South Texas evokes images of sun-drenched beaches, swaying palms, and colorful citrus trees. But there is more to this region than just the beach.
The Texas Tropical Trail Region offers travelers natural, cultural, and historical treasures—all with a distinct Hispanic flavor.
This is the balmy, vibrant southern tip of Texas, a triangle of coastal plains roughly bounded by the Rio Grande and San Antonio River and the Gulf of Mexico. Situated between the mountain plateaus and the Gulf, blessed with a subtropical climate, the region hosts plants and animals found nowhere else in the United States.
The region is made up of four distinct byways. The region’s Border Byway skirts the nation of Mexico, and the Gulf Coast Byway runs along the Texas Gulf Coast. The rich landscapes in between are called the Brush Country Byway and the Wild Horse Desert Byway.
The Texas Tropical Trail Region’s unique attributes and resources will be preserved and developed to create a strong economic impact in our communities.
The Texas Tropical Trail Region and its partners identify, preserve, interpret, and promote the natural, historic, and cultural resources of South Texas.
The Texas Heritage Trails Program (THTP) is the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) award-winning heritage tourism initiative. This economic development initiative encourages communities, heritage regions, and the state to partner and promote Texas' historic and cultural resources. These successful local preservation efforts, combined with statewide marketing of heritage regions as tourism destinations, increase visitation to cultural and historic sites and bring more dollars to Texas communities. This in turn supports the THC's mission to protect and preserve the state's historic and prehistoric resources for the use, education economic benefit, and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The THTP is based around 10 scenic driving trails created in 1968 by Gov. John Connally and the Texas Highway Department (now the Texas Department of Transportation) as a marketing tool. The trails were established in conjunction with the HemisFair, an international exposition that commemorated the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio.
In 1997, the State Legislature charged the THC to create a statewide heritage tourism program. The THC responded with a program based on local, regional, and state partnerships, centered on the 10 scenic driving trails. These trails serve as the nucleus of 10 heritage regions, and include heritage tourism attractions and communities both on and off the trail.
The program began with the establishment of the Texas Forts Trail Region in 1998. Other heritage regions made a formal application to the program, demonstrating knowledge of area attractions and broad support from organizations and local government. The suite of heritage regions was completed in 2005 with the additions of the Texas Pecos and Hill Country Trail Regions.
The THTP received national recognition with the Preserve America Presidential Award in 2005. This award was given for exemplary accomplishment in the preservation and sustainable use of America's heritage assets, which has enhanced community life while honoring the nation's history. The following year, the program was awarded a Preserve America grant for developing the Heritage Tourism Guidebook and for providing heritage tourism training across the state.
We envision Texas as a place where:
