San Angelo: Hummingbirds on the Ranch
A Chuckwagon Full of Unusual Texas Country Sites
Three days / two nights
The city of San Angelo, the center of the Central Texas Ranch Country, offers a wide ranging collection of intriguing sites to see and things to do. One of the most popular activities is to spot the hummingbirds at the HUMMER HOUSE in the tiny town of Christoval south of town. The owners have built a viewing room close to the gathering area of the black-chinned hummingbird, attracted by the feeders. Numerous other birds will be seen, and maybe some deer and wild turkeys.
The town of San Angelo itself contains a chuckwagon full of places to see, such as the Fort around which the town grew, Miss Hatttie’s Bordello, the Aermotor Windmill Factory (where the windmills are made that enabled the ranch country to be livable), Eggemeyer’s General Store (an authentic all-purpose carrying-everything emporium), and the International Lily Pond, a water garden stocked with plants from around the world.
Tour Highlights
Your route west on I-30 out and back will enable you to see a bunch of “Texas oddities” the group will not soon forget:
- THURBER – an old ghost town where once thousands mined coal and made brick. Is there anyone still alive there?? We’ll find out!
- RANGER – went from 1,000 to 30,000 people in one year when the gushers blew in.
- EASTLAND – home of some of the best offbeat Texas oddities: Rip the Toad and the Postage Stamp Mural. Plus the Majestic Theater, gorgeous renovated movie palace.
- CISCO – you’ll see Conrad Hilton’s first hotel. A great way to compare his first establishment with the grand palace, his fourth, he built in San Angelo.
- CROSS PLAINS – home of a starstudded world-renowned hero. We’ll keep this a mystery until we arrive!
Tour Includes
In addition to seeing the hummingbirds and the important sites of the city, your travelers can see
- The live cattle auction
- The ancient Indian pictographs at Paint Rock Ranch
- The Cactus Hotel, Conrad Hilton’s ornate, impressive fourth hotel
A number of excellent dining and wining experiences are possible for your group:
- Dinner at Peasant Village – three-time Southern Living award winner.
- Happy Hour winetasting at Devine Winery with dinner nearby at Miss Hattie’s Bordello.
- The Lowake Steak House, a Texas legend, where ranchers fly in on their private planes just for the steaks.
- Catered picnic lunch at the Hummer House, dining while watching the wildlife from the Observation Room.
Please Note
Traveling to San Angelo from North Texas it is possible to stop and see a collection of fascinating towns and out of the way stops along the way.