The month is January and the weather has turned colder.  Seniors will be flocking south as the geese fly to find warmer weather and entertainment during the cold winter months.  Try Texas.  At www.traveltex.com seniors can sign up for money saving coupons on lodgings and attractions throughout the state.  The most traveled highway in Texas is I-20.  Along interstate highway 20 you’ll find hundreds of optional side trips while traveling through this great state.  Call them “leg stretchers” or “freebies” but call them interesting and worth taking time to stop, get out of the vehicle, and experience what many of the cities and towns along I-20 have to offer.

In the El Paso area where I-10 becomes I-20 you’ll see notices of Hueco Tanks State Historical Park.  This 860 acre park filled with large natural rock basins called “huecos” have been home to hunters and Native Americans for thousands of years.  Western Texas is dry and arid most of the year; however, with the natural rock basins here, rain water is caught and trapped making these conditions bearable.  The huecos contain numerous drawings of strange designs of human and animal forms related to those of ancient times as well as the Mescalero Apache Native Americans.

Coursing along I-20 you’ll find yourself in the Odessa-Midland area where once filled with hundreds of active oil pumps during the oil boom, there are now many other “leg stretchers” and nominal admission fees for some really great museums.  Housing the largest collection of WWII nose art from the bombers flown to protect our nation, the Aviation Museum located adjacent to the Permian Basin Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial.  Other interesting and informative museums include the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, Library and Hall of fame.  This museum contains a variety of exhibits during the oil exploration industry.  Thousand year old reed mats and woven fiber articles show the area’s prehistoric population.  Another interesting place is the George W. Bush childhood home, fully restored and furnished from the 1950’s.  A local freebie would be to go and see the area meteor crater and   museum, donations are always welcome

                                                                   (915-368-3548).

Farther along the interstate Abilene looms ahead with a bustling population and active cultural society.  The Grace museum is a fantastic stopping place to enjoy the area’s artisans, historical features, and pioneering past.  This region considered the Western Texas Plains parallels the Caprock Escarpment, a ridge which divides the Western High Plains from the Eastern Lower Plains.  Abilene, part of the Eastern Lower Plains, is home to Buffalo Gap Historic Village, approximately fourteen miles south of Abilene, you’ll have the opportunity to walk around and view more than a dozen restored historic structures from the frontier settlement where once large populations of buffalo roamed.

Cisco is just forty-five miles away from Abilene, but a great place to stop in and visit the first Hilton hotel where a museum is located in the second level telling the story of the once illustrious city.  Ciscoans hope one day Paris Hilton will stop by to view more of her roots.  The museum is a “freebie,” however; donations are always welcome. 

Another forty-five minute drive down I-20 headed east will take you past the W.K, Gordon Center which is a museum dedicated to the preservation of historical coal mining and later oil mining in the Thurber-Gordon area.  This now ghost town once sported over 100,000 in population with indoor water plumbed prior to the 1900’s.  You’ll enjoy the visit to this museum paying a small fee of $6 to spend as much time as you want going through the exhibits (www.tarleton.edu).

Continuing east on I-20 within an hour and a half you’ll find yourself close by Ft. Worth, Texas and the DFW metroplex.  This once famous cow-town continues with the western ambiance especially found at Billy Bob’s, the largest honky tonk in the United States.  File in for a cold drink or stay overnight in Ft. Worth and be entertained by some of the famous country and western singers hosted by Billy Bob’s.  For a good walk, try the Fort Worth Stockyard’s National Historic District (www.concierge.com).  This two hour walk will take you through historic hotels, marketplaces, restaurants, and several interesting museums such as the Stockyards Collection Museum.  Dallas is one hour away with an array of shopping

malls, luxury stores such as Neiman Marcus, and a variety of

dining experiences to choose from.

As you continue across the state of Texas, edging further east you’ll begin noticing larger more lush trees, and a feeling of being embraced.  Brimming with lakes in the eastern edge of Texas, this area is a favorite of many travelers.  Rich with radiant roses in the Tyler area, fragrant pine needles, dogwoods, and moss draped trees change with the landscape.  Marshall, Texas close to the Louisiana border hosts the impressive Ginocchio National Historic District.  This district is three square blocks that center around the 1896 Ginnochio Hotel.  The hotel is a fabulous example of Victorian architecture.  Marshall is home to the Marshall Pottery where adventurers and travelers needing a “leg stretcher” can browse among thousands of beautiful pottery bowls.  You’ll come away with armloads of treasures to ship back to loved ones and friends. 

No matter where you travel across this great state, there will always be sites, sounds, and wonders to discover which will evoke the rich heritage of Texas.  Texas is big, diverse, and filled with “leg stretchers” all along the way, border to border!  Happy Traveling.