The Museum of South Texas History tells the story of the Rio Grande Valley region. The admission doors set the tone. They're made out of mesquite, a tree well known in south Texas. The Grand Lobby follows with its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, a popular style in the early 1900s. The Rio Grande Legacy exhibit upstairs tells about the region's early history with ancient tools, prehistoric fossils, Spanish colonial treasure and steamboat artifacts. The region's later history is told in the downstairs River Crossroads exhibit. Visitors see a replica of a train station and learn about railroads, agriculture, the Valley through the war years and the post-war years. Across a courtyard, sits the Old Jail that was built in 1910. It includes an exhibit on Edinburg resident Freddy Gonzalez, who won a Medal of Honor in Vietnam. The museum was formerly called the Hidalgo County Historical Museum.
Museum of South Texas History
200 N. Closner Blvd.
Edinburg, TX 78541
956-383-6911
mosthistory.org
Fans of Tejano music--a genre popular in Texas and Central Texas--flock to the Tejano Walk of Fame. The walk is similar to the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Tejano legends get their name engraved over a marble star. Five singers are inducted every October during Hispanic heritage month. The walkway features a sculpture of Jose Roberto Pulido, a city native and a Tejano pioneer. Inductees include Selena Quintanilla, Isidro Lopez and Narciso Martinez.
Tejano Walk of Fame
415 W. McIntyre St.
Edinburg, TX 78541
800-800-7214
governor.state.tx.us/music/tour/tejano-walk-of-fame
The World Birding Center's Edinburg Scenic Wetlands is a 40-acre area for wildlife and outdoor lovers. Bird watchers can spot shorebirds and waterfowl such as the American Avocet and Green Kingfisher--as well as 13 duck species--on platforms overlooking lagoons. You can also take strolls on winding paths throughout the wetlands. An interpretive center has exhibits on aquatic and fish habitats. The venue includes events throughout the year, including wildflower tours, night tours and seminars for naturalists like how to make a backyard wildlife sanctuary.
World Birding Center's Edinburg Scenic Wetlands
714 S. Raul Longoria
Edinburg, TX 78539
956-381-9922
worldbirdingcenter.org/sites/edinburg/index.phtml
