Great Cheap Dates: Free or Nearly-Free Things to Do in Texas

This close to the holidays, you’re hard-pressed to be able to stretch the old entertainment dollar very much, especially if you haven’t even started your gift shopping yet! Thankfully, there are many things to see and do in our great state that allow for the enjoyment of the experience (and maybe a little bit of pitching woo) without the buyer’s remorse. Here, for your dating delight, are just a few of the free or nearly-free things to do in Texas!

1. Check Out Wimberly Glassworks

Photo: Wgw.com

Make your way to San Marcos, Texas and the Wimberly Glassworks to enjoy a free exhibition of glass blowing! Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, the Wimberly Glassworks has glass blowing demonstrations which allow you to come and go at your leisure, and learn something cool and unique in the process. Visit their website for demonstration hours.

2. Drive to Austin and Tour the Capitol Building

Photo: Wikimedia.org

Guided tours are available 7 days per week, at scheduled times. Tour the beautiful Capitol building as well as the visitors center, located in the restored 1856-57 General Land Office building (the oldest state office building in Texas). For more information, visit www.tspb.state.tx.us/plan/tours/tours.html

3. Visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Photo: Flickr/Austin Food Bank

At $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, and $4 for youth, a tour of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is spectacular. Their trails lead through innumerable varieties of nature’s beauty and bring about a sense of calm. There are also several events and activities that take place at the Centre regularly, and teach attendees about flowers and plants that are grown there. Interested visitors can learn more at www.wildflower.org.

4. Stroll the Riverwalk

Photo: Flickr/Nanpalmero

Free and beautiful, the Riverwalk in San Antonio beckons tourist and local alike. Dotted with shops and restaurants, its natural beauty is only surpassed during the holidays when it’s covered in Christmas lights!

5. Tour a Winery

Photo: Wikipedia.org

Take a spin out to beautiful Fredericksburg where you can walk the town or tour out to a beautiful winery that looks appealing (there are many to choose from) and maybe succumb to a bottle of their local vineyard fare.

6. Travel Back in Time at the Fort Worth Stockyards

Photo: Pixabay.com

The Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic Area, with its brick sidewalks and wooden corrals. will take you back in time to the western frontier with twice-daily cattle drives and a western show at the Stockyards Station. There’s lots to see and do, none of which will disappoint! For more information, visit www.fortworthstockyards.org/

7. Tour the Strand in Galveston

Photo: Flickr/Jackson

The historic Strand is a picturesque place to get out of the every day and leave chaos behind. Tour the town, visit the shops, take in the scenery, and maybe even pick up some hand-spun salt water taffy!

8. Visit the Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Photo: Pixabay.com

The Fort Worth Botanic Gardens is a beautiful site to see, with several enjoyable gardens, including a Japanese Garden with much to admire and learn about. If you just want to get away from things for a bit and relax, it’s well worth the trip.

9. Be a Tourist for a Day

Photo: Wikimedia.org

Texas has some amazing and unique roadside stops and attractions that simply can’t be compared to anywhere else. Take a drive, take your camera, and have a few laughs while you visit new parts of the state you haven’t seen before and take in some local color!

10. Go Stargazing

Photo: Pexels.com

Everybody knows what shines big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas, so why not spend a night looking up at them for a change as opposed to simply singing about them! Texas Parks & Wildlife even has a stargazing events page that’s perfect for planning your night out.