Passport to Texas

Old time Christmas at Texas Historic Sites

Holidays: Christmas at Parks & Historic Sites Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Spend time with family and friends at a Texas state park or historic site this holiday season.

06—Christmas in parks is huge. We’ve got a ton of events and they cross all sorts of activity levels.

Thomas Wilhelm, with state parks, says there are 60 different Christmas themed events this year.

19—We’ve got decorating your campsite and driving through the park and seeing the decorated campgrounds. We’ve got historical events happening in our historic homes and farms, where they’re decorated for the time period. We’ve got hiking with Santa Claus… reading of traditional Christmas stories. All sorts of activities.

Get a head start on the holidays with Cookie Decorating and German Traditions Nov. 29 at LBJ State Park. December 6, enjoy an exhilarating hike to the summit of Enchanted Rock, where hikers will hear an inspired reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Yet, one of the most beautiful events is at Goliad State Park.

19—Throughout the month of December, you’ll see the park bathed in light for Christmas. But, December 6 they have their Christmas concert in the chapel. [It’s a] mixture of sacred and secular music. It’s very beautiful. The Beeville Community Choir comes in and does a great presentation that really moves you into that spirit of the holidays.

Find holiday events and download a seasonal events brochure at texasstateparks.org/holidays.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Hiking in Franklin Mountains

Holidays: Hike Off Thanksgiving Calories in Parks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The average American gains up to 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then spends the New Year trying to lose them. If only there was a way to negate those extra calories…

08—State parks offer a lot of opportunities for people to get out and burn off some of those calories from the extra piece of pumpkin pie.

Why didn’t I think of that? I was probably too distracted thinking about pie. Thomas Wilhelm is with state parks.

05—We’ve got some great Thanksgiving themed events across the state happening in the parks.

Including a few hikes to rev up your metabolism so you can enjoy a guilt-free holiday meal…and leftovers.

25—Enchanted Rock has a turkey trot that happens on Thanksgiving Day. A run with a park ranger on the loop trail – early Thanksgiving morning — it starts at 9 o’clock. There’s an excellent opportunity in El Paso at Franklin Mountains SP. There’s what they’re calling their trilogy hike; so there are three hikes that happen on Thanksgiving day. Each starting at different times and different levels –from very simple family friendly hikes to more advanced hikes.

Those are just two of many opportunities. Find others at texasstateparks.org/holidays.

08—I think some people may be tired of the annual parades or how they spent their Thanksgiving Day, so I think this is a great opportunity to do something different.

Now who wants pie? That’s our show for today… Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Stargazing

Recreation: Stargazing in Texas Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When it comes to dark skies, Texas is in good standing

Texas Parks & Wildlife has partnered with the McDonald Observatory, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) and local astronomy groups to promote stargazing in our state parks.

Parks offer opportunities to get an eyeful of these sparkling celestial bodies while enjoying a great night outdoors – either on your own or during a planned event with other visitors and campers.

Some stargazing events coming up this month and next include: An evening of Stargazing at Lake Ray Roberts State Park Oct 25; staff from the University of North Texas Astronomy Department will give a brief talk about constellations, mythology and more! You’ll also learn the basics of stargazing through binoculars.

On November first it’s a North Texas Star party at Lake Mineral Wells SP. Learn about astronomy and view the night sky through a wide variety of telescopes.

On November 22, it’s star party time at Big Bend Ranch State Park, with some of the darkest of Dark Skies. Tour the night skies way out west, and stay over to experience and enjoy this remote and magnificently scenic park to its fullest.

Find complete details for all these events on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Communal spider web at Lake Tawakoni State Park 2007.

State Parks: Halloween Roundup Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Scare up some outdoor fun this Halloween at state parks. Three spooky events take place Saturday October 25:

Gonna be in East Texas? Then, enjoy a goose-bump inducing guided stroll through the deep, dark forest of Martin Dies, Jr. State Park; but take heart – games and activities await you at journey’s end.

Tremble as you hear stories of curses, spirits and things that go bump in the night at Lake Whitney State Park, just 40 minutes north of Waco. But it all kicks off with Halloween jokes for the kiddos, such as: What do birds in state parks sing on Halloween? They sing Trick or Tweet. I didn’t say they were good jokes.

Enjoy an evening of creepy fun at Lake Tawakoni State Park, about an hour east of Dallas. In 2007, it gained international fame for a gigantic communal spider web on park grounds. There will be trick or treating, a pumpkin carving contest, campsite decorating and more.

On October 30, the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens celebrates Halloween at the Hatchery. Local businesses and organizations will hand out free candy, and the center’s Halloween themed decorations will dress up the place.

Cave tours are a scream, and on Halloween night, Kickapoo Cavern State Park – a half hour from Del Rio – plans a two hour haunted cave tour. Keep an eye out for bats.

Find all details about Halloween at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show for today. .. Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Dinosaur Exhibit at Dinosaur Valley State Park

State Parks: Hands-On Ranger Experience Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Folks like you are participating in the Citizen’s Park Ranger Academy at Dinosaur Valley SP. They’re learning skills needed to run a state park.

05—We actually go into the field and put those skills to the test.

Tracy Mays, with Park Operations, says participants learn in a classroom what it takes to assume the various park jobs before going into the field.

16—Last year – our search and rescue – we went over what you do when you do find a lost person. We had four different activities set up, and we had different search parties going out to those different activities, and they were able to actually go into the field and rescue somebody.

Cadets range in age from 16 on up and must be physically able to handle the nature of the work.

18—They have to be able to climb; we have some very advanced trails. There’s some lifting. And, they have to be able to withstand heat, because that’s pretty much the part of being in the park and having on the trails and working on stuff. You are out in the elements, so they have to be able to withstand that.

The Citizen’s Park Ranger Academy takes place only at Dinosaur Valley, but other parks may offer it in the future. Meantime, Tracy says participants leave with a deeper appreciation of what it takes to keep their state parks running.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.