The Best Place to See the 'Real' Texas - country music and cowboys:) (Houston: home, college)

[CapeTownGirl]

I am looking to travel to Texas on a bit of a holiday to get a better idea of the place and make a better decision as where to live.

I am crazy about country music, cowboys and am really interested in seeing the 'rural' townsfolk of Texas. I assume that the areas such as Dallas, F-Worth and Houston will be pretty much like all major cities - commercialised and buzzing! I am looking at doing a 'road trip' on my own through the rural areas.

Any ideas where I will find this? Is it safe for a single female of 26yrs? I'm quite independent and headstrong and coming from SA I am pretty much aware of constant crime.

[destin04]

The best place to find Cowboys in Texas .....is just about any rural area. The area that I'm from is East Texas. We are 80 miles east of Dallas. If you are coming in May there is a great little rodeo....there will be plenty of REAL cowboys, Real country music. I'm sure on the post you will hear from other people around TX that will tell you about happenings in other areas of Texas.

[NOTAM]

at ranch rodeos....check out the ranch rodeo schedule here...WRCA (http://www.wrca.org/pages/RodeoSchedule.php - broken link)

[sweetclimber]

If you want, go to College Station and go to the Dixie Chicken, which definetely represents what you want. If you can, go on a friday before a Saturday home Aggie football game!

[Lakewooder]

Gilley's in Dallas, Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, the Mesquite Rodeo and even the largest gay cowboy bar anywhere, The Round Up in Dallas.

Of course not everyone is guaranteed to be a real cowboy; some are the drugstore and urban-wannabe varieties and others are just goat ropers.

[ArkLexee]

SO, ya'll now have to educate the girl...how do you tell a "REAL" one from one ah them others???



I'm not gonna share my secrets until I write the book

[CurrentlyinSanAntonio]

Go by Gruene Hall, pretty cool place.

Gruene Hall Official Home Page

[Lakewooder]

"Are you a real Cowboy?" - Debra Winger in "Urban Cowboy".

Love Gruene Hall -- take a ride on the Guadalupe also..

[NOTAM]

you WILL see "real" cowboys and hear "Texas country" in the Ft Worth Stockyards....now, mind you, they may be mixed up with the weekend cowboy/drugstore cowboy wannabe types, but they ARE there. i would see them all the time at Rodeo Exchange (my favorite dance hall in Ft Worth Stockyards)....i mean come on, a place that has a place at the entrance to HANG UP YER SPURS!!??? Ya KNOW some real cowboys/ranchers/cattlemen frequent the place!
and there is rodeo action every weekend at Billy Bobs and at the Stockyards, so the rodeo cowboys will be drinkin' at the local saloons up and down the Exchange.
great place i miss living in the area and going there every fri and sat nite!

[nicole evans]

I suggest coming through the hill country, stopping at all the small towns along the way to see your cowboys and then heading to Austin and stopping by Hill's cafe, they always have great local country singers on stage, and the food is great. You sit outside under the oak trees and drink beer listening to the music, its a great place. Cowboys are few and far between in Austin though! Thats why I suggest the hill country towns all around us.