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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Texas

382 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Texas

Updated March 19, 2025

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Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Alpine
  2. Amarillo
  3. Arlington
  4. Austin
  5. Big Bend National Park
  6. Brownsville
  7. Burnet
  8. Cedar Creek
  9. Cisco
  10. College Station
  11. Comfort
  12. Conroe
  13. Cross Plains
  14. Culberson County
  15. Dallas
  16. Denton
  17. El Paso
  18. Fort Worth
  19. Fredericksburg
  20. Galveston
  21. Glen Rose
  22. Grapevine
  23. Houston
  24. Huntsville
  25. Ingram
  26. Irving
  27. Katy
  28. Kilgore
  29. Laredo
  30. Marfa
  31. Mc Lean
  32. Mineral Wells
  33. Panhandle
  34. Paris
  35. Plano
  36. Round Rock
  37. San Angelo
  38. San Antonio
  39. San Marcos
  40. Schulenburg
  41. Seguin
  42. Shamrock
  43. Terlingua
  44. Texas City
  45. Tyler
  46. Waco
  47. Waxahachie
  48. Zavalla

Unusual Attractions in Texas

See All 382 Things To Do in Texas

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Texas

See all 31 Places to Eat in Texas
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

7 Places to Experience Big Wonder in Texas

Sponsored by Travel Texas

Texas is a wide-ranging, diverse, and expansive state. Even the barbecue you’ll get from one county to another is never the same, and the music sounds a little different in the depths of West Texas than it does in the panhandle. Texas is huge—you’ve probably heard that—and it offers attractions to match its size. We’ve rounded up our favorite places to see the heights and depths of Texas—from its tallest peaks to its heftiest steaks. Put on your ten-gallon hat and your tallest boots, and set out on a road trip that’ll help you get a sense of just how big the state really is.

View Itinerary

Explore Texas

Museums 42
Art 37
Architecture 33
Statues 26
Animals 23
Collections 23
Architectural Oddities 22
Sculptures 20

Texas Leaderboard

Recent Texas Activity

Stories About Texas

The first photo of the woolly devil made a stir among botanists when Deb Manley uploaded it to iNaturalist in March 2024.

A Devilish New Species Discovered in Big Bend National Park

This tiny, fuzzy sunflower relative has been hiding in plain sight—it represents the first new genus identified in a U.S. national park in nearly 50 years.
by Andrew Coletti
Jose Contreras is one of only a handful of artisans who still make cowboy boots the old-fashioned way.

The Last Cowboy Boot Masters of El Paso

In West Texas, artisans known as "Golden Needles" preserve the craft of making boots by hand.
by Ashley Stimpson
Rebecca Bradley (left) was labeled a flapper bandit by the media, and a woman who had lots her mind by her attorney (right).

Meet the Texas Flapper Bandit

A bank robber or a lightning rod for America's growing fear of independent women—who was Rebecca Bradley?
by Laura Niebauer
The black-eyed children, first described in Texas in the mid-90s, have since been seen around the world.

Death as a Child: The Modern Legend of the Black-Eyed Children

First described in Texas in the mid-90s, what are these disturbing figures—and what do they want?
by Emma Cieslik

Podcast: Buffalo Soldiers National Museum

An institution dedicated to honoring Black American military history got its start in one man's garage.
by The Podcast Team

Podcast: Aurora Alien Gravesite

A small town in Texas has embraced the tale or a visitor from far, far away.
by The Podcast Team

Podcast: Texas Painted Churches

These churches might seem unassuming from the outside, but intricate surprises await within.
by The Podcast Team
Chef Damian Brockway and his wife, Kornpawee Brockway.

Podcast: Distant Relatives

Tried and true barbecue favorites meet unexpected spices and flavor profiles.
Sponsored by Travel Texas

Lists Featuring Texas

Target Marathon
Profile of the Steel House
Prada Marfa.

30 Places to Go Deep in the Art of Texas

Saddle up for the state's ultimate creative road trip.

30

Including Stonehenge II, Target Marathon, and Robert Bruno’s Steel House

Winter Solstice 2019
The Spiral Jetty
City: under construction - http://raisethestakeseditions.com/basin-and-range/
Double Negative’s north trench

A Tour of Spectacular 1970s Art Made From the Landscape Itself

Eight places to witness the incredible ambition of the Southwest land art movement.

8

Including Sun Tunnels, The Spiral Jetty, and Complex City

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