Day Trips & Beyond: July Events Roundup
Summer fun is heating up around the state
By Gerald E. McLeod, 5:21PM, Fri. Jun. 30, 2023
July is high time to go to the rodeo, horse races, and music festivals.
Going a’courtin’. The Shelby County Courthouse in Center is one of the most unique among a long list of historic Texas courthouses. Completed in 1885, the two-story brick building is believed to be the only existing county courthouse in America built to resemble an Irish castle. The architect and contractor was John Joseph Emmett Gibson, formerly of Dublin, Ireland. A master brickmaker, mason, and builder, Gibson added flourishes to his masterpiece. The building has a hidden stairway for the judge to escape out the back, an “air-conditioning” system that let hot air escape from vents on the cupola, and fireplaces in the restrooms, says Vicky Martin at the Shelby County Historical Museum. Gibson was paid $26,725 for the unique hall of justice, but the county stiffed him on $2,700 for repairs. The county finally paid off the construction bonds in 1976, 96 years after they were issued. County offices are now in a former bank building, but the old courthouse still commands the courthouse square. Docents from the museum offer tours of the historic courthouse on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. In a side note, Gibson built an almost identical courthouse in nearby Carthage, the county seat of Panola County. It was torn down and replaced with a “modern” courthouse in 1953.
Courthouse tours, Center, 936/598-3613, www.shelbycountytexashistory.net
Holy bat cave, Batman. The terrain southwest of Mason is rugged scrubland. On the side of a small hill a large crevice opens up and at dusk approximately 4 million Mexican free-tailed bats come out looking for an evening meal of bugs. Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve opens July through August to the public to see this incredible natural event. The ranch that the bat cave is on has been in the Eckert family since 1907. In 1990, the Eckerts donated the cave to The Nature Conservancy to protect this valuable resource and allow public access. This is a maternity colony; the number of bats emerging around sunset increases through the season. Open nights are dependent on several factors, so it is best to call the bat hotline at 325/347-5970 before visiting for any weather-related closures and to confirm the start time. Admission is $5 per person with children under 5 years old free. The preserve is about 8.3 miles from Mason along a partially paved road. Access to the viewing area is by an uneven trail that is not wheelchair accessible. There is no electricity, restrooms, water, or food available on the property, so plan accordingly.
Thu.-Sun., July 1-Aug. 27, Bat Emergence, Mason, 325/347-5970, www.nature.org
Travel Notes:
Ahoy, Matey. Take a free leisurely 90-minute round-trip tour aboard the M/V Sam Houston along the Houston Ship Channel. Embarking from the port’s Sam Houston Pavilion, visitors see international cargo vessels and operations at the port's Turning Basin Terminal. The 95-foot vessel holds up to 100 passengers and features air-conditioned lounge seating as well as standing room outside on the boat’s deck. Cameras are allowed on the tour; however, Port Houston must provide consent for any photographs to be published. Reservations are required and should be made online at the first of each month for the next 30-day period. Call 713/670-2631 for more information. Tours are Tuesday through Saturday between 8am and 5pm (most are at 10am and 2:30pm, occasionally at 6pm); closed in November.
Rolling on the Rio. Cool off, soak up some rays, and find an adventure along the Rio Grande this summer. Las Cruces, N.M., outfitter Southwest Expeditions offers family-friendly and scenic two-hour tubing trips on the river. Located about an hour north of El Paso, the low humidity of the desert makes high temperatures in the low- to mid-90s comfortable (or at least tolerable). In southern New Mexico's Mesilla Valley between the Rio Grande and Organ Mountains, Las Cruces is the state’s second-largest city with a population of more than 112,000. It offers convenient access to White Sands National Park and multiple national monuments and state parks, and has close connections to space tourism as the gateway Spaceport America.
Other July Events:
Big Bang Celebration
July 1, Bastrop, www.facebook.com/bastroptx
The Trip to Bountiful
July 1, 7-9, 14-16, Bastrop, www.bastropoperahouse.org
Free Sandcastle Building Lessons
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Galveston, www.visitgalveston.com/events/free-sandcastle-building-lessons-from-a-pro
Live Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing
July 1-2, 15-16, Aug. 12-13, 26-27, Fredericksburg, www.gillespiefair.com
Texas Shakespeare Festival
July 1-30, Kilgore, www.texasshakespeare.com
Fly Girls of World War II
July 1-Aug. 31, Houston, www.1940airterminal.org
Still Brewing
July 1- Sept. 3, San Antonio, www.samuseum.org
Floore’s Dine and Dance
July 2, 16, Helotes, www.liveatfloores.com
Crape Myrtle Festival and Parade
July 3-4, Waxahachie, www.waxahachiecvb.com
Spring Ho Festival
July 3-9, Lampasas, www.springho.com
Red, White, and Buda
July 4, Buda, www.budaamphitheater.com/redwhitebuda
Independence Day Parade
July 4, Chappell Hill, www.chappellhilltx.com
Fireman’s July Fourth Celebration and Lee County Sheriff’s Posse Fury on the Fourth
July 4, Giddings, www.giddingstx.com
Freedom Over Texas
July 4, Houston, www.houstontx.gov/july4
173rd Fourth of July Celebration
July 4, Round Top, roundtoprifle.com/events/169th-fourth-of-july-celebration-2023-07-04
Tommy Katona and Texas Flood
July 8, Tyler, libertytyler.com
Parker County Peach Festival
July 8, Weatherford, www.peachfestivaltx.com
Cheeseburger Festival
July 9-15, Friona, www.cityoffriona.com
Makers Market
July 10, Rockport, www.rockport-fulton.org
Planetarium Show
July 11, 18, 21, 25, Clute, www.brazosportcenter.org
Shark Week
July 11-18, Johnson City, www.sciencemill.org
Abendkonzerte
July 11, 25, Boerne, www.ci.boerne.tx.us/1104/Concerts-in-the-Park
Sister Cities Festival
July 14-16, Laredo, www.visitlaredo.com/p/things-to-do/events/laredosistercitiesfestival
Open House
July 15, Clifton, www.centexastronomy.org
Come and Taste It
July 20, Gruene, www.grapevineingruene.com
Wrede School Open House
July 21, Fredericksburg, www.historicschools.org
Shakespeare at Winedale
July 21-Aug. 13, Round Top, liberalarts.utexas.edu/winedale/performances-and-tickets/current-season
National Day of the Cowboy
July 22, Bandera, banderabusiness.com/2023-events-overview
National Day of the Cowboy
July 22, San Antonio, www.briscoemuseum.org
Tex-Mex BBQ Block Party
July 23, Houston, www.eventbrite.com/e/tex-mex-bbq-block-party-2023-tickets-622788596457
Viva Big Bend
July 26-30, various locations, www.vivabigbend.com
Artists on Site
July 26-Aug. 27, Houston, asiasociety.org/texas/exhibitions/artists-site-series-4
The Great Texas Mosquito Festival
July 27-29, Clute, www.mosquitofestival.com
Balcones Heights Jazz Festival
July 28, San Antonio, bhtx.gov/balcones-heights-jazz-festival-0
Buffalo Soldier Memorial Dedication Weekend
July 28-30, San Angelo, www.fortconcho.com
Summer Nights Antique Tractor Pull
July 29, Boerne, www.theagricultural.org/tractorpull
34th Texas Black Invitational Rodeo
July 29, Dallas, aamdallas.org/events/#rodeo
Purple Martin Watch Party
July 29, Houston, houstonaudubon.org/programs/all-age-groups/purple-martins.html
Gerald McLeod has been traveling around Texas and beyond for his "Day Trips" column for more than 25 years. Keep up to date with his journeys on his archive page and follow him on Facebook.
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Gerald E. McLeod, July 3, 2024
Gerald E. McLeod, May 31, 2024
July 12, 2024
July 5, 2024
Day Trips, Shelby County Courthouse, Mexican free-tailed bats, The Nature Conservancy, Mason, Houston, Las Cruces, Fourth of July, Shakespeare at Winedale, Texas Black Invitational Rodeo
