Group travel experiences are bigger in Texas.
From the big city lights of Houston and Austin to the quiet outdoors, groups can enjoy cowboy adventures, historic sites and space exploration exhibits during their time in the Lonestar State. Texas’ large size and geographic diversity give it a wide array of options for travelers of all types.
Plan to visit some of these attractions, hotels and restaurants on your next group trip to Texas.
Popular Demand
Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District
Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1876, the Fort Worth Stockyards encompasses 98 acres featuring Western history as drivers herded more than 4 million head of cattle through the area between 1866 and 1890. Today, the district is home to shopping, dining, hotels and entertainment venues along with the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive. The Historic Exchange Building serves as home to the North Fort Worth Historical Society Museum, detailing stories and artifacts of the Stockyards Historic District.
Groups visiting the Fort Worth Stockyards can take part in a variety of tours. Standard guided walking tours showcase historic locations throughout the area, while the Western Experience also includes access to the Cowtown Cattlepen Maze and a prime viewing spot for the 11:30 a.m. cattle drive. Step-on tours are available. Restaurants and hotels within the area also offer group and private dining options along with accommodations.
Space Center Houston
As the official visitor center for the NASA Johnson Space Center, the Space Center Houston takes visitors on a journey of exploring the past, present and future of space exploration. The center is home to both the training base for NASA astronauts and the site of Mission Control. Along with hands-on activities and historic artifacts, like the Spacesuit Collection, Space Center Houston is home to virtual reality experiences simulating the experience of space travel and a spacewalk.
While the center’s tram tour is included in the admission price, private group tram tours can be arranged for an additional fee. Historic Mission Center tours are only available to groups and must be purchased and booked in advance.
Up and Coming
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Since 1982, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has served as the state botanical garden and arboretum of Texas. Located in Austin as part of the University of Texas, the property is home to 284 acres with more than 900 species of native Texas plants. The property often hosts art exhibitions.
Groups of 12 or more can receive discounted admission with self-guided tours and the ability to take part in a free audio tour of the grounds. Docent-led private tours discussing the center’s architecture and gardens are also available for an additional fee. Designated picnic areas are available, along with dining at the on-site Wildflower Café.
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Located in Dallas’ Victory Park, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science offers exhibits such as the Being Human Hall, which explores anatomy, to the Discovering Life Hall, examining ecosystems and living things. Other exhibits include the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall where guests can watch paleontologists at work and admire dinosaur bones on display.
The museum’s café can accommodate boxed lunches for groups of 10 or more. For groups looking for a more unique perspective, architecture tours of the museum are available. Led by volunteers, this walking tour takes approximately 90 minutes.
San Antonio Riverwalk
In San Antonio, the meticulously landscaped Riverwalk welcomes millions of visitors each year. The 2.5-mile-long public park is adorned with restaurants, bars, hotels, the city’s convention center, shops and hotels. As one of the state’s top tourist attractions, GO RIO River Cruises provides rides down the river, while its drivers provide narration of landmarks and historical places along the route.
Neighboring hotels and restaurants work in partnership with the GO RIO sightseeing barges by arranging group dinners for up to 20 guests per boat. Chartered tours for groups are available, along with shuttle service for guest pick-up and drop-offs to hotels and other locations along the river route.
Dr Pepper Museum
In Waco, pop culture and history fans can enjoy the Dr Pepper Museum, located in the original 1906 Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company Building that bottled the very first Dr Pepper drink. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum tells the history of the soft drink industry and features a large collection of memorabilia.
A variety of tour options are available for groups including the popular Make-a-Soda field trip, during which visitors can create their own flavored soda using Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper or Big Red. One-hour guided, group tours of the historic buildings are available for a fee and include one glass bottle of Dr Pepper for every participant.
Overnight Sensations
Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center
Set along the shores of Lake Grapevine and a short drive outside of Dallas, the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center is a traveler’s playground, with a 10-acre waterpark and 27-foot-tall waterslide, four restaurants and a 4.5-acre glass atrium always set to 72 degrees. And when the sun goes down, the fun comes alive at the resort’s nighttime venue, the Glass Cactus.
Groups staying at the Gaylord Texan can enjoy private dining experiences and unique, seasonal events like the “Cirque Variety Show: Wild West with a Twist.” And during the holidays, groups can take advantage of discounted rates to “ICE!” — a holiday spectacle.
Cibolo Creek Ranch
At the Cibolo Creek Ranch in the Chinati Mountains of West Texas, guests can choose to experience life on a traditional working commercial cattle ranch or sit back and enjoy the finer things in life. Accommodations feature rustic yet modern décor and amenities like rooms with wood-burning fireplaces, luxurious bed sheets and ranch-style dining featuring regional and international flavors.
Some of the group activities at the ranch include exploring the 30,000 acre ranch on a motorized tour of the property with a ranch activity guide, traveling the land via horseback, and testing their skills at the state-of-the-art range for clay shooting. Private dining options for groups include dinner in a historic fort with a private chef preparing authentic Texas cuisine.
Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa
At the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in Cross Creek, guests can relax in comfort at the on-site spa, enjoy an 18-hole golf course and rest in luxurious accommodations. Situated along the Colorado River, the property has 450 acres ready for adventures and is adjacent to McKinney Roughs, a 1,000-acre nature preserve offering quiet views and natural beauty.
Groups visiting the property can experience guided kayaking tours down the Colorado River, horseback riding tours, or axe- and tomahawk-throwing classes. Other activities include zip lining, golf lessons and tournaments.
Memorable Meals
Crossbuck BBQ
Barbecue fans can unite for a meal at the Dallas area Crossbuck BBQ. Using the low and slow method of central Texas barbecue, pitmasters smoke Texas-style brisket for up to 18 hours and serve it paired with unique sides like smoked and roasted potatoes with yellow curry and desert line hominy topped with cotija cheese.
Crossbuck BBQ can accommodate large groups with indoor and outdoor seating for 200 guests. Planned in advance, groups have options of eating from a customized barbecue buffet, a prix fixe meal or just ordering directly off of the menu. Off-site catering is also available.
Gaido’s Seafood Restaurant
In Galveston, get ready for a taste of the Gulf of Mexico at Gaido’s Seafood Restaurant. Open since 1911, Gaido’s is a fourth-generation family-owned restaurant serving dishes that combine Southern deep-frying, Southwest open-flame grilling and rich Creole flavors.
With a private dining coordinator available for group meals, the restaurant enjoys customizing a menu to fit all size groups and budgets. Gaido’s offers a variety of private dining rooms, ranging from the Gulf Room with panoramic views of the water to the elegant Pelican Club offering views of the kitchen.
Aldaco’s Mexican Cuisine
You can’t visit Texas without having Mexican food and margaritas! At Aldaco’s Mexican Cuisine in San Antonio, groups enjoy authentic dishes while dining atop the highest point in the city.
From off-site catering to on-site dining in one of three private spaces, the restaurant prides itself on flexibility when serving groups. Full-service catering is available with culinary and bar staff. Groups leaders can choose from appetizer buffets and customized margarita bars — perfect for welcoming visitors to Texas!
