Dallas is surrounded by eclectic cities and communities that offer visitors something unexpected

HILLSBORO

Have a passion for history? Hillsboro, Texas, located 55 minutes south on I-35, is a charming rural community centered around the historic Hill County Courthouse.

The typical small-town square hosts a variety of quaint shops and significant museums to satisfy one’s quest for nostalgia. Visit A Tisket, A Tasket Antiques for shopping and while you’re there, grab a bite to eat at the ’50s-style deli, complete with malt counter and memorabilia.

The town also boasts exhibits dedicated to ’50s cars (Roadside America), rural history (Cellblock Museum), and World War II and

A Tisket, A Tasket Antiques 71 N. Waco St. (254) 582-3807 Cellblock Museum 120 N. Waco St. (254) 582-8912 Roadside America (opens Summer, 2008) 212 E. Elm St. Texas Heritage Museum 112 Lamar Dr. (254) 582-2555 x295 www.hillcollege.edu/ museum Texas Musicians Museum 212 N. Waco St. (254) 580-9780 www.texasmusicians museum.com

Audie Murphy (Texas Heritage Museum).

But venture a couple blocks north of the square, and you’ll find a true Hillsboro treasure: the recently organized Texas Musicians Museum.

The guided tour takes about an hour and includes a progression of Texas music history through country, blues, Tejano, rock ’n’ roll, and hip-hop. From Dale Evans and Ernest Tubb to ZZ Top and Pantera to Usher and Beyoncé, the museum weaves visitors through the evolution of Texas music’s colorful past, present, and future.

This year’s prize exhibit: a presentation dedicated to the Big Bopper that features rock ’n’ roll’s first music video and the original casket the musician was buried in. It will be on display through the end of the year.

GRAPEVINE

Spend the day in Texas’ wine country. Located less than 25 miles northwest of Dallas, Grapevine, Texas, offers a lush wine experience.

Hop on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad at Stockyards Station and travel to downtown Grapevine, where shops, galleries, and wine-related entertainment await. Off the Vine, a quaint wine shop located on Main Street, features gifts, like exquisite hand-painted wine glasses, and a knowledgeable staff who selects each wine in stock. Pick a bottle of wine and venture next door to Into the Glass, a café and wine bar

Blue Moon Gallery 412 S. Main St. (817) 310-3120 www.thebluemoon gallery.com Cross Timbers Winery 805 N. Main St. (817) 488-6789 www.crosstimbers winery.com Into the Glass Wine Bar and Texas Café 322 S. Main St. (817) 442-1969 Off the Vine 321 S. Main St. (817) 421-1091

where wait staff will serve your wine with your meal. For the serious or novice wine connoisseur, the wine-centric cafe and adjoining store serves unique, local, and hard-to-find wines you can sample by the taste, glass, or bottle.

Cross Timbers Winery, located in Historic Downtown Grapevine a few blocks north, offers daily tastings of more than 30 wines. Sample house blush, merlot, chardonnay, and cabernet sauvignon varieties or wines from its sister vineyards, Casa Madero (Mexico) and Winzer Krems (Austria). While seeing the sites in this historical area, visit some of the city’s galleries, such as Blue Moon Gallery, which specializes in unique local and international art, jewelry, and home décor.

The area surrounding Fort Worth is more than just a railway depot: Come to a place where dinosaurs and possums interact.

DAY TRIP 1: DINOSAUR TRACKS AND EXOTIC ANIMALS

A few miles, and a few Stuckey’s, southwest of Fort Worth lies Glen Rose: a quaint city offering big adventure. There’s a downtown square featuring shops, restaurants, and a historic courthouse—all just down the road from attraction favorites Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and Dinosaur Valley State Park.

For a helping of romance and lunch, stop by the Inn on the

Dinosaur Valley State Park (254) 897-4588, www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ park/dinosaur/ Fossil Rim Wildlife Center 2155 CR 2008, Glen Rose, (254)897-2960, www.fossilrim.com Glen Rose Inn on the River 205 S.W. Barnard St., (800) 575-2101, www.innontheriver.com

River. The B&B features its own blend of Cajun, Mexican, and

Southern tastes. Then you’re on your way. Fossil Rim, which

only a quarter century ago was a wild-game ranch, has been
transformed into a progressive conservation and education center. The exotic and endangered animals (from the African addax to the Grevy’s zebra) freely roam its 1,500 acres. And at Dinosaur Valley State Park, you’ll examine some of the best-preserved dinosaur tracks in the world.

 
DAY TRIP 2: GOLF TRIP: POSSUM KINGDOM

Rated at 4-1/2 stars by Golf Digest and perched 200 feet above Possum Kingdom Lake are some of the state’s best links. The Cliffs Resort course flows through the unique West Texas terrain, each hole taking in the natural landscape of the area. And if everyone in your party isn’t as big a golfer as you, there is plenty more to enjoy at the clear, deep water below. Possum Kingdom Lake offers some of the best fishing, skiing, sailing, and scuba diving in the state.

DAY TRIP 3: KIDS DAY OUT

Few places offer the trills and spills that the Fort Worth area does, all within a quick drive. In the summer, visitors get wet at NRH2O and Hurricane Harbor. And for roller-coaster connoisseurs, Six Flags Over Texas offers plenty of white-knuckle rides.

If it’s rainy, head to the Omni Theater; the IMAX theater shows all things science and nature. Then when the sun begins to shine again (it only takes a couple of hours in Texas), you’ll be ready to experience one of the city’s greatest thrills, the Fort Worth Zoo.