Journey through the rugged beauty of West Texas with The Lone Star State's newest guide Texas Wild & Wonderful, a two-week itinerary that blends culture, cuisine, music, and wide-open landscapes. Beginning and ending in Grapevine, with a featured stop in Lubbock, the route winds through Fort Worth, El Paso, Terlingua, Big Bend National Park, Marathon, and San Angelo, capturing the spirit, scenery, and magic only the open road can deliver. 

Positioned just 10 minutes away from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Grapevine opens the journey in a haze of vintage charm with its Historic Main Street, a walkable collage of more than 40 boutiques, galleries, cafés, and chef-driven spots offering everything from BBQ and Tex-Mex to Italian and Southern comfort food. Equal parts small-town nostalgia and contemporary cool, this intimate city invites travellers to stroll along Grapevine's very own Urban Wine Trail, with tasting rooms like Messina Hof and Landon Winery pouring Texas vintages just steps apart. In between tastings stop into galleries to meet working artisans of every medium including glassblowers who create colourful masterpieces using 2,000-degree heat.  

Adding to the city's timeless appeal, the beautifully restored century-old coaches and authentic locomotives of the Grapevine Vintage Railroad return to the tracks on Saturday, 21 February. Operating 46 weeks each year, the railroad offers a variety of family-friendly excursions as well as adults-only wine and craft brew trains, making it a memorable way to experience Grapevine's heritage. 

Outside of Historic Main Street, the pace softens with lazy days on Lake Grapevine and the peaceful surroundings of Grapevine's Botanical Gardens. Grapevine boasts more than 22 miles of hard-surface trails and 4 miles of soft-surface trails, offering options for all interests and abilities. The trail system conveniently links nine parks, totalling more than1400 acres, making it easy to explore a variety of landscapes within the destination. For an alternative outdoor activity, visit Historic Nash Farm, a living history museum where families can experience what life was like on a working 1890s Texas farm.  

After exploring Grapevine, pick up a rental car in town, often more affordable than airport rates, and set your sights west. As the city fades in the rearview mirror, a few hours away, Lubbock will emerge from the plains as a city tuned to its own frequency with music, art, and sky colliding in unexpected ways. Best known as the birthplace of Buddy Holly, the city honours his past with The Buddy Holly Centre inviting musical and theatre performances from across the globe, while the West Texas Walk of Fame traces rock 'n' roll history keeping its spirit alive and evolving. 

In the Cultural District, murals bloom across brick walls, galleries stand proud with experimentation, and the First Friday Art Trail turns the city into a monthly open-air exhibition. In Lubbock, the Western story isn't just told, ranching traditions, cowboy grit, and generational pride flow through its veins. Discover the American West at the National Ranching Heritage Centre, where frontier structures dive deep into the evolution of ranch life, from cowboy transportation and Civil War-era struggle to the oil boom that reshaped the region. Leatherworking, blacksmithing, boot-making, and saddle crafting workshops turn visitors into artisans, guided by experts keeping the old ways alive. Alternetively, the Museum of Texas Tech University jumps from prehistoric fossils to contemporary art without missing a beat and visitors can't miss a visit to Prairie Dog Town to see hundreds of critters scurrying around in their natural habitat, one of the oldest public wildlife viewing areas of its kind in the United States.   

For those keen to raise a glass, Lubbock sits at the heart of the Texas High Plains AVA, which produces more than 90% of the state's wine grapes. The Texas High Plains Wine Trail mobile pass unlocks curated tastings and exclusive perks at standout wineries such as Llano Estacado Winery, McPherson Cellars, and La Diosa Cellars. Beyond wine, Lubbock is officially designated a Brew City by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild and is home to seven craft breweries, offering everything from classic ales to inventive, locally inspired pours. If cocktails are more your speed, no visit is complete without a Chilton, the city's refreshing signature cocktail, perfected for the Texas sun. 

After exploring Lubbock, continue your full itinerary across West Texas, journeying along open roads to national parks and dramatic mountain landscapes, before returning to Grapevine, bringing the adventure full circle. Make a final stop at Grapevine Mills, the largest outlet mall in North Texas and ranked #8 in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Enjoy tax-free shopping for international visitors and pick up an extra luggage case for all your new Texas goodies before catching your flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.  With nonstop service to over 200 cities and more than 50 international destinations, including daily flights to London Heathrow on American Airlines and British Airways, Texas is easier to get to than ever!