Quick Escapes from Dallas/Fort Worth: 35 Weekend Getaways In and Around the Lone Star State by June Naylor Rodriguez (The Globe Pequot Press, 240 pages, B&W photographs, maps, index, ISBN 1-56440-757-8)
Rodriguez, long-time travel and features writer for the Fort Worth Star Telegram , offers complete itineraries for varied mini-vacations designed to refresh and delight east Texas urbanites and visitors to the area.
Taking such breaks from city life is incomparably therapeutic. Taking a quick escape--for a couple of days or a weekend--from the fax machines, car pools, yard work, or deadline will help you best deal with everyday stress. Dallas-weary Texans will welcome these opportunities for escape from city life, all of which are within driving distance from home. Rodriguez selected activities that offer travelers the opportunity to explore smaller, simpler places guaranteed to restore the soul.
The itineraries are divided into North, South, East, and West Escapes and Fly-Drive Escapes, all of which provide detailed driving directions and addresses and phone numbers for each attraction listed. In addition, there are listings for Special Events, Other Recommended Restaurants and Lodgings, and There╒s More, which describes additional attractions in the area. There╒s even information on the local visitors bureau and tourism offices.
Within the pages of this helpful guide, daytrippers will discover Victorian towns, dude ranches, lakes and rivers, full-service resorts, B&Bs, antique shops, historic sites, hiking areas, and a variety of ideas and activities to suite every taste and mood.
Some sample itineraries include enjoying Lazy Beach Days in Pon Aransas and Corpus Christi with 18 miles of beach to comb on Mustang Island State Park or San Jose Island, dine at the Crazy Cajun or Tortuga Flats, and visit the Texas Maritime Museum or the Texas State Aquarium.
Or, try the luxurious Four Seasons Resort in Las Colinas located just outside the Dallas/Fort Worth city limits. Once inside this hideaway, you╒ll enjoy dining at Cafe on the Green, tennis, golf, and spa treatments .
For those of you longing for bed and breakfasts and antiques should look at the Back to Oil Boom Days itinerary in Mineola, Tyler, and Kilgore. This quiet countryside is hued in spring with bluebonnets, dogwood, and wildflowers; and in autumn the hardwoods are rich in gold, crimson, and bronze. Enjoy a relaxing day wandering through Strawberry Hill Antiques, Front Street Antiques, Tyler Square Antiques, and Unique Antiques. Stop for a bite at Chamwood Ell or Cace╒s Seafood and plan to stay at one of several B&Bs in the area.
For the more adventurous weekend getaway, try the A Cattle Drive Town itinerary in Weatherford. Just 20 miles due west of Fort Worth this itinerary offers up flea markets, farmers markets, horse racing, hiking and rock climbing, antique hunting, bed and breakfasts, old cemeteries, and historic sites. Need I say more?
Rodriguez even offers 5 fly-drive alternative itineraries for those Texans for further away escapes such as the Heart of Enchantment itinerary that takes travelers to marvelous Santa Fe, known for its rich Native American legacy as well as stylish shops and art galleries. Here visitors can choose to stay at fine bed and breakfasts, check out Native and fine art galleries, and dine on delicious Southwestern cuisine.
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