“Six Shooter Junction” as well as the beautiful homes on Taylor Street. Pick up a Harlingen Heritage Trail Guide at the convention & visitors bureau. 311 E. Tyler 956/423-5440.
HARLINGEN PUBLIC LIBRARY—Original artworks by established and emerging artists are displayed here, with an emphasis on landscapes of the Southwest and Mexico. The library also has an extensive genealogical collection and archives. 410 ‘76 Drive. 956/216-5800.
IWO JIMA MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM—The Marine Military Academy is home to the original working model of the famous Iwo Jima statue. The museum features Marine Corps memorabilia; a 30-minute film, “The Battle of Iwo Jima”; and a veterans’ Hall of Fame. Gift shop. 320 Iwo Jima Blvd. 956/421-9234.
www.mma-tx.org/About-Us/ The-Campus/Iwo-Jima-Museum-and-Gift-Shop.
LAGUNA ATASCOSA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE— See LOS FRESNOS.
MURALS—Harlingen, the mural capital of South Texas, has more than 30 colorful artworks on display throughout the city. Pick up a guide at the convention and visitors bureau.
www.visitharlingentexas.com.
RGV WHITEWINGS BASEBALL—Harlingen is home to this United League Baseball team. 1216 Fair Park Blvd.
www.whitewingsbaseball.net.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND—See SOUTH PADRE ISLAND. Numerous murals add to the colorful landscape of Harlingen.
and Buildings, other specialized tours are available. Contact the Visitor Information Center for details.
www.galveston.com/tours. Artist Boat has two-hour and four-hour guided
tours to places of natural significance via kayak. Eco-Art Kayak Adventures include a water color demonstration. 2415 Ave. K. 409/770-0722.
www.artistboat.org. Dash Beardsley Ghost Tours offers an exciting
tour of ghostly history. The Secret Society Cemetery Tour and Restless Spirits.
www.ghosttoursofgalveston
island.com. Galveston Harbour Tours—Board the M/V Seagull
for a 45-minute, narrated boat tour of the Port of Galves- ton. Special birding cruises are available. Fee charged. Departs from Pier 22 at the north end of 22nd Street by the Texas Seaport Museum. 409/763-1877.
www.galvestonhistory.org. Galveston Island Duck Tours offers a one-hour “fun
family tour” through the Strand, Offats Bayou (in the water) and the historic district in an amphibious vehicle. An informative tour by experienced captains. Picks up at 2411 Strand (in summer) and 21st Street and Seawall Boulevard (year-round). 409/621-4771. Board Galveston Island Tours’ electric shuttle bus and
tour the Galveston Tree Sculptures, beautiful creations in the island’s historic East End that came from Oak trees damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008. 409/765-8687.
www.galvestonislandtours.com. A free, self-guided tour brochure is at
www.galveston.com/treesculptures. Horse-drawn carriage rides are available throughout
The Strand and East End historic districts. Treasure Isle Tour Train operates from 25th Street
and Seawall Boulevard, touring both old and new sites on Galveston Island. 409/221-0282. The East End National Historic Landmark Dis trict
and the Silk Stocking Historic District are both neigh- borhoods featuring 19th-century Vic torian homes. Infor- mation for a walking/driving tour of the East End District is available at the Visitor Center. 888/425-4753.
www.galveston.com.
TROLLEY CARS—Replica 1900 vintage trolley cars glide for 4.5 miles along tracks much like those in city’s early days. From the beach at Seawall to the historic Strand/Bay area.
116
HARLINGEN POP. 66,324
ALT. 39 MAP Y-17/BB-16
HARLINGEN CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU: 311 E. Tyler. 956/423-5440 or 800/531-7346.
www.visitharlingentexas.com.
Harlingen’s namesake was a town in the Netherlands, the ancestral home of railroad president Col. Uriah Lott. The city changed forever with the start of World War II and the creation of an aerial gunnery school at Harlingen Army Air Field. The Port of Harlingen opened in 1952. Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, is southwest of Harlingen. With Harlingen’s subtropical weather, golf courses are
open year-round: Tony Butler Municipal Golf Course and the Harlingen and Treasure Hills country clubs (956/427- 8870.
www.myharlingen.us). The Harlingen Country Club hosts the South Texas Junior Classic and Life Begins at Forty Tournament. Other Harlingen events include the Jalapeño 100 Bicycle Ride and the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival (
www.rgvbf.org).
COASTAL BIRDING TRAIL SITES—At the convergence of two major flyways, Harlingen is a birder’s paradise. Free birding guides at the convention and visitors bureau. The city has several sites on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, including the Ramsey Nature Park and Harlingen Thicket Bird Sanctuary.
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/wildlifetrails.
D’ARTE CENTER—Visit the city’s only cooperative gallery featuring original work by local artists. 115 E. Jackson. 956/425-4030.
www.harlingenartforum.com.
DOWNTOWN JACKSON STREET DISTRICT—This enter- tainment district in Harlingen’s revitalized downtown is known for antiques, historical murals, restaurants, tea rooms and cafes. Events include Jackson Street Market Days every first Saturday, parades, movie nights and classic car shows. 956/216-4910.
www.downtownharlingen.com.
HARLINGEN ARTS & HERITAGE MUSEUM—The museum includes the Paso Real Stagecoach Inn and home of city founder Lon C. Hill. Exhibits include vintage medical equipment from the city’s first hospital and photos from Harlingen’s heyday as an air base. Free. 2425 Boxwood St. 956/216-4901.
www.myharlingen.us.
HARLINGEN HERITAGE TRAIL—A walking or driving tour shows you the places where the town got the nickname
TEXAS TRAVEL INFORMATION CENTER—One of the 12 Texas Travel Information Centers operated by the Texas Department of Transportation for the convenience of the traveling public. 2021 W. Harrison. In the Rio Grande Valley near the Texas-Mexico border at the intersection of U.S. 77 and U.S. 83. 956/428-4477.
www.txdot.gov.
HEMPSTEAD POP. 6,069
ALT. 251 MAP P-19
HEMPSTEAD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 979/826-8217.
www.hempsteadtxchamber.com.
The town was long known as a “Six Shooter Junction.” A notable fight shocked the nation in 1905 when U.S. Con- gressman John Pinckney, his brother and two others were gunned down in the courthouse while meeting with prohi- bitionists who had won an election to ban booze. Frazier’s Ornamental and Architectural Concrete has fountains, statuary and bird baths. On Business U.S. 290.
LIENDO PLANTATION—Built in 1853 by Leonard Waller Groce on a Spanish land grant assigned to Justo Liendo, it was home to sculptress Elisabet Ney and her husband from 1873 to 1911. It is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is a private residence, however, tours are offered. Not wheel- chair accessible. Admission charge. F.M. 1488 northeast about 2.5 miles to 38653 Wyatt Chapel Road; turn right to entrance. 979/826-3126.
www.liendo.org.
ST. FRANCIS EPISCOPAL CHURCH—A simple frame building (circa 1870), this was the first Texas Episcopal Church north of Houston. It is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. In 1958, it was moved from Hempstead to Prairie View. It later was bought by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, renamed Hope AME Church and relo- cated to University Drive in Prairie View. 936/857-5453.
HOUSTON POP. 2,179,160
ALT. 55 MAP Q-21/RR-14
HOUSTON VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER: Operated by the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. 901 Bagby St. 800/446-8786 or 713/227-3100.
www.visithoustontexas.com.
Named after Sam Houston, general of the Texas army that won independence from Mexico and president of the
PHOTO: KEVIN STILLMAN/TXDOT
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