Dealey Plaza in Dallas is the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on 22 November 1963. The former Texas School Book Depository now houses the Sixth Floor Museum, which tells the story of the event. The plaza is a National Historic Landmark District.

The Texas State Capitol in Austin was completed in 1888 and is taller than the US Capitol in Washington. Built of pink granite, it features a grand rotunda and dome. Free tours explore the building and its 9-hectare grounds with monuments.

The Alamo in San Antonio is a former Spanish mission founded in 1718. It is famous for the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. The mission church facade is a symbol of Texas, and it is part of the San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The San Antonio River Walk is a network of walkways along the San Antonio River, one level below the city streets. Lined with restaurants, shops and hotels, it is shaded by cypress trees. River barges offer tours, and the walk connects to the Alamo and other city attractions.

Space Center Houston is the official visitor centre of NASA's Johnson Space Center, home of Mission Control. Exhibits include the Space Shuttle replica on a Boeing 747 carrier and a Saturn V rocket. Tram tours visit astronaut training facilities and historic Mission Control.

Big Bend National Park in West Texas covers a vast area of desert, mountains and canyons along the Rio Grande. Santa Elena Canyon has sheer walls rising 450 metres above the river. The Chisos Mountains offer hiking, and the park has some of the darkest night skies in the country.