Survey to Determine Why Winter Texan Numbers Have Declined
February 18, 2013 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The number of Winter Texans coming to the Rio Grande Valley has fallen, and folks at the University of Texas-Pan American want to know why. They’re asking Winter Texans to fill out a survey on its website. Penny Simpson, director of the Valley Markets and Tourism Research Center, said it will take about 15-20 minutes. [...]
Are You Ready for a Snowbird Tax?
February 13, 2013 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The governor of a northern state is proposing a snowbird tax on residents who live 60 days to just under six months in the state. Spend most of the year in Florida, Texas, Arizona, or another Sunbelt state, and a snowbird smack down could be your new reality. Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota is proposing [...]
Snowbird Destinations: WHERE to ROOST?
January 15, 2013 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Snowbirds are typically retired seniors who have the desire and financial ability to be away from home for extended periods of time. As our population ages the number of people considering this lifestyle increases. Every winter, more than 1 million RV snowbirds wing south to the U.S. Sunbelt to escape the winter cold. RVers who [...]
Merry Christmas to All
December 22, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
It’s Christmas weekend, the most wonderful time of the year. Season’s greetings fellow RVers, campers, snowbirds, wanna-bes, birders, photographers, hikers, and everyone who loves the great out-of-doors…and all Woodall’s blog readers! Thank you for reading our camping blogs this past year! Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season. May [...]
6 Reasons to Love Texas Food
April 25, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Texans take their food as seriously as they do their football. Many Winter Texans and other visitors to the Lone Star State have the good sense to agree with them—that Texan food is that of the gods. 1. Texas Oysters Texas may be best known for beef, but its bay oysters rank second to none. [...]
What’s to Love about Texas Food
April 15, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 3 Comments
Texans take their food as seriously as they do their football. If you slander their vittles, they’re apt to defend their deep-fried passion as though you personally launched another attack on the Alamo. Necessity has frequently mothered our creations, and early Texans had to make do with meager supplies, which is how they wound up [...]
Farmers Market in Downtown McAllen
March 10, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
Tucked away in McAllen’s downtown entertainment district, The Market at Alhambra is a new concept in farmers markets. On a recent Saturday, we decided to check it out. It happens from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday with Alhambra, the Mediterranean restaurant and hookah lounge at 519 S. 17th Street as host. A group [...]
Rio South Texas: Nature’s Wonders
February 29, 2012 by Rex Vogel · 2 Comments
The Rio Grande Valley nature scene is filled with many wildlife hot spots. We’ll continue our tour of the top nature hot spots in the Rio Grande Valley with a visit to the World Birding Center. The World Birding Center (WBC) The World Birding Center (WBC) is a network of nine unique birding sites in [...]
Magic along the Rio Grande
February 19, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
Few can dispute the importance of nature tourism in Texas, especially within the Rio Grande Valley. According to a study conducted by Mathis and Matisoff (2004), Texas is the number one birdwatching state/province in North America, and The Valley is considered the number two birding destination in North America. Nestled between the Gulf of Mexico [...]
Tip of Texas
December 29, 2011 by Rex Vogel · 1 Comment
The Lower Rio Grande Valley rolls out the red carpet for snowbirds. This is Shangri-la, a subtropical paradise, where the average annual T-shirt and shorts temperature is 74 degrees with an average rainfall of only 23.2 inches. This area of extreme deep-south Texas is actually more of a delta than a valley. There are no [...]
