trail, which features daily wine tastings and special events throughout the year. Ten wineries lie within walking distance of each other. Puffy, Grapevine’s 1896 steam engine, travels along the historic Cotton Belt Route between Grapevine and the Fort Worth Stockyards. Each spring, the Jazz Wine Train hosts live music and dinner. Grapevine Wine Tours shuttles guests by bus to three tasting rooms while a guide recounts winemaking history in north Texas; lunch or dinner is included.
Featuring 81 holes, Grapevine’s top-rated golf courses include Cowboys Golf Club, the nation’s only NFL-themed course. Three Grapevine golf courses hold the distinction of being ranked among the top public golf courses in the United States. For football fans, Texas Station, inside the Gaylord Texas resort, has one of the largest screens in north Texas for great game viewing.
The city’s calendar is full year-round. Annual wine celebrations include February’s Sweetheart Wine Trail, April’s New Vintage Trail and October’s Hallowine Trail, for which tasters dress in Halloween costumes. Main Street Fest takes place May 19-21 and revolves around craft beer. And from mid-November to early January, the “Christmas Capital of Texas” pulls out all the stops.
“If you love Christmas, this is the perfect place to come because we have 1,400 holiday events in 40 days,” said Leigh Lyons, communications manager at the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Waco
Waco has created the Magnolia Trail for fans of the popular HGTV program” Fixer Upper.” All shops, restaurants and attractions on the trail have been mentioned on the TV show or are included in Chip and Joanna Gaines’ blogs or website.
A good place to start your visit is at the distinguished Magnolia Silos, just off the highway. At these grain silos, now attractions in themselves, visitors can browse the Market, play games on the lawn, check out the garden and dine at food trucks. Newest additions are Magnolia Seed and Supply and the Silos Baking Co. Next up, groups can stop at the Little Shop on Bosque, which housed the original Magnolia Market. The shop moved to the Silos in late November 2015, but the stop makes a good photo op.
An exciting development this spring is that the 1910 Mailander House, featured on the first season of “Fixer Upper,” will be opening to group tours by appointment during the week. The tour accommodates 10 to 25 people, takes about 30 minutes and costs $10 per person. Larger groups can divide into two. Group leaders interested in touring the house should contact owner Dave Morrow directly at mailander.house@gmail.com.
The now-closed Elite Café was purchased by the Gaines family in 2016. The cafe opened in 1919 and was Waco’s first restaurant to use refrigeration in 1923. It was often frequented by Elvis Presley when he was stationed as a private at Fort Hood. Future episodes of “Fixer Upper” will reveal how the dynamic duo will transform this historic property. The Gaines family donated the proceeds from an auction of the cafe’s contents to Mission Waco for a nonprofit grocery store, the Jubilee Food Market, in an older neighborhood.
Tyler
Tyler lives up to its moniker as “America’s Rose Capital.” At the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden, the nation’s largest rose garden, growers develop new varieties that are evaluated over a two-year period. Fourteen acres grow more than 450 rose species, from lovely tree roses to antique varieties. The Rose Garden hosts the annual Texas Rose Festival in mid-October. Visitors can meet the Rose Queen in this spectacular outdoor setting during the popular Queen’s Tea.
“The roses bloom two times annually, from late April into early May and from mid to late October,” said Holli Fourniquet, assistant vice president of marketing for Visit Tyler. “The garden is a great place to visit year-round because of its other plantings, including camellias, azaleas and the autumn leaves. Some years, the rose and azalea bloom times overlap.”
The history of the Texas Rose Festival and the rose industry are chronicled in the garden’s museum. The gowns worn by Texas Rose Festival queens are also displayed. Rose aficionados won’t want to miss the gift shop, with its rose-themed offerings.
In spring, Tyler’s 10-mile Azalea Trail explodes with color. The 58th Annual Azalea and Spring Flower Trail spans three weekends, March 24 to April 9. First introduced to the city in 1929 by a local nurseryman who shipped azaleas by boxcar from Georgia, they now grow profusely within three districts that are listed on the National Historic Register.
An open-air shuttle takes groups along the Azalea Trail for great picture taking and a leisurely pace. Step-on tours are another option and feature homes along the trail in the Azalea District. The district encompasses about 950 homes, with many built during the 1930s as a result of the oil boom.
For more information go to www.traveltexas.com.
