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Art/Culture/History

Historic Brownsville Museum

Brownsville’s themed museums and heritage sites provide a look at the unique culture shaped by two nations over the past few centuries. Brownsville is a great time travel destination with Spanish and New Orleans influenced architecture, Mexican American War sites, aviation history, the Chisholm Trail’s beginnings, and much more – all interspersed with a rich cultural. While the museums paint the pictures and tell the tales of earlier days, the old City Cemetery provides the many connections among the names and places with stories on the crypts and burial monuments.

Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site

The nation’s newest national park is the Palo Alto Battlefield to interpret the site where the Mexican American War began in 1846. At the FM 511 and Paredes Line Road site, the facilities include a heritage visitors center, trails, and interpretive signage. The park offers an exhibit and video about the war, short walking trail, a battlefield overlook, and special events. Presently, exhibits and information are provided by the National Park Service at its visitors center, located at 7200 Paredes Line Rd, Brownsville, Texas just north of of the intersection with FM 511.

Fort Brown

Fort Brown is another site with connections to this war along with being an instrumental part of the City’s history. Today, Fort Brown provides a home to the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and Fort Brown Memorial Golf Course. Some of the original Fort Buildings are now in use on the UTB campus.

Civil War

The very last battle of the Civil War was waged in Brownsville, five weeks after the surrender at Appomattox Court House. The Confederates won this engagement which occurred at Palmito Ranch, east of the city. A monument along Route 4 (Boca Chica Beach Road) mark’s the battle’s location.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

Along with the early pioneers the Oblates of Mary Immaculate brought Catholicism to the Rio Grande Valley. In the 1850’s the architecturally impressive Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was built with a French Gothic Revival design by Father Peter Keralum. From downtown Brownsville, this sanctuary served as the mother church of the Rio Grande Valley.

Chisholm Trail

While still evident in the area today, ranching and agriculture are deeply rooted in Brownsville’s past. Because of this, the Chisholm Trail’s southernmost branch began here with the drives of longhorn cattle to the railroad line, then located in Kansas. In Hope Park overlooking the Rio Grande, a historic marker denotes the beginning of the Chisholm Trail.

Los Caminos Del Rio

The Texas Historical Commission supports the Los Caminos del Rio project through which a comprehensive inventory of heritage sites in the Rio Grande Valley. Their printed guides describe the details and locations from Brownsville to Laredo.

Historic Sites

Many of Brownsville’s historic sites can be viewed on walking tours. Most are of these are located in the downtown area in the Historic Original Town Site. Additional information is provided in the Downtown Historic District section.

Annual Events

Charro Days... Fiesta, at the end of February, is a colorful, twin-city celebration of folkloric dancing, mariachis, “merienda”, and parades. Charro Days is recognized as one of the top 100 events in North America by the American Bus Association. The event hosts the only known international parade with numerous decorated floats that begins in downtown Brownsville and proceeds across the bridge into Matamoros, Mexico. With the concurrent Sombrero Festival fiesta-goers have live concerts with popular and Tejano music, traditional food, dances, and loads of fun. The Mr. Amigo Association also joins the celebration and selects a personality, who has influence the good relationship between the two cultures, to become Mr. Amigo.

The Commemorative Air Fiesta brings vintage and military aircrafts to the skies over Brownsville in March. The event takes place at the RGV Wing of the CAF Flying Museum and is a truly remarkable display of state of the art aircrafts in action.

The Brownsville Art League stages three major events including the November Fine Arts and Crafts Festival along with two International Art Shows, adults & students, in April and May. The Brownsville Art League has ever-changing exhibits and showings at its Museum of Fine Arts along with permanent collection exhibits.

The Gladys Porter Zoo hosts its annual fundraising event, Zoofari, in the fall with an auction and reception. Each Christmas season, the Zoo puts on a special display of holiday lights call Zoo Lights and Nights. Boo at the Zoo is a festive Halloween event. The Zoo hosts a number of Appreciation Days with discounted admissions for various groups of visitors and residents. Every second year the Zoo presents a major special exhibition.

Among the many celebration that occur in Matamoros, Expo Fiesta is the one that highlights the year. From mid-June into July, Expo Fiesta presents a large variety of internationally known artists, musical concerts, and arts and crafts. In addition, leather items, silver, and ceramic are available for sale.

Latin-influenced films are highlighted in the annual Cinesol Film Festival which occurs each June. Special presentations are made at other times in cooperation with the Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts.

Independence Day is celebrated in Brownsville with a parade, entertainment and a fireworks display on July 4. In Matamoros, this day is celebrated at the main plaza on Calle Sexta with music and presentations on September 16.

Every February, the Brownsville International Birding Festival offers nature lovers a complete program of field trips, seminars, and talks that will explore the bio diversity of south Texas and northern Mexico. The field trips offer a wide choice of birding opportunities from pelagic trips in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico to a canoe trip on the Rio Grande.

The University of Texas at Brownsville / Texas Southmost College presents live music and fine arts throughout the academic year through its Arts and Entertainment Series, the Patron of the Arts, and the Richardson Gallery.

The Festival Internacional de Otoìo turns Matamoros into a cultural icon every October. World-renowned presentations are performed at the historic Reforma Theatre, Mundo Nuevo Convention Center, and the main square. Enjoy these performing arts at one of the most historic cities in Northern Mexico.

The Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts brings world-class musical concerts to town throughout the year. Their signature event is the very popular Annual Latin Jazz Festival at the end of October and includes a week of the best regional and national acts.

The Day of the Dead is a very ancient tradition celebrated in Mexico at the beginning of November. On this day, family members of deceased relatives visit the city cemetery and bring their loved ones many treats such as their favorite meal, candies, liquor, and music. Day of the Dead is an opportunity to celebrate life and death with the whole family in a very unique way, with activities in Brownsville and Matamoros.

At the beginning of December, the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce orchestrates the traditional Fiesta of Lights parade. During this event, the local community gathers around the historic downtown district to enjoy the celebration. This is truly a highlight of the city and a must see when visiting during the winter season. In addition to the parade, the Brownsville Convention & Visitors Bureau also commemorates the arrival of the holiday season and celebrates the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting at the Visitors Information Center.

White-winged Dove hunting season is scheduled early in September. Several farms and ranches offer guided, organized services.

Golf & Recreation

The climate and tropical environment make Brownsville a perfect golfing location all year. The seven challenging courses along with many more within a short drive provide lots of variety of play. Golfing in Brownsville is affordable with rates for 18 holes starting at as little as $10. Pro shops, cart rentals, and clubhouses are available at all the course to make your experience a quality one.

Shopping

Even with its many attractions and historical sites that focus on the frontier days, desperados, banditos, and revolutions, Brownsville is still in tune with contemporary times. The city has a major shopping mall, with a plethora of specialty and department stores. The Sunrise Mall provides a complete shopping experience with several anchor stores which include Dillards, J.C. Penny, Sears, Beall's, Cinemark 16, an extensive food court, Belgian-crafted carousel and more than 100 niche shops. The adjoining Sunrise Commons has more national name stores and franchise restaurants. Many other plazas around the city provide numerous specialty shops.

Downtown, along the city's major boulevards, are many shopping plazas and national department stores. Seasonally, roadside stands appear, selling all kinds of fresh citrus, including Texas Ruby Red grapefruits, oranges, lemons, and limes; vegetables and other produce; watermelons, and many other delights. Aloe and pecans, pioneered in South Texas since 1939, are still grown throughout the valley.

Beaches

Walking hand-in-hand, leaving temporary footprints in the sand. Listening to the calls of sea birds. Feeling the cool breeze upon your cheeks. Watching the water foam as it recesses upon itself.Ah, there is nothing quite like the beach lifestyle, and Brownsville has plenty of it to offer. Boca Chica beach is a pristine, undeveloped beach bordered by the Brazos Santiago Pass jetties to the north of the Rio Grande mouth to the south. No paved streets, no hotels, no amenities just beautiful white sand where you can spend the day or camp overnight.

Just 25 miles away is the modern beach resort of South Padre Island. Connected to the mainland by the Queen Isabella Causeway, this barrier reef island offers all of the contemporary conveniences, including high-rise hotels, gourmet restaurants, and amusement attractions, including a world class water park, parasailing, bungee jumping, wind surfing, diving, snorkeling, and beach horseback riding. Those wishing to get out on the water have dolphin and bird watching cruises, fishing charters, and sailing, as well as marinas that serve pleasure boats.

Laguna Atascosa

The South Texas landscape is a unique blending of tempature, subtropical, coastal and desert habitats. Mexican plants and wildlife are at the northern most edge of their range and migrating waterfowl and sandhill cranes fly down for the mild winters. This combination makes Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge world famous for its birds and home to a mix of wildlife found nowhere else. Laguna Atascosa NWR is the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, an oasis for wildlife with few alternatives. The refuge's 45,187 acres become more valuable with each acre lost to developement-valuable to wildlife and valuable to those who enjoy wildlife in wildlands. Programs and Tours available

Port Isabel

Port Isabel boasts a history rich in folklore and legend. From shipwrecks to pirates to Mexican war and Civil War skirmishes, Port Isabel has played a role in many important events. Since 1852 the only lighthouse on the Texas coastline open to the public offers a view from the top of the 88ft. tower that extends for a breathtaking 16 mile radius. Showcasing all the history and culture of the Laguna Madre takes more than one museum, and Port Isabel has two. The Treasures of the Gulf Museum and the Port Isabel Museum offers a variety of exhibits that illustrate the colorful past of the Laguna Madre area. The lighthouse Keeper's Cottage also houses an informative exhibit on the history of the Port Isabel lighthouse.