10 Essential Texas Experiences

Picture Yourself in the Bluebonnets

Texas bluebonnets are so beloved and prized that it was illegal to pick them until 1973, and doing so in state parks is still prohibited. Instead, do what all Texans do every spring when these violet-blue flowers are in full bloom along the state’s highways: Pull over, get out your camera, and sit right down in the middle of them all—being careful, of course, not to crush them. The roadside proliferation of wildflowers, blue and otherwise, is at least partially courtesy of Texas native Lady Bird Johnson, who was dedicated to conservation and beautification. To find out more, visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, where you can wander through its gardens and learn more about the state’s 2,700 native species of wildflowers. Then get back in your car and explore for yourself, region by wild, flowery region. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,