Southwest
The best tourism spots in Texas for the whole family
As the second-largest state in America, with a rich cultural and historical legacy, Texas has long been a popular tourist destination for family vacations.
From rugged mountains and plains in the west, to a lengthy coastline with famed beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, Texas has something that everyone in the family can enjoy.
It also boasts some of the nation’s best museums, historical sites and cultural attractions.
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Its major cities include Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio and the state capital, Austin.
As these cities are located in a triangular pattern on the eastern side of the state, it is entirely feasible to conveniently visit them all on a family road trip. Transport is made even easier by the state’s excellent highway system.
Skyline of Houston, Texas (John Coletti via Getty Images)
Space Center Houston
Houston is the largest city in Texas, and Space Center Houston is arguably its premier tourist attraction.
It is a science museum and official visitor center for the NASA Johnson Space Center. It features three spacecraft, Mercury 9, Gemini 5 and the Apollo 17 command module. In Independence Plaza, you can find the world’s only space shuttle replica.
A Mission Mars exhibit offers an opportunity to learn about future planned travel to the red planet, while a virtual reality wall and real-time Mars weather forecast provide an other-worldly sensation.
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Space Center Houston’s tram tours are the most popular way to see all the attractions, and also feature visits to Rocket Park and astronaut training facilities.
San Antonio River Walk
In nearby San Antonio, the city’s famed River Walk has long been popular with tourists of all ages.
It’s a 15-mile complex of canals, biking and hiking trails, and walkways, packed with history museums, fine dining and shopping. It also features the historical site The Alamo.
River Walk is broken down into three sections: Museum Reach, Downtown and Mission Reach, and they can be toured on foot, on bicycle or by boat.
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Top attractions include The Pearl, a complex of Second Empire-style buildings, the Grotto, where you can walk into a jaguar’s mouth, and the San Antonio Museum of Art, featuring impressive Greek, Roman and Egyptian collections.
The Alamo
The Alamo is a family-friendly museum located on the site of a former Spanish mission and fortress, which commemorates 1836’s famous Battle of the Alamo.
It excels in engaging children of all ages in history, with scavenger hunts and worksheets designed to make learning about history enjoyable. Make sure to allow time for the church and the gardens.
The Texas State Capitol
The impressive Texas State Capitol, in Austin, is a must-see on a family vacation.
It features a wealth of history, with a wide variety of statues and monuments, including the Heroes of the Alamo Monument, and the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument.
The exterior of the Texas State Capitol on Sept. 5, 2023, in Austin. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The structure, built in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, features a 302-foot dome and a massive open rotunda.
It was modeled on the design of the U.S. Capitol, but, true to the local geology, features an exterior clad in local red granite.
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Dallas is located in the state’s northeastern corner, and one of its most family-friendly and popular attractions is the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.
Here, you can stroll amid acres of beautiful, vibrant flower gardens, and view the largest collections of cacti and succulents in the Southwest. The famous color garden is 6.5 acres, while the site includes numerous varieties of azaleas as well as many types of daffodils, tulips and pansies.
Located on the shores of White Rock lake, it is best viewed in spring. Children will enjoy the eight-acre Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, which is designed to bring earth sciences and nature to life.
The Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in Texas (U.S. National Park Service/CA Hoyt)
Big Bend National Park
Finally, for nature lovers who are up for a drive further west, approximately 6 and a half hours from Austin, Big Bend National Park is arguably the state’s finest.
Featuring the rugged Chisos mountain range and the Chihuahuan Desert, its hiking trails delight. Make sure to see the Santa Elena Canyon, which features steep limestone cliffs, and the Langford Hot Springs, where you can relax in the 105 degree mineral water.
There are ample opportunities for hiking, boating and outdoor camping abound.
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Southwest
Texas requires students learn about ‘perils of communism’ in sweeping new curriculum overhaul
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A rewrite of Texas’ social studies curriculum will require educators to teach students about the perils of communism, according to a recent report.
“The new framework, known as the ‘comprehensive’ model, introduces a novel chronological approach to history and signals that the process will result in drastically different new standards,” the Houston Chronicle reported.
Set to take effect in the fall of 2030, “the model, favored by conservatives on the board, boosts the proportion of Texas history, and removes standalone world cultures courses,” the piece said.
“Third grade will now begin with ‘birth of Western civilizations’ and eighth grade will become a Texas history-only capstone course.”
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A rewrite of Texas’ social studies curriculum will require educators to teach students about the perils of communism, according to a recent report. (fstop123/iStock via Getty Images Plus)
The State Board of Education approved the Social Studies plan by a vote of 8-7 in September.
Under the revised standards, the curriculum will focus more on Texas history and U.S. history rather than world history and cultures.
The Houston Chronicle reported that Democrats on the board raised concerns about the changes.
“Democrats on the board say the new framework reduces representation, will be more difficult for teachers to explain and delays lessons about nonwhite people to later grades,” the piece said.
“Looking at this storytelling thing, when do people that look like me get to learn about themselves before the fifth grade?” Staci Childs, D-Houston, was quoted as saying in the article, speaking about herself and other Black or Hispanic members of the board.
The Houston Chronicle also reported, “The standards are also being revised to align with recently-passed state law that requires students to be taught about the perils of communism.”
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Under the revised standards, the curriculum will focus more on Texas history and U.S. history rather than world history and cultures. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)
In the revised framework, according to the report, “Students must learn about ‘atrocities attributable to communist regimes,’ including the Cambodian genocide, guerrilla movements in Latin America and the ‘oppression and suffering experienced by people living under communist regimes.’ The lessons must also touch on modern threats posed to the U.S. and its allies by communist regimes and ideologies.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Texas State Board of Education; Rep. Aaron Kinsey, R-Midland, chair of the Texas State Board of Education; and Childs for comment.
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State Democrats raised concerns about the new curriculum, with one state lawmaker saying it reduces representation of Black and Hispanic Texans. (Getty)
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Southwest
San Antonio teen who vanished Christmas Eve found dead by suicide in nearby field after days-long search
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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Texas authorities confirmed on Thursday a missing San Antonio teen who vanished on Christmas Eve took her own life.
Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, was last seen alive at about 7 a.m. on Dec. 24, walking a few blocks from her home.
Olmos’ body was found Tuesday in a field just a few hundred yards from her home, next to a gun, according to a report from affiliate FOX 7 Austin.
Officials confirmed they found the body of Camila Mendoza Olmos, who went missing on Christmas Eve. (Help Find Camila Mendoza Olmos via Facebook)
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The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as Olmos on Wednesday, determining the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and ruling the manner of death a suicide, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office previously said Olmos had a history of suicidal ideation and depression, noting there were no signs of foul play.
Camila Olmos was reported missing on Christmas Eve morning. (Bexar County Sheriff)
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The body appeared to have been in the location where it was found for several days, according to authorities.
In a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon, family members thanked the community for their support.
“In the name of the Olmos family, we want to give a humble and heartfelt thank you to all the news reporters, churches, friends, families, and communities for your support and prayers,” Nancy Olmos wrote in the post. “Our beloved Camila Mendoza Olmos is now with the Good Lord.”
Camila Mendoza Olmos’ manner of death was ruled a suicide, according to officials. (Help Find Camila Mendoza Olmos via Facebook)
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“We kindly ask that you please respect our pain and, most importantly, keep my cousin Rosario—Camila’s mom—and my nephew Carlos—Camila’s brother—in your prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” she added. “Thank you, and God bless you all.”
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
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Southwest
University of Oklahoma teaching assistant fired after flunking Christian student files appeal with school
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A University of Oklahoma graduate teaching assistant who was fired after flunking a Christian student who cited the Bible in an essay, causing a national uproar, is appealing the school’s decision.
Brittany Stewart, a self-employed and self-described civil rights lawyer, said she is representing William “Mel” Curth, who assessed student Samantha Fulnecky a zero out of 25 on an assignment about gender norms.
“Today, my client, Mel Curth, submitted her appeal of the University’s Institutional Equity Office finding that she engaged in arbitrary and capricious grading of a student’s assignment in violation of that student’s religious liberty,” Stewart said on Bluesky earlier this week.
OU student Samantha Fulnecky, with her Bible, in the Oklahoma Memorial Union, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman/Imagn Images)
“Ms. Curth fully denies that she engaged in any discriminatory behavior,” the statement continues. “It is her position that the investigation was flawed, failed to consider all possible motives and issues, and that new evidence has come to light that undermines the investigation’s conclusion.”
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Stewart did not specify what the new evidence is.
For the assignment, Curth, who uses she/they pronouns, asked students to read a short paper called, “Relations Among Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Mental Health During Early Adolescence,” which discusses results of a study about gender norms among middle schoolers and the social ramifications children may face if they don’t conform to gender norms.
The students were instructed to provide a “thoughtful discussion of some aspect of the article.”
Fulnecky, a junior at the school, responded by saying she thought gender norms should not be viewed as stereotypes. She cited Genesis, the first book of the Bible, in which God created men and women equally, but with separate purposes.
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Students walk on campus between classes at the University of Oklahoma on March 11, 2015, in Norman, Oklahoma. (Brett Deering/Getty Images)
“Gender roles and tendencies should not be considered ‘stereotypes,’” Fulnecky wrote in her essay. “Women naturally want to do womanly things because God created us with those womanly desires in our hearts. The same goes for men. God created men in the image of His courage and strength, and He created women in the image of His beauty. He intentionally created women differently than men and we should live our lives with that in mind.”
She later described the normalization of non-binary gender as “demonic.”
Curth took exception to Fulnecky’s response.
“Please note that I am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs, but instead I am deducting point [sic] for you posting a reaction paper that does not answer the questions for this assignment, contradicts itself, heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and is at times offensive,” Curth’s explanation for the grade said, later adding that the essay was “offensive” and claiming that science backs the idea that “gender is neither binary nor fixed.”
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There were three grading criteria, according to Fulnecky, who said none of those criteria listed empirical evidence as a requirement.
“Does the paper show a clear tie-in to the assigned article?” was the first, worth up to 10 out of the assignment’s 25 total points.
“Does the paper present a thoughtful reaction or response to the article, rather than a summary?” was the second, also worth up to 10 points.
“Is the paper clearly written?” was the last criterion, worth up to five points.
OU student Samantha Fulnecky, with her Bible, in the Oklahoma Memorial Union, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. (Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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Fulnecky filed an official religious discrimination complaint with the school after receiving the zero grade, and Curth was put on administrative leave pending an investigation.
On Dec. 22, the University of Oklahoma released a statement saying Curth had been fired.
“Based on an examination of the graduate teaching assistant’s prior grading standards and patterns, as well as the graduate teaching assistant’s own statements related to this matter, it was determined that the graduate teaching assistant was arbitrary in the grading of this specific paper,” the school said. “The graduate teaching assistant will no longer have instructional duties at the University.”
Stewart said in her statement that Fulnecky had an ulterior political motive for challenging the grade, and slammed the university for making public statements while she said Curth is bound by “confidentiality rules.”
“Rather than engaging in discrimination, Mel Curth has been the target of a political movement that seeks to silence and/or oust LGBTQ people from academia,” Stewart’s statement concludes. “Ms. Curth will continue to fight back against these harmful allegations.”
A University of Oklahoma campus sign is pictured in Norman, Oklahoma, on Dec. 1, 2024. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
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Fox News Digital reached out to Stewart and the University of Oklahoma for comment.
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