The Long Weekend Lineup

Labor Day weekend in Texas can involve cowboys, a street dance, a river tube or giraffes leaning toward the car window. In other words, summer still has a few tricks left before Tuesday arrives.

From Ranch Rodeos to River Floats

In Bandera, Labor Day weekend looks appropriately Western. The Labor Day Weekend Ranch Rodeos take over Mansfield Park Sept. 5 and 6, with working ranch hands competing in events based on the skills they use every day. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with rodeo action beginning at 7.

Granbury takes a different approach to the long weekend. The Granbury Labor Day Weekend Festival runs Sept. 4–6 on Historic Granbury Square, filling downtown with vendors, food, shopping and live entertainment. Saturday night adds a street dance, which seems like a reasonable way to postpone thinking about summer ending.

For Texans more interested in staying cool than staying on schedule, New Braunfels remains one of the state’s classic answers. Texas Tubes rents tubes for floats on the spring-fed Comal River, and the City of New Braunfels is worth checking before heading out for current river rules and conditions.

Once dry clothes are involved again, nearby Gruene Historic District makes an easy second stop for shops, restaurants and live music.

Go Wild, or Go Underground

A Labor Day road trip can also involve significantly more wildlife than the average backyard cookout. At Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, visitors drive through the conservation center and encounter animals along the route, making the trip part safari, part Texas Hill Country road day.

Then there is the option of escaping September heat by heading in the opposite direction: underground. Natural Bridge Caverns near San Antonio offers cavern tours along with above-ground attractions, giving families a way to turn one stop into a full outing.

That is the useful thing about Labor Day in Texas. Nobody has to agree on what a proper summer finale looks like. It can involve ranch rodeos and dancing, a few hours floating the Comal, wildlife outside the car window or limestone formations far beneath the surface.

For more Texas places that can turn a free day into an actual outing, browse the Guide to Texas recreation directory at https://www.guidetotx.com/recreation-places.