Destination overview

The Southwest of the United States takes in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, and with less than three people per square mile, the Southwest is an area of vast open spaces. However, its cities teem with residents, fantastic shopping, dining and nightlife. Famed for its natural beauty and welcoming climate, this region attracts hundreds of thousands of holiday-makers every year and is the ideal destination for anyone who appreciates the natural beauty of the great outdoors.

The Dallas/Fort Worth areas in Texas are a great example of everything the Southwest has to offer. The privately-owned aquarium in Dallas’s West End is worth a visit for more than just its fish. In the Fort Worth Cultural District the nightlife, particularly in Old West style saloons is amazing. Take the kids to Six Flags Over Texas and art deco buffs must visit Fair Park. Shoppers will love Greenville Avenue and Highlands Park Village. Stay in Bridgeport or Granbury to escape the crowds and add a few natural pleasures like diving Lake Granbury and following prehistoric tracks in Dinosaur Valley.

Austin is all about live music, but there are also 220 parks in this amazing city. Scuba dive Lake Travis or swim in Barton Springs natural pool. On the edge of Hill Country, you’ll find lovely towns surrounded by beautiful scenery and wildlife. Perfect fishing and hunting country, this area is particularly stunning in spring and autumn.

Visit Lago Vista, gateway to the Balcones Canyonlands, Canyon Lake, where the water is clear enough to dive, Germanic New Braunfels with the excellent Bandit golf course, Bandera and its mix of Indian, Mexican, Polish and Western cultures, and of course, San Antonio, site of the infamous Alamo battlefield. Brownsville and South Padre Island are even closer to the border and when not lazing on the beautiful white sandy beaches, swimming in the clear water, exploring the Chisholm Trail or bird watching, walk across the Mexican border to shop. You’ll find some fabulous ceramic and papier-mâché, woollen blankets, straw and leather goods and silver and gold jewellery.

Corpus Christi and Port Aransas, Freeport and Galveston stretch along the Gulf Coast. Temperatures are balmy all year, the beaches are divine, fishing is top notch, the birdlife is fantastic and the Gulf of Mexico is just inviting you to go diving.

North of Houston (and the Johnson Space Center) you’ll find some of Texas’ oldest farming towns, with many historic buildings. Must-visits are the vaudeville-style Crighton Theater in Conroe, New Ulm and Willis, whose cigars were sold worldwide, Montgomery, birthplace of the Texas flag, Huntsville and its excellent Waterford Golf Course. Lake Sam Rayburn is a superlative fishing spot, especially the Powell Park area. Hunters favour the Piney Woods region and golfers can play the 9-hole Robert Trent Jones-designed course, while nature-lovers can enjoy an abundance of wildlife.

There are more beaches and water sports on Lake Palestine in Flint, while Holly Lake Ranch offers an 18-hole PGA golf course. Scenic Stigler in Oklahoma is another great fishing spot, placed between two lakes with excellent sandy beaches. Part of the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Kerr Lake is particularly good for hunting. The ancient oak in nearby Tamaha is enormous, the working Overstreet-Kerr Farm in Keota is beautifully preserved and you can follow a genuine Indian trail through the peaceful Ouachita Mountains.

Afton used to be one of the prime stopping points along Route 66. Now its vintage gas stations and auto courts are a reminder of bygone days. Take an historic drive further west to Vinita. There are still beautiful art deco buildings and a fine Spraker Service Station. Continue west, all the way to Rio Rancho, New Mexico, where you’ll find more restored gas stations. You can explore Albuquerque’s Old Town, especially High Road, with its enchanting old adobe buildings and interesting petroglyphs. Nearby Rio Grange Gorge is evocative of the State’s incredible landscapes. The river’s great to fish and, after spring melt, very exciting to go rafting. Winter is for skiing, especially around Santa Fe. Its historic railroad is one of the longest in the world; the spiral staircase at Loretto’s Chapel will intrigue you and the simple lines of the adobe San Miguel Mission will enchant just about anyone.

Take the scenic Jemez High Road to Los Alamos to explore the archaeological remains at Bandelier and the surrounding wilderness. The Black Hole is a treasure trove of a different kind, as is the Bradbury Science Museum. Around Taos, the dizzyingly high bridge across the Rio Grande Gorge and the 1,000 year-old Pueblo silhouetted against the intensely blue sky must be included on your itinerary.

The skiing here and in Angel Fire has been ranked alongside Aspen. Ruidoso and Alto in the Rockies can also be skied, but it’s their spectacular scenery that really takes the cake. Billy the Kid used to hang out here, and horse rides are still popular. Swim, dive, hike and fish Lea Lake, soar over spectacular scenery in the Apache gondola, play golf amongst wildlife on the Alto Ridge and then find a hot spring and relax.

Take Route 66 further west to Flagstaff, Arizona, a great spot to stop and visit the magnificent Grand Canyon. The drive to the north rim is beautiful, the crowds aren’t as bad and the views even more stunning. Go to the Cameron Trading Post for authentic Native American artefacts and tasty Navajo tacos, catch the Grand Canyon Railway and the Scenic Skyride and watch the sun sink from Sunset Crater Volcano. The breathtaking red rock monoliths around spiritually-inclined Sedona are spectacular, while indigenous ruins, petroglyphs and ancient pueblos abound. And try and visit the Chapel of the Holy Cross gift shop for souvenirs.

Lake Havasu is all about water sports, casinos and sunshine and further east, the dramatic Rim Country is heaven for cowboys, anglers and nature lovers. Payson’s Tonto Natural Bridge is the largest travertine span, Pinetop has the largest Ponderosa Pine stand and Overgaard is near the Mogollon Rim as it plummets to the plateau. To the south is Cave Creek, on the edge of the beautiful Sonoran Desert and Fountain Hills, on the flanks of the McDowell Mountains. Out of the 300 golf courses in the state, this is where you’ll find some of the best, like the breathtakingly beautiful We-Ko-Pa. You’ll find others in sunny Phoenix-Scottsdale, including the Gary Panks-designed Legacy.

You’ll find giant saguaro cacti in Oro Valley, delectable Mexican in Tucson’s Barrio Historico or El Presidio districts and the crystal-clear night skies draw astronomers to the observatory in Tubac. In this part of the US, you will find a wonderful mix of high peaks, scorching deserts, endless prairies and rocky formations that seem to have been painted against the bright blue skies. It’s a piece of America you won’t want to miss.