Unless the mercury in the thermometer is wrong, the summer season has officially arrived with the passing of the Memorial Day weekend. June has come, and it's a great time to brave the summer heat in, if you dare, and venture into the diversified world of Texas! Sure...most of you come in the winter months when the warm tropical breezes keep the state at a comfortable temperature. And we all know there is plenty to see and do in the winter season. But with all the tempting activities of summer in Texas, you might want to schedule a mini-vacation away from home to discover all that you have been missing. Because - believe it or not - even in the summer, there are some really COOL places to be in Texas. Read on! Where to Start? From El Paso to Orange, there are plenty of summer festivals, theme parks, historical attractions, and waterparks to keep you entertained. With more miles of useable beaches than any other state in the Union, and just as many recreational lakes, there are plenty of watersports as well. Boating, fishing, camping, hiking, scenic caverns and national landmarks, state parks and national recreation areas...the list is long and varied.  To cover them all would require a complete summer travel manual. But we want to cover a few of our favorites; more than you could fit into one single summer trip to Texas. And despite the heats, you'll have to agree, these are some really cool places to be in the summer! THEME PARKS There are plenty from which to choose. From Six Flags facilities in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio to Seaworld in the Alamo City, to sprawling waterparks in New Braunfels and South Padre Island, it's hard to pick a favorite. But since most of you are "sensitive" to the warm Texas sun, we're going to have to give the nod to the hottest coolest spot under the Texas sun - Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels. Oh Yeah! There's nothing like a hot day and a cool waterpark in the  Central Texas Hill Country. Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort  in the heart of the German-settlement community of New Braunfels, is the perfect place to beat the heat. Plenty of great shade trees, cool, clean water to play in, and great places to fill up on native German food dishes. STATE PARKS With over 120 state parks and historic sites to explore, Texas offers great outdoor activities in safe, clean and attractive state facilities. From RVing to backcountry backpacking, there are plenty of opportunities to explore nature and the elusive, beautiful natural areas of the state. Again, it's impossible to choose just one park over al the others. But here is our Summer 2004 recommendations: Davis Mountains State Park At 8,000 feet above sea level, the heat doesn't last long here, even in summer. With 2708.9 acres in size, is located in Jeff Davis County, four miles northwest of Fort Davis, approximately halfway between Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, and Big Bend National Park. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area consists of 1643.5 acres on Big Sandy Creek, north of Fredericksburg, on the border between Gillespie and Llano Counties. The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises 425 feet above ground, 1825 feet above sea level, and covers 640 acres. It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States.  Is it hot? Yes, but there's always a cool shade tree or refreshing body of water where one can cool down from the heat. Galveston Island State Park in Galveston County, is in the City of Galveston on the west end of Galveston Island. It is a 2,013.1-acre site that was acquired in 1969 from private owners under the State Parks Bond Program and was opened in 1975.  Galveston Island is believed to be approximately 5000 years old and has had an interesting history during the past 500 years. It is generally believed Cabeza de Vaca and his crew were shipwrecked here in 1520 and eventually made their way from the island to colonies in Mexico. It can certainly get hot on the Texas coast, but there's nothing like a swim in the Gulf to bring the heat down. CAVERNS Longhorn Cavern State Park Longhorn Cavern State Park, south of Burnet in Burnet County, is 645.62 acres classified as a scenic park in the rugged Hill Country. Longhorn Cavern was acquired in 1932 - 1937 from private owners. It was dedicated a state park in 1932, was opened in 1938 and was dedicated as a natural landmark in 1971. The cave was first formed when the ground levels of water began to drop. As this downward movement occurred, the water began to dissolve the limestone. This downward drainage continued until great underground stream beds were cut out of solid rock. Today, the average cavern temp lingers in the 60-degree range - even in summer! The Texas State Aquarium Tour the Gulf of Mexico (without getting wet)! Walking into the Aquarium immediately awakens all your senses! You can smell the seashore... You can see the animals... You can hear all the sounds of Mother Nature as all these qualities come together to submerse you into the Gulf of Mexico. Visit the State Aquarium in beautiful Corpus Christi, Texas. These are but a few cool ideas for a hot Texas summer. There are plenty more. But these should keep you busy for a while. Happy summer touring! Sign up for our Email Newsletter