10 things to know before visiting Texas (by a local who found out the hard way)

13.09.2023 - 23:35 / lonelyplanet.com

You’d think marrying a Texan and watching hours of unofficial documentaries about Beyoncé, the queen of Houston, would serve me well for a move to the Lone Star State. Alas, little could prepare me for what was to come.

I spent much of my first few months in cringeworthy scenarios: discovering meal options were either large or extra large; suffering severe heat rashes because I ventured outside past 10 am in July; seeing my first ever gun – followed by the first time I ever heard one fired (on a ranch where you gotta keep them coyotes at bay). Yet there were many super-sweet times too – and it’s those oversized surprises that make life in Texas fantastic. Who doesn’t love unlimited carbonated drink refills? Or tubs of ice cream the size of a sink? As the state's saying goes: ‘Everything’s Bigger in Texas’ – but that doesn’t apply only to the food.

Bigger than the whole of France, the US's second-largest state has a wide range of landscapes to explore: from the Chihuahuan Desert to Texas Hill Country's natural springs, via the vibrant cities of Austin and San Antonio. With more than 30 million living here – four million more than the whole of Australia – there's also a lot of folk to meet, too. So whilst there's a bunch of logistics to consider when traversing the state, there are plenty of things to know before you go, too. Here are 10 pointers for visiting Texas for the first time – by a long-term resident who found things out the hard way.

The first question I'm always asked is about discrimination in Texas. Are racism, homophobia and sexism as rife as the state's reputation suggests? On the surface, things look bad. In 2023, Texas lawmakers passed or proposed a slew of restrictive LGBTQI+ legislation. FBI data also points to increases in racist, homophobic and religious hate crimes across the last decade. Some of my own experiences reflect that. I've had gay friends go to Christian conversion camps and heard racist remarks made by professional, educated people.

However, despite what’s happening within the government, the sentiment isn’t followed across the board. More than 70% of Texans support anti-discrimination laws for LGBTQ people and younger generations in the big cities, such as Millennials and Gen-Z, are especially progressive.

LGBTQI+ travelers and people of color will find supportive allies in Houston, known for its huge ethnically-diverse communities; Austin, which has a tight-knit queer community; and Dallas which teems with female leaders like the Executive Vice President of the Dallas Cowboys and the brilliant Anne Chow, who became telecommunications company AT&T’s first woman-of-color CEO. Not everyone in Texas has a Trump flag on their lawn.

Despite being the state with the largest