Wichita Falls businesses provide summer fun without the travel expense
After a couple of years of uncertainty about journey plans, many individuals have been anxious to take some trip time this summer season. Nevertheless, a surge in fuel costs and looming recession put a damper on a few of these plans.
Fortunately, native journey consultants say in Wichita Falls and the encircling North Texas space, there are a terrific many leisure and actions proper in our personal yard.
Getting away from all of it doesn’t imply having to drive or fly a terrific distance. In only a few-minutes’ drive, you would be selecting out regionally grown produce, watching a dwell theater present, exploring nature, or having fun with a glass of award-winning wine.
Gasoline costs in bought you down? Strive a ‘staycation’ in Wichita Falls
Claire Spivey with the Texas Department of Transportation Wichita Falls Travel Center mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic began a resurgence within the curiosity in out of doors journey in addition to “staycations,” the place individuals loved actions nearer to residence.
She mentioned whereas individuals nationwide nonetheless wished to journey throughout that point, they appeared for alternatives like federal and state parks, rivers, lakes and the coasts for socially distanced enjoyment.
Whereas the specter of COVID has lessened, Spivey mentioned the love of nature and the outside stays sturdy with a continued curiosity in outdoor-related journeys.
Alongside the identical strains, recreational-vehicle journey additionally noticed an uptick, and curiosity stays sturdy, as individuals choose for their very own home-on-wheels, quite than sharing a crowded airplane or bus.
There are quite a few out of doors spots close to Wichita Falls together with Texas State Parks like Lake Arrowhead, Fort Richardson in Jacksboro, Mineral Wells and Lake Texoma.
The Wichita Falls TxDOT journey heart is one among 12 facilities in Texas and is a hub for nice journey info.
Together with maps and brochures, the middle employs educated workers, like Spivey, who can help vacationers in planning the right journey – both close to residence or a bit of farther down the street.
Dozens of journey locations close to Wichita Falls
Adele Lewis, a public info officer with TxDOT, mentioned Wichita Falls sits in a primary location with dozens of journey scorching spots inside an hour or two.
Wichita Falls itself has phenomenal locations for buying, eating and historic websites. Dallas and Fort Value are a pair hours to the southeast, and close by cities like Quanah, Vernon, Seymour and Henrietta have museums, basic automotive shows and different distinctive points of interest.
Wichita Falls has actions for youngsters and their households together with Castaway Cove Waterpark, the Riverbend Nature Center, a splash pad, a number of playgrounds and parks and the town’s practically full hike/bike path. The path shall be roughly 25 miles when completed and can make a loop across the metropolis.
Lewis mentioned the Wichita Falls’ downtown space is rising rapidly and is usually a day-trip vacation spot all by itself. Begin with a morning on the Farmers Market the place you’ll find regionally grown fruit and veggies, handmade baked items, candles, soaps and extra. Later within the day, seize a meal at one of many many native eating places and catch a dwell efficiency on the Wichita Theatre or Backdoor Theatre.
Through the week in the summertime, the Farmers Market is open Tuesday and Thursday mornings and the After Hours Art Walk, the primary Thursday of the month via the season, is one other hit with native artists and craftspeople exhibiting their wares.
Wineries, vineyards standard in North Texas space
One other rising attraction is the variety of vineyards and wineries within the North Texas space.
“Proper subsequent door, however worlds away,” is the motto of the Horseshoe Bend Cellars Vineyard and Winery. House owners Scott and Linda Poenitzsch have been trying ahead to the subsequent chapter of their lives after they occurred upon the vineyard in Iowa Park.
In 2017, the couple have been inquisitive about working a vineyard after visiting others close to the Metroplex and the St. Jo area.
As luck would have it, an web search confirmed a winery in Iowa Park and the previous homeowners have been trying to promote.
After gathering the wanted permits, present process some renovations and a reputation change, they have been open for enterprise in March of 2018.
Scott Poenitzsch mentioned they revamped the texture and philosophy of the placement. Quite than being only a store and tasting room, they wished a extra stress-free expertise the place guests really feel like a part of the household, stayed some time and loved themselves.
He mentioned as quickly as they noticed the land, they knew Horseshoe Bend was some place particular. Whereas it’s simply 10 minutes exterior of Wichita Falls, you wouldn’t comprehend it if you are there.
The land is surrounded with tall inexperienced timber and the one sounds are the breeze whispering via the leaves and maybe the occasional horse whinny.
Gabriele Poenitzsch, Scott’s daughter and common supervisor of the enterprise, mentioned they’ve added a number of occasions to get individuals out to the vineyards regularly.
Social media has been an enormous enhance for visibility and so they have an Instagram attain of about 80,000 previously month.
One of the standard additions to the winery is their homicide thriller dinners.
Guests come out for the themed occasion (previous occasions have been Twenties-themed, vampires, Nineteen Fifties, marriage ceremony, and coming quickly is a masquerade theme) dressed as characters and take part in an interactive “who-done-it” dinner with a multi-course meal and wine pairings.
One other tremendously standard attraction at Horseshoe Bend is the Harvest Hosts program.
By way of this system, recreational-vehicle lovers keep the night time at any one among hundreds of collaborating wineries, breweries, distilleries, farms and different points of interest.
Poenitzsch mentioned the primary yr they joined Harvest Hosts in 2019, they anticipated perhaps 20-30 contributors. That yr they’d 119 Harvest Host guests, 254 got here the subsequent yr and so they had 356 Harvest Host contributors in 2021.
Gabriele mentioned guests wished extra occasions all through the week, and so they answered.
They’ve native artists come out for portray classes with native eats and wine pairings. Future plans embody music live shows, dwell work, yoga within the winery and a backyard social gathering.
Whereas the wine tasting itself is, after all, an grownup exercise, Poenitzsch mentioned the placement is family-friendly with video games and actions for the little ones, 75-acres of pure land to discover with a strolling path to the lake and feeding time for his or her mascot, a horse named Oreo.
Horseshoe Bend is a part of the Cross Timbers Wine Trail of the North Texas space which additionally contains cities like Denton, St. Jo and Gainesville.
Scott Poenitzsch mentioned they’ve guests from everywhere in the world, however many are additionally from proper right here within the Wichita Falls space.
His enterprise, he mentioned, is one half farmer, one other chemist and yet one more is the shopper interplay. Poenitzsch and Gabriele each say the very best half is participating with prospects and making them really feel at residence.
Whereas they’re visiting Horseshoe Bend, Poenitzsch mentioned individuals usually ask about different issues to do within the Wichita Falls space and he loves making suggestions for downtown actions.
Poenitzsch mentioned they’re greater than keen to assist guests fall in love with the world, exhibiting them the easiest way to get to the enduring Wichita Falls waterfalls, sharing the historical past of the Littlest Skyscraper, and offering details about the Farmers Market.
Downtown has quite a few decisions for different wineries together with 6th Street Winery, OG Cellars and Hook & Ladder. There’s a just lately opened distillery, the Speakeasy Distillery and an area beer brewery, Wichita Falls Brewing Company.
study extra about touring in North Texas
For vacationers trying to discover extra of the nice state of Texas, TxDOT journey facilities have quite a lot of info and there are different sources on-line:
Traveltexas.com – Vacationers can search for any metropolis or area and discover locations to go and issues to do.
Drivetexas.org – Offers driving info like development areas, site visitors delays, street closures, climate info and street circumstances.
One other device from TxDOT is asking 1-800-452-9292 for street circumstances and journey info. The quantity is very normal when on the street and taking a look at a web site isn’t an choice.
Discoverwichitafalls.com – Has info particular to Wichita Falls together with an occasions calendar, historical past of the town, and details about issues to do together with antiquing, biking, drinks/eating, tenting, espresso and household enjoyable. The location features a enjoyable interactive journey planner.
If getting out of city is a should, Spivey mentioned a street journey continues to be top-of-the-line methods to have a terrific journey whereas seeing all that Texas has to supply.
There are 12 journey info facilities all through the state that present maps, brochures, guides, low cost coupons and nice info from educated journey counselors.
Spivey mentioned Texas is a big state, and journey could be intimidating when individuals have no idea the place to begin. Journey counselors can assist individuals uncover new locations, discover the very best offers, lodging and actions for his or her group.
“We like to load you down with concepts – that is the place to come back,” Spivey mentioned.
Claire Kowalick, a senior journalist for the Occasions File Information, covers native authorities, navy and MSU Texas. When you’ve got a information tip, contact Claire at ckowalick@gannett.com.
Twitter: @KowalickNews
