The Caverns of Sonora
Living 'fin' feature in Caverns of Sonora
Eight miles west of Sonora, the Caverns of Sonora is a great place to camp, explore, and see a different side of nature. The caverns are 150 feet below ground and have some of the world's only "living" cave formations. There are several tour options including the most popular, "Crystal Palace" tour that takes you on a 2-mile walk through the caverns.
The Caverns of Sonora
1711 PR 4468
Sonora, Texas 76950
(325) 387-3105
cavernsofsonora.com/
Woodward Ranch
Rockhounding at Woodward Ranch
For a unique family vacation, head to Southwestern Texas to the Woodward Ranch 16 miles south of Alpine, and search for the not-so-elusive red plume agate that was popularized on the Travel Channel's program "Treasure Hunters". This is the only place in the world this agate is found and rock hounds from everywhere converge on the ranch to find some of the agate. Camping, wildlife viewing and hiking are all available here, with the primary activity being rock hounding.
Woodward Ranch
Alpine, Texas 79830
(432) 364-2271
woodwardranch.com/
Dinosaur Valley State Park
Less than two hours southwest of Dallas you can take your family to visit the prehistoric era. The Dinosaur Valley State Park has some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks in the world. The tracks are in the river bed, so use caution and check with a ranger if weather conditions are a concern, since flash flooding is possible. There is camping available for the adventurous family and other lodging available in Glenn Rose.
Dinosaur Valley State Park
Park Road 59
Glen Rose, TX
(254) 897-4588
tpwd.state.tx.us
Balmorhea State Park
An oasis hidden in West Texas, the Balmorhea State Park has the world's largest spring fed swimming pool. The San Solomon Spring feeds 25 million gallons of water into the pool everyday. Snorkeling and Scuba Diving are popular in this natural pool with a depth of 25 feet at its deepest point. Several varieties of fish live in the pool including catfish, pupfish and the Pecos gambusia. There are also several turtles living in the pool. This is a wonderful place to beat the Texas summer heat, play in one of the world's largest pools, while camping at an un-crowded, clean state park.
Balmorhea State Park
Toyahvale TX 79786
(432) 375-2370
tpwd.state.tx.us
