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Published: Wednesday, 12 March 2025 14:02
AUSTIN – You can enjoy spring too, at any of Texas’ State Parks. If you’re not into visiting during the month of March, there is plenty of time to visit on your way back up north. Texas State Parks still have day-use and overnight availability for anyone looking for an outdoor adventure.
“Spring is a special time to get outside, with warmer temperatures and blooming wildflowers — parks are perfect places to experience both,” said Tara Humphreys, director of interpretation for Texas State Parks. “We are excited to welcome visitors and showcase our parks and encourage every Texan to ‘take a walk on the wild side’ and visit a Texas State Park.”
Read more: Tips for adventures at Texas State Parks
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Published: Wednesday, 12 March 2025 13:52
As a Winter Texan, you know you can’t stay cooped up in your RV park all the time so when you want to venture out for a day it usually means passing Freddy Fender’s water tower with a trip to Brownsville or South Padre.
Haven’t you heard the expression, “Go West, Young Man, Go West”? So, if you have not followed the Valley to the west, here is a little help. Forget the bypass, there is little to see. Stay on Business 83 and go through Penitas and La Joya. Look for the small highway sign that points you to Los Ebanos, take that side trip for five minutes and you can see the rope drawn ferry across the Rio.
Read more: Go west for a change
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Published: Wednesday, 12 March 2025 13:48
Tropic Star had a great season with a wide variety of entertainment with many different shows, happy hours and dances. The park has over 75 different activities each week for their guests to take part in.
Tropic Star RV Park recently held a special event to honor the first responders in their park and from the City of Pharr.
They have also been busy with other things in the park. Tropic Star won first place in the 2025 Golden Age Olympics sponsored by the McAllen Parks and Recreation. The park won 113 medals and had four Overall Valley winners.
As they say at Tropic Star, you can’t be bored if you live at Tropic Star.
Submitted by Barb Thompson
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Published: Wednesday, 12 March 2025 13:20
There is a whole lot to see and do in South Texas. Those of you who want to know all about this area just need to go exploring and you can become a walking historian. History can be fun, entertaining, and educational. Why not set yourself a goal to visit every attraction in this area. This should keep you entertained for the whole year. Or maybe even more.
So where do you start? A small booklet called The Rio Grande Valley Visitors Guide has a short paragraph of most every attraction in the Rio Grande Valley. Call your chamber and see if they have copies of this little booklet. Or pick up one from the Texas Tourist Information Center in Harlingen, or go by the Winter Texan Times office in Mission. (You can also find it online at www.wintertexantimes.com under the Digital Editions heading.)
Your computer will also have a wealth of knowledge. Just search for "Attractions in (name of city)". To learn even more just search the name of the attraction that interests you.
You could start in Roma and just continue down to South Padre Island. Drive these routes on your own or you may want to join a tour group. Roma has a World Birding Center to please the avid birders. For the history buffs and the photographers, the beautiful older brick buildings should delight you. Next comes Rio Grande City and the Fort where Robert E. Lee was once stationed. The house where he lived and the map sketches on the walls are especially interesting.
Mission, home of Coach Landry and the La Lomita Mission with its charming little chapel and outdoor oven where bread was baked is certainly worth a visit. Mission also has an interesting museum that tells of the Orphan Trains that once operated across the United States.
Two of my favorite things will not be listed. If you want to really appreciate the vegetable farmers, why not drive the Memorial Highway - that's Highway 281 - that parallels the river. During mid to late January through mid-March you will see the many Winter Vegetables that are grown in South Texas. The leafy vegetable Kale is one of our newest crops. Water hungry sugar cane fields are in abundance.
Take time to stop in La Paloma at their cemetery and note how all the graves are facing South - not to the East as is customary in most cemeteries. Most of the graves belong to those who had their roots in Mexico. Could it be that on the day of judgement they hope to rise up and go back to their homeland? The Oblate Fathers in their desire to bring their faith to the early settlers established little chapels at all the ranch headquarters along this highway. These simple little chapels are charming and touching in their simplicity especially the one at El Ranchito.
A hidden jewel is in the Lutheran Church in Lyford. Wooden sculpted faces of the twelve disciples line the inside walls. The artist was so skilled that you can see the disbelief on the face of doubting Thomas.
Explore! And learn! South Texas is really interesting. Some might say we are the best of two worlds!
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Published: Wednesday, 12 March 2025 13:11
It’s been one heck of a week. We have been busy getting everything ready for our end of season issues. We just had the Winter Texan Fiesta last week and it was a blast – it got warm, but it was fun. We were out there wishing that the breeze had stayed a little longer as the clouds parted, and the sun came out.
I can’t believe we only have two more issues after this one. This one is one of our special editions. It is our Take Home Edition. In it we feature why so many Winter Texans choose the Rio Grande Valley as their home away from home. You can find stories about the many reasons why the Valley is a favorite and why you keep coming back year after year.
Also in this issue, you will find a submission that Mission Bell/Tradewinds featured at their park. They recently asked their residents to submit what they thought a Winter Texan was. We were given permission to use the winner that was published in their newsletter.
As a reminder – today is the deadline to get in votes for your favorite golf course. The past three weeks we featured stories about each course in the Valley which you can find online. You can also find the ballot to vote for your favorite online.
I hope you enjoy this issue and continue to share your stories and photos of what you love about the Rio Grande Valley. We love hearing from you and seeing all the fun you have. We also enjoy spending some of those fun times with you.
We always enjoy seeing the photos of your activities and even going through our archives and seeing your happy faces and all the fun you have. We will miss you as most of you start making your trek back north and look forward to seeing you again next year.
If you have something to share, please send it soon so we can share it before the season is over. Send submissions to news@wintertexantimes.com.
~ Rina
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Published: Wednesday, 12 March 2025 13:06
Hello everyone! It’s been a little busy here at the office. We were gearing up for the big event that is today, and the season is really in full swing now – getting ready to taper off in a few weeks though.
We have the Valley Star Awards today, Winter Texan Fiesta is in March, and there are many other things in between and throughout the month of March too. It’s almost the time of year when you start making your travel plans back to your summer home and cities around the Valley hold functions thanking you for spending some time with us.
We truly are thankful for you here at the Winter Texan Times. You not only give us something to do, but you entertain us, you share your wisdom, and you share your vibrance for life. You also let us be a part of your lives for half the year, and we enjoy every minute of it…. Well, the business part of it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be sometimes, we’re more in it for the fun.
And it’s fun that you have been having around the Valley. I see Facebook posts of you at dances, jams, and other events throughout the Valley.
We have been able to share some of your fun stuff. This issue highlights a big line dance bash that was held in January. Now, that’s something I could get into. I would need a refresher on a few and I have seen there are so many more dances to learn that weren’t around when I was hanging out at the local honky tonk.
It’s fun seeing all the fun you are having. We love seeing photos and sharing your stories.
If you have anything you would like to share, send it to us at news@wintertexantimes.com.
The Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show & Rodeo will be held March 6 through March 16. Special admission on Senior Citizen Day, March 9, will be $5. Chris Marshall will be playing at the youth center from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Tickets are discounted for 55+, law enforcement and military. Must show ID, law enforcement badge or military ID.
By Carina A. Brunson
By Herb Moering
If you love coming down to the Rio Grande Valley each winter, you’re invited to become a Winter Texan Ambassador. The job is simple: share with your friends all the good times you have in the Valley each winter – away from the snow and ice. In a place where you can play golf almost any winter day. In a place where your MH & RV resort is a community of its own with lots of friends to share in a whole array of fun activities.
