Highlights of Texas and Eclipse

Arrive in Houston. America's fourth-largest city is part cowboy boots and Texas charm, and part high-powered urban metropolis.

Due to the number of evening flights into Houston, your Leader plans to do the welcome meeting on the morning of day two, and will leave a message in reception with details on timings and everything else that you'll need for the day. There are no activities planned today, so you are free to arrive at any time. We don't provide arrival transfers on this tour, but information on how to reach the hotel will be provided in your final documentation.

Our hotel is located in uptown Houston. If your flight arrives early in the day, why not take a stroll through Memorial Park or down Buffalo Bayou, two of the green arteries running through the city. Alternatively, head to the world-class museum district - try the Holocaust Museum or the excellent Museum of Natural Sciences, if you have time.

NASA's Johnson Space Center seems like a fitting beginning to our eclipse journey, being home to the USA's long and illustrious career in space exploration. The center serves as the training base for the country's astronauts, and is also the site of the famous Apollo Mission Control.

The 'tram tour', which forms part of our entrance ticket, is a guided tour through several of the different Johnson Space Center locations - for example, the George W. S. Abbey Rocket Park, where three of the original Saturn V rockets are proudly displayed, the Astronaut Training Facility, and Apollo Mission Control Center. There are also a large number of other galleries housing memorabilia and artefacts such as spacesuits and shuttle carriers, as well as films and occasional live shows. There is a lot to see in this enormous site, so we may not get around everything.

After our morning visit, we'll drive back to the city where we have some free time.

Getting on the road to Austin this morning, we drive through small Texas towns and outposts that offer a classic slice of Americana. The rest-stop of Buc'ees is one such place - this gas station's souvenirs offer the classic kitsch of an American road trip. While driving through the back roads, we also plan to stop at one of the state's many vineyards for a wine-tasting under the famous Big Texas Sky.

We'll arrive in Austin this afternoon. This arty, creative and outdoorsy city is known as the Live Music Capital of the World, and on that front it doesn't disappoint. There are more than 250 live music venues in the city, from ice houses to honky tonks, and from BBQ restaurants to coffee houses. Over the next two days our Tour Leader will see what's on so that we can get out and catch a performance - whether country, tejano, blues or more, Austin has it all.

In the early evening, we'll get an unusual take on the city, with a sunset boat trip to view the enormous colony of Mexican free-tailed bats that make their home under the Anne W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. This spot on the Colorado River is actually the largest urban bat colony in the world, and most often the bats start emerging as the sun goes down. Afterwards we'll head out for dinner and maybe find some live music.

We have the entire day free in Austin today, to spend as we choose. For music fans, there is the option to take a venue tour of the Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater - home of the longest running music series in American TV history. You could also visit the Umlauf Sculpture Garden, and stroll through Zilker Park and its Botanical Gardens or swim in Barton Springs if its hot. There is a 10-mile hiking trail around Lady Bird Lake, or keen shoppers might want to head to Allen's Boots in South Congress to purchase the classic Texan souvenir - a pair of your very own cowboy boots. With an array of museums, the State Capitol Building (free to enter) and plenty of parks, open spaces and shops to explore, Austin is a great city in which to spend a day.

Note - the Austin City Limits music festival may be on, or being set up, while we're in the city. Dates for 2023 are not yet released, but it's commonly in October. If you're particularly interested in music, you may want to keep an eye on online ticket availability. And if not, just be aware that Zilker Park may have restricted access.

We're driving into the heart of Mexican America today, visiting San Antonio and the famous Alamo. The Alamo has a complex history, that lives at the heart of Texas lore as the cradle of their fight for 'freedom', with the names of Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie being known worldwide. However, before the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, its important to remember that the Alamo was set up as a Spanish mission church, along with several others in San Antonio, as a way to forcefully convert local Indigenous people to both Catholicism and the Spanish language. In the 1800s, Mexico first sought to gain its independence from Spain, and then in turn Texians (mainly Anglo settlers, with some Mexicans) fought to establish Texas as an independent state. While a visit to the Alamo today mainly concentrates on the 'heroism' exhibited by Crockett, Bowie and the like, contrasting them with the 'villainous' Mexicans, it's worthwhile remembering that this is not the site's only history.

After the Alamo, we'll head to the beautiful River Walk that carves its way through the heart of San Antonio. Lined with eateries, bars, cafes, cobbled bridges and beautiful architecture, there's plenty to stop and look at aside from the river itself, and we'll stop somewhere along route for lunch.

In the afternoon, we plan to visit some of the other missions in San Antonio, both by vehicle and on foot. While the Alamo is the most famous, the other Spanish missions, each one dating back to the 1700s, are all worthy of a visit for their architecture and history.

Afterwards, we'll leave the city for the big open skies of Texas Hill Country, journeying into the heart of cowboy country to our dude ranch for tomorrow's eclipse.

An annular eclipse of the Sun will take place today, 14th October 2023. Our location for the eclipse is at our ranch, so we just need to step out of the front door when, at around 11.50am, we can expect to experience some four minutes and 45 seconds of annularity (weather permitting).

Eclipse glasses will be provided to allow you to view this natural wonder safely and we will be accompanied by an expert astronomer to provide an insight on the science behind the eclipse, and to answer any questions you may have. There will be another Explore group with us, and we'll be able to share stories about our travels so far.

According to weather records, this day in Texas Hill Country has had some level of cloud cover 61% of the time (since 2000), although we are unable to make any guarantees regarding the weather conditions and the likelihood of seeing the eclipse.

The afternoon will be spent doing ranch activities. We have horseback riding available to us, and all manner of other rootin' tootin' cowboy experiences. Every day is different on the ranch, but typically you might take a hayride or saddle ride to the cowboy breakfast cookout where southern grits and over-fresh biscuits will be on the menu. After the eclipse it might be lunch, listening to some country-western music and swimming in the outdoor pool (unheated!), walking the trails of the ranch's 300+ acres, playing table tennis or learning the art of 'roping' (using a lasso). Spend the evening with country dancing or roasting marshmallows around a fire.

It's a three hour drive to Houston this morning, as we leave Hill Country for the big city. We'll arrive this afternoon and have the rest of the day free to enjoy the end of our time in the Lone Star State. Head to the Museum District for a bit of culture, or to the Buffalo Bayou for hundreds of acres of green space and waterways right in the heart of the city. The city also has some great breweries and bars if that's what you fancy. You could try La Carafe - the oldest building in Houston - a cash only haunt with character.

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Houston.

There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart from Houston at any time. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), which is a 30 minute drive away.