Texas travel can be amazing. You are likely to find out something new before the trip ends. Besides culture and heritage, Texas offers technology and adventure. Take a minute and explore our Texas countryside and cities.

Before you drive too far, think about something….have you got talent? If you want to have a some fun and show off a little bit, it’s time to enter the Waxahachie’s got Talent contest. Preliminary competitions are held at the Texas Theater at 110 West Main Strett on Tuesdays from 6pm-8pm Aug 31, September 7 and September 14. Hosted by the Waxahachie Chamber of Commerce & Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Texas Theater, cash prizes will be awarded. 1st-$300, 2nd-$200 and 3rd-$100 with the actual competition held on October 2 at the Civic Center. All Ellis County residents are eligible and can be any age. Each submission must include a non-refundable $25 processing fee. Get your entry form and fee submitted by August 30. Email [email protected] or call 972-937-2390 for all the details.

DUBLIN
Old Doc’s Soda Shop and the Dublin Dr. Pepper Museum celebrate 15 years of serving soda and giving tours on August 21-22. They will celebrate with music, roll-back prices from 1995, commemorative t-shirts and so much more. There will be cake at 2pm each day and an announcement of the new Miss Pretty Peggy Pepper at 4pm.

WACO
Have you visited the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum lately? This is the official museum of the Texas Rangers and has many artifacts to see. Located at I-35 at exit 335-B at University Parks Drive, the Rangers are the oldest state law enforcement agency in North America. Hours are 9am-4:30pm. Admission is adults-$6 and children (6-12)-$3. Children under 6 free. Call 254-750-8631 for more information.

August 28 15th Annual Margarita & Salsa Festival Features the best country music in Texas and continues the popular contest in which local restaurants and individuals vie for the title of Best Margarita, Salsa, Queso and/or Guacamole. Hours are 5 p.m. to midnight. Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex. For more details, go to their website or call 254-772-9303.

STEPHENVILLE
August, 27-29 Chicken House Flea Market Includes 100 inside vendors plus outside vendors with antiques, crafts, furniture, jewelry and junk. Hwy. 377, 2 1/2 miles west of Stephenville. E-mail: [email protected] 254-592-6674.

DALLAS/FORT WORTH
August 16-22 KRLD Restaurant Week presented by Central Market. Get acquainted with DFW’s hottest menus, while supporting local restaurants and charities. Summer dining deal features three-course meals priced at only $35/person (tax, tip and drinks billed separately). Reservations required. Founded by KRLD Radio, the 13th annual promo benefits the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas and the Lena Pope Home in Fort Worth ($7 of each meal goes to charity). Look for the full list of participating establishments beginning July 12 (“Reservation Day”) at their website.

August 27-29 Gershwin Favorites with Marvin Hamlisch Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. See their website or call 214-871-4000.

LEWISVILLE
August 20-22 23rd Annual Lions Club Balloon Festival & Fair Includes hot air balloons, arts & crafts, carnival rides, food court and music. Copperas Branch Park on Lake Lewisville. For more details, visit their website.

DENTON
August 20-28 North Texas State Fair Features a world championship rodeo, music, carnival rides and games, fiddling contest, petting zoos and barbecue cook-off. North Texas Fairgrounds, 2217 N. Carroll Blvd. Check out their website or call 940-387-2632.

HONEY GROVE
August 21 Bugtussle Trek This is an annual “parade” of vintage vehicles. The lunch stop provides a chance for the public to see these amazing vehicles. On the square in downtown Honey Grove. See their website for more details or call 903-378-7211.

CEDAR HILL
August 28 Penn Farm Tour Learn what life on the farm was like from the 1850s to the 1950s. Begins at 10 a.m. Cedar Hill State Park. Call 972-291-5940 for more details.

WICHITA FALLS
August 27-29 Hotter ‘N Hell Hundred This is the country’s largest sanctioned bicycle race. Located at 1000 5th St. Go to their website for all the details. Or you could call 940-322-3223.

JACKSBORO
August 21 Cowpokes ‘N Country Folks with Doc ‘N Hal Renowned Cowboy Poets “Doc and Hal” will perform on the steps of the Fort Richardson Hospital. Begins at 7:30 p.m. Fort Richardson State Park. For more information call 940-567-3506.

LUBBOCK
August 20 The Last Cowboy Musical Stage Play Features New Mexico entertainer R.W. Hampton in a one-man dinner theater musical play. National Ranching Heritage Center, 3121 4th St. More information can be found on their website or call 806-742-0498.

On your way to Lubbock, take a good look around. There are noticeable landmarks you can’t turn away from once you get past Sweetwater. The sight is awe-inspiring to say the least: wind turbines and wind farms- renewable energy. Take a minute and see the future. Oil, cotton, cattle and wind are the resources of the area. This land is rich in culture, history and beauty and it’s worth the trip to see what’s happening in one of the fastest growing businesses.

Once you get to Lubbock don’t forget to go to the Buddy Holly Museum. Drive up the red brick streets to enter the campus of Texas Tech University and visit Prairie Dog Town, located in Mackenzie Park, 601 Municipal Drive, and boasts to be one of the largest recreation areas in Lubbock. Yes, little prairie dogs run loose in this contained area. Bring your cookies and carrots to share as these little animals roam from hole to hole watching you very closely. They are behind a concrete wall and they will not bother you. But they are the cutest things you’ve ever seen-you can’t miss this. One more addition to this area is Joyland Amusement Park. Lots of things to do in this big town-approximately a 6 hour drive from Dallas, put this one on your to-do list.

Texas is big and the terrain is varied from beaches to mountains. Take a ride down the road and see what you can see.