All United States Texas

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Texas

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

Updated November 14, 2024

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Cities

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

Unusual Attractions in Texas

See All 377 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 36
Architecture 33
Statues 26
Animals 23
Collections 23
Architectural Oddities 22
Sculptures 19

Texas Leaderboard

Recent Texas Activity

Stories About Texas

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
A brisket bento box at Kemuri Tatsu-Ya reconsiders barbecue’s most iconic cut of meat.

In Texas, Barbecue Has Gone Global

Across Texas, chefs and BBQ obsessives are stretching the limits of brisket, smoke, and sauce.
Sponsored by Travel Texas

Podcast: Chapel Creek Ranch

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team

Video: Roaming the Salado Sculpture Garden

Salado Creek is guarded by a sculpture of a doomed mermaid, whose tears are said to feed its waters today.
Sponsored by Visit Salado

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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