The Ultimate Fort Hood and Texas Bucket List

We have been in Texas for nearly 6 months and I am just now getting around to posting our Fort Hood Bucket List! (Better late than never, right?)

Our Fort Bragg Bucket List was a smashing success. We were able to see and do so many fun things during our time in North Carolina.

Like last time, I’ll mark the items off as we complete them and add more items to the list as I find them. I’ll also add a picture of each completed item to my Instagram, so you can follow along on our adventures!

This also means that I’ll have to update my Travel Bullet Journal and post the new pages here for everyone to see.

Texas is MUCH bigger than North Carolina. So, I’m sure this BIG list is only going to get longer, bigger, and more expensive. But we try to do as much as we can at each duty station, because who knows when or if we’ll ever get the chance to come back to these places again?

The Fort Hood Bucket List begins with things that are close to Fort Hood and then expands further across the state.

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Fort Hood and Texas Bucket List

On Fort Hood

• visit the 1st Cavalry Division Museum
• go to the 3rd Cavalry Museum
• make something at the Apache craft center
• visit the Fort Hood pools
  • Comanche
  • Patton
  • West Fort Hood
• watch the 1st Cav. Mounted Weapons Demonstration
• see some of the free-range cows
• ride a horse at the BLORA ranch
• see the BLORA Christmas lights

Killeen

• go to the trampoline park
• visit the Mayborn Science Theater
• shoot a fish at Garquest Bow Fishing
• eat a weird burger at Galaxy Burger
• try rock climbing at Boulder Climbing Center
• go swimming at Lions Club Park

Around Fort Hood

• feed the animals at Topsey Exotic Ranch
• see The Grove ghost town (Gatesville)
• see a movie at The Last Drive-In Picture Show (Gatesville)
• go swimming at Belton Lake
• hike at Dana Peak Park (Harker Heights)
• check out the community pools (Copperas Cove)
• go for a walk at Hanna Springs Sculpture Garden (Lampasas)
• play in the waterfall at Chalk Ridge Falls (Belton)
• float the lazy river at the Summer Fun Waterpark (Belton)
• go fishing at Stillhouse Hollow Lake (Belton)
• see the World’s Largest Spur (Lampasas)
• cool off at Hancock Springs (Lampasas)
• see a movie at the Cove Theater (Copperas Cove)
• go down a water slide at Lions Junction Waterpark (Temple)

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Waco

• shop at Magnolia/the Silos
• see the Waco Mammoth National Monument
• visit the Texas Rangers museum
• check out the Dr. Pepper museum
• get a picture of the Alico building
• see the Branch Davidian Memorial Park
• climb the tower at Mother Neff State Park
• float the world’s longest lazy river at Waco Surf
• visit the Armstrong-Brown library
• hike to Lover’s Leap in Cameron Park
• look around the Mayborn Museum

Austin

• see the Congress Ave. bats
• walk through the Cathedral of Junk
• smell the flowers at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center
• ride bikes at Zilker Park
• swim at Barton Springs Pool
• visit Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center
• sit in the grotto in Dripping Springs
• walk through the Museum of the Weird
• visit McKinney Falls State Park
• shop at Uncommon Objects
• cliff jump at Jacob’s Well
• tour the Texas State Capitol
• do some dancin’ at the Broken Spoke
• look for the red-headed stranger in Luck
• explore SoCo (South Congress Ave.)
• take a picture of one of the murals
• visit the Texas State History Museum
• climb Mount Bonnell
• get some tacos at Torchy’s

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Fort Hood Day Trips

• see the Eiffel Tower (Paris)
• see dinosaur tracks in the bottom of the river (Glen Rose)
• visit Ms. Pearl – the giant squirrel (Cedar Creek)
• get some ice cream at the Blue Bell Creamery (Brenham)
• visit the Texas Prison Museum (Huntsville)
• see the world’s largest fire hydrant (Beaumont)
• go junkin’ in Round Top
• two-step in Luckenbach, Texas (near Fredricksburg)
• visit LBJ’s childhood home (Johnson City)
• cool off at Krause Springs (Spicewood)
• take a picture of the Munster Mansion (Waxahachie)
• visit the Texas Stonehenge (Ingram)
• hike to Pedernales Falls (Johnson City)
• see Jesus in cowboy boots (Paris)
• see the painted churches of Texas (Schulenburg)
• shop the flea market in the fields of Warrenton
• two-step at Gruene Hall (New Braunfels)
• go swimming at Blue Hole Park (Georgetown)
• hike to the top of Enchanted Rock (Fredricksburg)
• see Gorman Falls (Bend)

San Antonio

• see the Alamo
• go to the top of the Tower of Americas
• take a boat tour at the Riverwalk
• visit the Riverwalk while it’s decorated for Christmas
• watch the Saga light show
• shop at El Mercado
• visit the San Fernando Cathedral
• go to San Antonio Mission National Historical Park
• see the sunken Japanese tea garden
• cool off in the Natural Bridge Caverns
• visit the San Antonio Public Library
• go to Sea World
• hike to the top of Old Baldy (technically Concan, TX)

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Dallas-Fort Worth & Surrounding Area

• go to the Texas State Fair
• take Heff to the Warhammer Store in Grapevine
• visit the largest used bookstore in Texas (Denton)
• walk through the Cowgirl Hall of Fame (Fort Worth)
• see the Traveling Man sculpture (Dallas)
• visit the Fort Worth Stockyards
• get a beer at Billy Bob’s (Fort Worth)
• see the alien gravesite (Aurora)
• see the giant eye ball (Dallas)
• visit the Sixth Floor Museum (Dallas)
• take in the skyline views at the Reunion Tower (Dallas)
• visit the Fort Worth Water Garden
• find the waterfalls in Richardson’s Prairie Creek Park
• take Heff to see Dimebag Darrell’s grave (Arlington)
• visit Grapevine during Christmastime
• see the National Videogame Museum (Frisco)
• use the glass bathrooms (Sulphur Springs)
• take Aunt Mel to South Fork Ranch (Parker)
• visit the John Wayne Museum (Fort Worth)
• find the teddy bears at Lakeside Park (Dallas)
• walk through the historic downtown Grapevine
• visit Thanksgiving Square (Dallas)

Houston

• visit the NASA Space Center
• check out the Downtown Aquarium
• go to the Houston Zoo
• visit the Museum of Natural Science
• let the kids play at the Children’s Museum
• see the terra cotta army at Lucky Land
• see the Beer Can House
• shop in the Lamar Tunnels
• go to the top of the San Jacinto Battle Monument
• take pictures at The Orange Show
• visit the Art Car Museum
• see the Waterwall
• visit the 1st Hindu temple in the U.S
• take pictures at Smither Park
• let the kids to play at Sesquicentennial Park
• visit Sam Houston Park
• eat some dreamy ice cream at Aqua S

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Corpus Christi/The Coast

• visit the Spanish Colonial Presidio La Bahia (Goliad)
• spend the day on the beach in Galveston
• walk on the beach at Padre Island National Seashore (Corpus Christi)
• look for wild parrots in Brownsville
• go to the original Whataburger (Corpus Christi)
• see the sculptures at Sandfest (Port Aransas)
• tour the USS Stewart & USS Cavalla
• visit Mustang Island
• visit Schlitterbahn water park

North Texas

• eat rattlesnake at The Big Texan Steak Ranch (Amarillo)
• graffiti a car at Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo)
• see Buddy Holly’s home (Lubbock)
• go to the Rattlesnake Roundup (Sweetwater)
• watch the Texas Outdoor Musical (Amarillo)
• see the U-Drop Inn (Shamrock)
• hike to the Lighthouse in Palo Duro Canyon
• drive part of the Original Route 66
• see Prairie Dog Town (Lubbock)

West Texas

• hike at Big Bend National Park
• try to see the Marfa lights
• see the beer-drinking goat mayor of Lajitas (Terlingua)
• check out Prada Marfa (Valentine)
• swim at Balmorhea
• see the Franklin Mountains from the tramway (El Paso)
• visit the Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Salt Flat)
• find the desk on Hancock Hill (Big Bend)
• find the pictographs in Seminole Canyon (Comstock)

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Misc. Texas Things

• go to a rodeo
• see the blue bonnets
• take a trip to Mexico
• eat some Texas BBQ
• visit a Buc-ees
• go tubing on the river

That is a GIGANTIC list! But then again, Texas is a gigantic place!

I doubt that we’ll accomplish our whole Fort Hood Bucket List before we leave, but we’re gonna have a great time trying!