Yearly planner

Month	Trip Type	Event	Driving Distance from Austin, Description
Jan	Day	Eagle cruise on Lake Buchanan, and state-wide Texas lakes bald eagle count	Lake Buchanan about 60 min's NW, cruise about $30; about a dozen lakes throughout the eastern half of Texas need count volunteers
Feb	Wknd	Galveston Mardi Gras (exact dates vary)	About 4 SE; make hotel reservations this year for next
Mar	Multiple	Mar. 2 Texas Independence Day AND Sam Houston's b'day; day trip to Washington-on- the-Brazos State Park Wknd: Second two weekends and first wknd of Apr are Palestine Dogwood Festival; Palestine also SE terminus of Texas State Railroad ride, four hrs round-trip between Rusk and Palestine. Second half of March and first week of April comprise the Austin Star of Texas Rodeo March 27 is the anniversary of the massacre at Goliad, Texas	About 2 hrs east; combine with visit to Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, visit to convent ranch of miniature horses, possibly event at historic Fanthorp Inn State Park About four hrs NNE; combine with Big Thicket canoe trip or hike
Apr	Multiple	Day: first April Saturday is LBJ Ranch Roundup event Day, wknd: mid-April Ennis Bluebonnet Fest, officially decreed "State Bluebonnet Capital" Day: Second Sunday in April is Poteet Strawberry Fest; Wknd: last Saturday in April is annual adopt-a-beach cleanup day all along the Gulf Coast; pick your own litter; Wayne's comment: I was tickled to participate in this when it started in Galveston in the mid-80s, then when we gained sponsorship by the Texas General Land Office (GLO). Politics aside, then-Land Commissioner Gary Mauro invested work and time, beyond the call of duty. Now this event is worldwide, providing a good trash-scouring and inventory of global beaches. So it started in Texas, and I was there when it did... Day, Wknd: last weekend in April is the Freer Rattlesnake Roundup.	About 90 min's west; combine with hike to Pedernales Falls About 3.5 hrs north; combine with courthouse touring, perhaps road rally-type event with road trivia questions at restaurant gathering about 2.5 hours' south (20 min. south of San Antonio); combine with S.A. Missions Trail Combine with offshore fishing trip, combine with Freer Rattlesnake roundup if Corpus chosen; combine with Galveston Historic Strand tour if Galveston chosen about 4 hrs SSW; combine with trip to coast?
May	Multiple	Last weekend of May and first two weeks of June comprise the Kerrville Folk Fest (Camp Whirligig!) Memorial Day Weekend is Kerrville Official State Arts and Crafts Fair	about 2.5 hrs W, through Fredericksburg; combine with visit to Kerrville's Cowboy Art Museum; combine with F'burg
June	Day	Begin freestone peach and plum seasons in Gillespie County, pick your own/buy fresh fruit Last full weekend in June: Luling Watermelon Thump;	about 90 min's west; Combine with visit to LBJ Ranch, hike to Pedernales Falls About 90 min's south, through Lockhart (Texas' official BBQ capital) and Luling on Hwy 183; Combine with BBQ lunch at Lockhart's Black's BBQ and/or Luling's City Market; could divide into teams and review each;
July	Multiple	Canyon Lake, tubing cold rivers, hot nights at Gruene Hall
Aug	As long as it takes Surf's Up	August is the only month without a U.S. holiday. Click Galveston surf cam
Sep	Labor Day Westfest	Friday and Saturday before Labor Day: Oatmeal Festival Oom-pah-pah Czech style in West, Texas	About 40 minutes NW, but don't blink About 2.5 hours until parked, ten miles north of Waco up I-35; Editor's Note:Until the last decades of the 20th century, Czech was the second foreign language of Texas and third overall, after Spanish and English; this is an almost-certain Texas factoid, and I would love a verifying reference..
Oct	Hundreds of events	Day trip first Oct. weekend to Gonzales "Come and Take It" festival honoring the start of the Texas Revolution; Mid-October wknd trip to Athens, TX, for Black-eyed Pea Fest; Athens is also the birthplace of the hamburger; Mid-October wknd trip to Gilmer, TX, for Yamboree; Winfield, TX is reputed heart of Texas fall color area, north of I-20 Day trip to Brazos County for various wine events at Messina Hof Winery, including stomp your own grapes; Mid-Oct day trip to Cuero's Turkey Fest; Mid-Oct wknd trip to Gruene for the Gruene Wine and Music Festival;	About 4 hrs NNE; Combine with fall colors trip on E. Texas Steam Train, farther east in Palestine, or fall colors trip through Big Thicket About 120 min's east, south of College Station; Combine with visit to Geo. H.W. Bush Presidential Library at A&M About 90 min's south, through Lockhart and Luling on Hwy 183; Combine with BBQ lunch at Lockhart's Black's BBQ and/or Luling's City Market; could divide into teams and review each;