Page 28 Rio Grande Valley Visitors Guide 2026-2027 in the historic 1910 Hidalgo County Jail, the museum has grown to occupy an entire city block in the heart of downtown Edinburg. Through exhibitions, historic buildings, educational programs, and the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives, MOSTHistory brings the region’s rich history to life. Every visit offers an opportunity to discover the stories that shaped the Rio Grande Valley and the borderlands. From everyday lives to extraordinary moments, the museum explores the people, cultures, and events that shaped South Texas. Whether you’re discovering the museum for the first time or returning to revisit a favorite story, MOSTHistory invites guests of all ages to slow down, look closer, and leave with a deeper appreciation for this remarkable region. The Museum of South Texas History is located at 200 N. Closner Blvd. on the historic Hidalgo County Courthouse Square in downtown Edinburg. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For admission information, upcoming events, membership, and more, visit MOSTHistory.org or call (956) 383-6911. Bert Ogden Arena Bert Ogden Arena is the largest indoor entertainment venue in deep South Texas and serves as a premiere destination for sports and live entertainment. The venue has over 9,000 seats, luxury and member suites, 78 points of sale, restaurants and more to suit the needs of visitors during shows and other live events. The Arena is home to the RGV Vipers, an NBA G-league basketball team. For upcoming shows and events, be sure to follow on social media at Bert Ogden Arena. The Arena is located at 4900 S I-69C in Edinburg. Call (956) 562-7362 or visit www.bertogdenarena.com for more information. Pharr Aquatic Center Located at 1000 S. Fir St., the Pharr Aquatic Center serves the community with family fun. Designed and managed by the Pharr Parks & Recreation Department, the Pharr Aquatic Center consists of a fan shaped 6,800 sq. ft. leisure pool, which enters from a zero-depth beach area that wades into 3-1/2’. On the shallow end stands a water play structure that features three children’s slides, geysers, water sprayers, misters, spray fans, two giant splash buckets, and ornamental palm tree sprayers. Available to the public is a lazy river that consists of a 200’ raft slide that spills into a 360’ linear ft. 8’ wide meandering river. Other amenities include a children’s pool, featuring geysers and a baby slide, and is covered with a shade structure. Also, the center features a Natatorium that encloses a 25-yard x 25-meter, 10 lane competition pool. The Aquatic Center opens in the summer. Admission fees Wednesday through Friday (closed Monday and Tuesday) are children and senior citizens for $3 and adults for $5, Saturday and Sunday fees are $5 and $10 respectively. For more information call (956) 402-4550 or visit the website at www.pharr-tx.gov/parks-recreation/aquatic-center/. Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle – National Shrine Devout Catholics often make pilgrimages to see the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan de Valle. The Shrine got its start in 1949 when Father Jose Maria Azpiazu, OMI, placed a replica of the image of the Immaculate Conception of San Juan de los Lagos in the parish Church at San Juan. Such was the number of pilgrims that in 1954 a new shrine was dedicated to house the image. Disaster struck the first shrine in 1970, when a pilot deliberately crashed his plane into the building after giving notice to the air control tower to warn the public because he was going to crash his plane into a church or school somewhere in the Valley. The faithful continued to make pilgrimages to the shrine, and the church grew in strength from the ashes of the old one. On April 19, 1980, the present shrine was dedicated. On June 12, 1999, the shrine was designated a “Minor Basilica” through official notification from the Vatican. The Basilica is located in San Juan at 400 N. Virgen de San Juan Blvd. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. There are Masses held throughout the week, both in English and Spanish. For information call (956) 787-0033 or visit www.olsjbasilica.org. La Sal Del Rey La Sal del Rey is the site of a large salt lake and was South Texas’s main source of vital salt
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