Our team is always working on a number of projects that vary from year to year, and sometimes month to month. But even as we respond to dynamic heritage tourism requests from all over the state, a few of our initiatives remain constant. Learn about these initiatives below.
A Trip Planning Website Just for Heritage Travelers
Texas Time Travel.com is your THC-curated, one-stop shop for planning the most authentic journey into the sights and sounds of Texas' past. Whether it's for a day trip or for several days, we’ve got the trip-planning tools you need, along with the most extensive listing of historic sites and attractions across the state and up-to-date information about heritage events going on year-round. Anyone up for armadillo races?
Community Consultation
Museum on Main Street (MoMS) is a travelling exhibition program of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) division, which aims to engage small-town audiences and revitalize underserved rural communities. In partnership with the Smithsonian and as coordinators of MoMS tours in Texas, THC heritage tourism staff work closely with host communities for up to two years to deliver training and consultation and to prepare the local visitor experience for future heritage travelers.
Learn more about Museum on Main Street.
Texas Heritage Trail Regions
Those iconic blue and white signs you've seen along Texas' highways symbolize the Texas Heritage Trails Program (THTP). Once based around 10 scenic driving trails created as a marketing tool in 1968 by Gov. John Connally and the Texas Highway Department (now the Texas Department of Transportation), today these trails represent larger areas, or regions, that include heritage tourism attractions and communities both on and off the original trail.
While our team oversees all 10 heritage regions, each operates under a region-based executive director who works to forge local tourism partnerships and support area attractions by developing a unique blend of programs and promotions.
Learn more about THTP and find out which region you're in.
Heritage Travel Publications
Choose from a dozen different travel brochures and guides! Pick up one of our thematic guides and visit Texas destinations related to war history, African Americans in Texas, the Chisolm Trail, and more. Or start with our official, full-color Texas Heritage Travel Guide.
Request a free guide or order a box of them at no charge!
Need a little travel inspiration? Our quarterly e-newsletter, The Heritage Traveler, spotlights heritage attractions, upcoming events, and other Texas tidbits for history-lovers. Read past issues.
Set out on your very own adventure by following in the footsteps of German Texans or Texas Revolutionaries using our mobile tours! Just select your preferred tour to access a rich blend of images, videos, first-person interviews, maps, and useful visitor information for exploring historical sites across Texas. Want to discover what's around you? The "nearby" button locates your position and provides points of interest near you for all tours.
Browse our selection of mobile tours.
Thematic Heritage Trails
Occasionally, the Heritage Tourism team is dispatched to create visitor experiences around specialized themes or subject matter. Usually, these projects are statewide trails passed through the Texas legislature. One such project currently in development is the Texas Music History Trail, an initiative to promote tourism related to the musical heritage of the state.
Read more about the Texas Music History Trail here.
