Virtual U.S. Road Trip- Day 4 (Extra stop) Texas & #Giveaway

Today we are in both Arkansas and Texas, it's Independence Day so why not visit two awesome states.

 We are making 489 miles trip from Arkansas ( You can check out the Arkansas post & giveaway here ) to Texas to see author Rachel Caine. I am so excited to have Rachel on my blog. Check out her post below and an awesome giveaway below.

Top 3 places only a native Texas person would know to visit

Big Bend is a lovely state park that is really worth visiting; it's got beautiful views, great hiking, and if you're the outdoorsy sort, it's a great place to go! 

The wonderful thing about Texas is that it is larger than most other states, and it has a wide variety of climates. We've got forests (East Texas), hill country (Central), coastline (South), plains (North) and desert (West) all in one place. The one thing we're a bit short on is mountains. If you want to visit our local edition, go to the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas, which is near El Paso. It's beautiful.

Not the outdoorsy sort? We've got that covered! Talking just of Dallas/Fort Worth has the Nasher Sculpture Garden in downtown Dallas, two world-class art museums (Dallas Museum of Art and The Kimball in Fort Worth), and an array of other great cultural centers, like a wonderful concert and opera hall, and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Kalita Humphreys Theater. The Dallas Arboreteum and Fort Worth Japanese Gardens are both worth strolling. And, of course, we've got SPORT. The new Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium in Arlington is a wonder, and gives tours! Plus, hockey (Dallas Stars), basketball (Dallas Mavericks), and baseball (Texas Rangers ballpark in Arlington).

And that's just Dallas. You can make just a long a list for Austin (don't miss Sixth Street and the Congress Avenue bridge bats!), San Antonio (Alamo and Riverwalk), El Paso (Chamizal National Memorial, the Tramway) ... as the travel bureau says, "Texas is a whole other country!"

What is some Texas "meals" we should try that aren't in any other places in the US?

We're best known for three things: steakhouses, Tex-Mex food, and barbecue. You can find steakhouses and barbecue in other states, but Tex-Mex is a thing that is pretty specific cuisine. Make sure you stop in at a really good restaurant and have some down-home enchiladas, tacos, and fajitas. And a margarita OF COURSE, if you're of legal age. (My recommendation? Mariano's in Arlington, in business since 1975, and the inventor of the world's first frozen margarita machine!)

Which Towns should we visit within Texas and why?

You really can't be bored visiting Texas. I didn't mention Houston above, but it's a world-class powerhouse of a city, and has a really gorgeous arts district, with great museums and cultural attractions. Galveston has wonderful coastline and history. El Paso is a very old city (in American terms), and has one of the oldest working Spanish missions in the country -- the Ysleta mission, which is still a working church, and is very worth a visit. It's beautiful and historic.

But really, you could go anywhere and find fascinating things. We have towns that were built by German immigrants and retain that cultural history, so you can even go have a bratwurst and dunkelbier at Oktoberfest!

What does Texas have to offer for a book addict, on a road trip?

Two hours outside of Dallas is a tiny little town called Archer City ... it's a one-stoplight hamlet that happens to be the birthplace of legendary US writer (and Pulitzer Prize-winner) Larry McMurtry. Mr. McMurtry bought most of the disused buildings in downtown Archer City about 15 years ago and created a bookstore out of them that specializes in rare and used books of all kinds. For book lovers, it's heaven! http://www.bookedupac.com/

What book should we read driving though Texas?

I'd recommend Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry! On the way to Archer City, of course. (And also, just a tip: you really must drive in Texas, or take a bus. There's virtually no train service, and the distances (and weather) are not conducive to biking it!

Thanks for having me in to talk about the great state of Texas -- I've hardly even scraped the surface. It's a rich and varied state full of wonders and warm, friendly people. Come see me!
Rachel Caine

http://www.rachelcaine.com

@rachelcaine

Facebook: rachelcainefanpage

Wow I want to go to Texas it sounds awesome. Thanks Rachel for being on my blog and telling us more about your state. What do you think of Texas? Leave me a comment below.

Note:

Rachel's new book Ink and Bone release's in the U.S. on Tuesday and in the UK July 22nd. It sounds awesome. You can find out more about the book here.

Tomorrow we will be in California with blogger Stacee @ Adventures of a book Junkie.

You can follow all the virtual tour posts here

Giveaway

Rachel's wonderful UK publishers, Allison & Busby has offered 10 paperback copies of Rachels stand alone book Prince of Shadows, which is a retelling of Romano and Juliet. Yes guys 10 COPIES. This gives is open to anyone in the UK & Europe. Giveaway Ends August 4th 2015.

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