6 #TexasToDos Before the End of Summer

TravelTex.com has started a campaign to encourage tourists to visit the Lone Star State. A compilation of posts on Twitter, Instagram and Vine that use the hashtag #TexasToDo, the campaign asks local “Texperts” to help travelers create the perfect trip by highlighting little known gems within the state.

According to the website, users who tag with #TexasToDo have the chance to win a prize and be featured on TravelTex.com.

While exploring the collection of posts, we selected a few that look like must-dos before the end of summer:

1. French artist Xavier de Richemont prepared a 24-minute video collage entitled “San Antonio/The Saga.” This collage is set to play for the next 10 years, weather permitting, at 9 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays on San Fernando Cathedral. The collection of images embrace local history, from Native American settlement and the Mexican independence to the Battle of the Alamo and the Republic of Texas.

2. The Big Texan is quite a landmark in Amarillo. Not only does the restaurant feature a dinosaur statue named “Dino,” but also offers a free steak — that is if you can eat all 72 oz. The competition was born in 1962 and still sands strong. The free steak dinner rules are simple: you must eat the entire meal, consisting of shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad, roll, butter and of course the steak, in an hour. Once you’ve started, you can’t get up or have anyone else help you eat the meal. If you fail to complete the challenge, you must pay the full $72 for the meal.

3. The city of Port Aransas is the only established town on Mustang Island off of the east coast of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. The island was originally called Wild Horse Island, then Mustang Island because of the wild horses brought there by the Spaniards in the 1800s. It has since become a fishing, beach and resort village, as well as a college spring-break destination.

4. The geographic center of Texas is about 15 miles northeast of Brady in northern McCulloch County. It is also the highest point in the state, at 8,749 feet above sea level. Unforunatley, the actual center of Texas is on private property, so this tourist information marker stands about 5 miles northwest.

5. Beer pairs with rolling hills and sparkling rivers in the Texas Hill Country. The German influence is prevalent here, and beer gardens abound, along with wine tasting if that’s more your speed. Twisted X Brewing Co. in Dripping Springs dubs its brew “Tex Mex Beer” and pours a signature lager, dark lager, jalapeno-infused pilsner, IPA, prickly pear lager and imperial black lager at its tasting room seven days a week.

6. One way to beat the heat during a Texas summer is to make a splash at one of the many lakes and springs surrounding Austin. One of the best is Barton Springs Pool, a 3-acre oasis fed from underground springs with an average temperature of 70 degrees. Robert Redford learned to swim here when he was just 5 years old, and the pool has seen as many as 800,000 visitors in more recent years.