Big Bend & West Texas - Texas - page 627

WORTH A TRIP
EAST OF BIG BEND

For all but the southernmost towns in Texas, I-10 is the fastest way in and out of Big Bend, but if you want to
take the meandering route home, the area east of Big Bend has some interesting stops along the way, including
some of the oldest rock art in North America.

Del Rio
This atmospheric town on the Mexican border has a lovely downtown lined with historic buildings from the
1800s, including an imposing limestone courthouse built in 1887. Ask the chamber of commerce (
830-775-3551; www.drchamber.com ; 1915 Veterans Blvd; 8:30am-5pm Mon-Fri) for A Guide to Historic Del
Rio , a free walking tour of historic downtown and a driving tour of the rest of town. While you're there, check out
the Whitehead Memorial Museum ( 830-774-7568; www.whiteheadmuseum.org ; 1308 S Main St; adult/
child $5/2; 9am-4:30pm Tue-Sat, 1-5pm Sun), an idiosyncratic place where Judge Roy Bean happens to be

buried.

Seminole Canyon State Historical Park
The best art galleries in south central Texas are right here, featuring works of rock art that have been on view for
at least 4000 years. The most famous is the Fate Bell Shelter, a cave dwelling with pictograph-lined walls. Tours

( 888-762-5278; www.rockart.org ; 10am & 3pm Wed-Sun, no afternoon tours Jun-Aug) led by
the Rock Art Foundation (which also organizes Saturday tours to other more remote sites) last up to 90 minutes
and include a fairly strenuous hike down and up a canyon. You can also hike to Panther Cave from here; this cave
is known for its 9ft-long drawing of a mountain lion accompanied by many other animal and human figures.

Amistad National Recreation Area
With 850 miles of shoreline, boating, water-skiing, swimming, fishing and bird-watching are all reasons to visit
this reservoir formed by a 6-mile dam on the Rio Grande. The Visitor Information Center ( 830-775-7491;
www.nps.gov/amis ; 8am-5pm) will set you up with the information you need. You can use your boat to access
Panther Cave as well as Parida Cave, assuming water levels are high enough.

Langtry
Practically a ghost town, Langtry (population 45) has turned its principal claim to fame into a major tourist attrac-
tion on US 90: the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center ( 432-291-3340; www.traveltex.com ; US 90;
8am-5pm, to 6pm Jun-Aug). Displays cover the life of the legendary Lone Star lawman and include the
.41-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver he used as his gavel.

Where Not to Go
Sadly, two of the best reasons to take this route have undergone big changes in recent years:
Ciudad Acuña The US State Department recommends you avoid this dangerous detour for now.
Alamo Village John Wayne's full-scale reproduction of the Alamo in Bracketville is closed to visitors.