DEL RIO

Lake Amistad spills into two countries and boasts almost 1,000 miles of shoreline. In 1969 a cooperative U.S.-Mexico project built the dam, creating the 67,000-acre lake and enhancing recreational opportunities in the area. Anglers need a license from the appropriate country. Limited hunting is permitted (shotguns for birds, bow hunting for other game). A six-mile road on the dam (open 10 a.m.–6 p.m. daily) provides access from one side to the other. Spectacular prehistoric rock paintings are visible from the lake and Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site.

Campgrounds open daily 24 hours, Visitor Information Center open daily 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed major holidays).

Admission: Free. Call for camping and boat launch fees. Annual permit and state hunting license required to hunt.

This border town, named after Manuel Acuña, the romantic poet of the Mexican Revolution, offers delicious Mexican cuisine, plenty of shopping, and a lively nightlife, including a series of Texas music concerts. Before you drive across the border, check on Mexican car insurance; better yet, just park on the U.S. side, walk across the toll bridge (open 24 hours), and catch a taxi or bus to downtown Ciudad Acuña.

Toll fees vary.

$0.00

In 1962 the Whiteheads, a local ranching family, donated the Perry Mercantile Building for use as a museum. Over the years other structures have been added to the “pioneer” community, and now the Whitehead complex includes 14 buildings and 21 exhibits, among them the 1870 Perry Store, the La Zapa Chapel, the 1905 Hal Patton Office, and the Cadena Nativity Exhibit. Also on the grounds are the graves of Judge Roy Bean and his son, Sam.

Open Tue.–Sat. 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Sun. 1–5 p.m. (closed Christmas).

Admission: $5, seniors $4, children 13–18 $3, 6–12 $2. Guided tours by appointment.