Prairie & Lakes

The Prairie & Lakes Region is between the Piney Woods to the east and the Panhandle Plains and Hill Country to the west.

Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington are the big cities in the Prairie & Lakes Region.

As the name suggests there are Prairies in this region. If you are visiting Fort Worth you can see some classic Texas Prairie at either the Fort Worth Nature Preserve or the Tandy Hills Natural Area, with Tandy Hills probably giving you your best look at what a Texas Prairie looked like before the arrival of civilization.

As for the Lakes in this region, there are a lot of them, all manmade reservoirs providing fun for fishermen, swimmers, boaters, skiers and all other water sports enthusiasts.

Below is a list of some of the towns in the Prairie & Lakes Region. For more Prairie & Lakes Region information go to our Eyes on Texas Prairie & Lakes Region webpage....

Arlington
Conveniently located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Arlington is home to theme parks, water parks, baseball parks and soon a real big football stadium for the Dallas Cowboys.

Bastrop
Near Austin, Bastrop is a central Texas town built on the banks of the Colorado River. Bastrop has golfing, shopping, and places to play outside, like at Lake Bastrop and Bastrop State Park.

Bonham
About an hour northeast of Dallas, Bonham offers visitors to a variety of lakes, camping locations, golf, shopping, and museums.

Bowie 
Bowie is known for cowboys, (the horse riding kind, not the football playing type cowboy), with the Bowie Championship Pro Rodeo being but one of the activities taking place in this "western town." Bowie is also home to the Chisholm Trail Memorial Park, monthly antique fairs, Lake Amon G. Carter, Bowie Reservoir and more.

Brenham
This is where the famous Blue Bell Creamery is located. Brenham also has historic home tours and wildflower trails.

Canton
The 4 days before the First Monday of each month Canton's First Monday Trade Days takes place, turning Canton into the "World's Largest Flea Market."

Cleburne
Cleburne has rodeos, antique shops, restaurants, museums, Lake Pat Cleburne, and Whistle Stop Christmas.

College Station
College Station is the home of the Texas A&M Aggies. However, this Central Texas town also is home to a number of impressive libraries, golf courses, nightclubs, and more. Including the Presidential Library of the first President Bush.

Dallas
Dallas has more shopping centers per capita than any other city in America. Dallas has more restaurants per capita than New York City. Which makes Dallas a mecca for shoppers and eaters.

Decatur
Decatur is the Wise County seat with a courthouse built of pink limestone.

Denton
Denton has several museums and a downtown square on National Historic Registry.

Denison
Denison is where President Dwight. D. Eisenhower was born.

Duncanville
In Duncanville you will find the Dallas Nature Center, Dr Pepper Starcenter and a downtown with antiques, boutiques and arts & crafts.

Farmer's Branch
A Dallas suburb, Farmer's Branch gives visitors a small town break, yet quick access to everything Big D has to offer.

Flower Mound
Flower Mound is where most of Lake Grapevine's Northshore Trail is located.

Fort Worth
Fort Worth began in the mid 1800s as an army outpost. It has grown from those days to being a city of over 700,000 people. The Chisholm Trail ran through Fort Worth, which is one of many reasons Fort Worth is known as Cowtown.

Frisco
Pizza Hut Park and Dr Pepper/7 Up Ballpark are in Frisco

Gainesville
In Gainesville you will find Frank Buck Zoo.

Garland
Garland is a suburb 15 miles northeast of Dallas. Home to several industries, including Resistol Hat Factory, which made J.R. Ewing's cowboy hats.

Gonzales
The "Cradle of Texas Independence," the tiny town of Gonzales celebrates its place in Texas history.

Glen Rose
Located near Dinosaur Valley State Park and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Glen Rose has plenty to offer visitors in the way of outdoor activities. Beautiful Courthouse Square. The scenic Paluxy River flows through Glen Rose. Glen Rose is about 15 miles south of Granbury.

Granbury
Granbury provides visitors outdoor recreational activities on Lake Granbury, but this small town is more known for its antique shopping, wineries and Festivals and Parades. Granbury is about 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

Grand Prairie
Located in the center of the DFW Metroplex, Grand Prairie is home to Joe Pool Lake and offers quick access to Dallas, Ft. Worth and other area attractions, including Cedar Hills State Park and Lynn Creek Park.

Grapevine
Grapevine has many attractions, including Lake Grapevine with its many parks. There are Wineries, the Tarantula Train taking passengers to the Fort Worth Stockyards and back, the Grapevine Opry, Bass Pro Shops, Grapevine Mills, Gaylord Texan, Great Wolf Lodge, Glass Cactus nightclub and a lot of history.

Irving
Irving used to be home to the Dallas Cowboys, but still is home to many corporations, most headquartered at Los Colinas.

Killeen
Killeen is the home of Fort Hood.

Lewisville
Located in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex, in Lewisville you can golf, play watersports and go fishing on Lake Lewisville, antique shopping in Old Town Lewisville, with fine dining.

Luling
Luling is the home of the Watermelon Thump Festival and decorated oil pump jacks.

McKinney
McKinney's Historic Courthouse Square features more than 100 shops, with antiques, restaurants, specialty shops and art galleries.

Madisonville
Lots of outdoors activities in Madisonville, Texas, including the annual "Mushroom Festival."

Parker
Parker is the small town north of Dallas that is the location of Southfork Ranch, from the Dallas TV show.

Plano
Plano is known as the "Balloon Capital of Texas" with balloon races taking place in September, as part of a big arts and crafts fair and balloon festival.

Salado
Whether you want a romantic getaway or a quiet weekend along, Salado is the perfect spot. Offering fine bed and breakfast inns, as well as quaint shops, dynamic water gardens, and carriage tours, Salado is sure to put your mind at ease.

Waco
Waco is one of the few towns in Texas named for an Indian tribe. Located on the Brazos River, Waco is now a modern city and home to Baylor University as well as a number of renowned museums. You can also visit Mount Carmel, the site of the Branch-Davidian stand-off. Though it is not in Waco, the Waco Visitor's Center will give you a map showing you how to get there.

Waxahachie
The Scarborough Faire Renaissance Festival takes place each spring in Waxahachie, a town town for its elaborate Victorian style homes.

Weatherford
The Parker County Peach Festival takes place in Weatherford. Oliver Loving's (who's story inspired Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove)  is buried in Weatherford's Greenwood Cemetery

West
Czechoslovakian's migrated to West to farm wheat, cotton and maize. Czech traditions continue in modern day West where you will find many Kolache Bakeries.