Rural Texas is filled with the best Texas has to offer.  From open fields and soaring windmills to mountains and crashing waves you could spend months touring rural Texas and still not have enough time to see it all.  We have highlighted some of Texas' best rural communities here to help you begin planning your ultimate rural Texas vacation.  

 

Mission and Purpose

The Rural Texas Tourism Center (RTTC) is a well-managed tourism program created to support economic preservation for rural communities. The Center facilitates growth and prosperity for rural Texas towns, cities, and counties through marketing rural Texas as a great place to live, work and play.

The RTTC promotes cultural heritage tourism which is one of the fastest growing markets in the travel industry today. Eight in ten U.S. adults who traveled in 2002 were considered cultural heritage tourists and Texas is the second most visited state in the country fin this market. The heritage tourist market tends to be older, more affluent and better educated than other tourists. Research indicates that heritage tourists stay longer and spend 36% more money per trip, excluding transportation costs, than other tourists. The sophistication of this market demands an experience that is authentic, high quality, and in many cases, customized to meet individual interests and needs. RTTC was created to meet those needs by dedicating staff and resources to marketing our rural towns to the wonderful travelers and tourists exploring our state each year.

 

Background of the Rural Texas Tourism Center Project

This unique sustainable tourism initiative - the Rural Texas Tourism Center – was spurred by historic preservation efforts in revitalization of downtown Giddings, Texas. The revitalization project built on the existing historic, cultural, natural, and scenic assets of the rural area allowing the community to diversify and strengthen the economy while retaining the characteristics which make it special.

Giddings is unique in having three original railroad depots. The depots originally were the most significant buildings in Giddings serving as the citizen's commercial and social portal to the world. Today they are again emerging as community centerpieces, being reclaimed and reinvented in Landmark Square's unique offering - the Rural Texas Tourism Center.

 

Located in the Historic Depots at Landmark Square

The Rural Texas Tourism Center is at the heart of the Landmark Square revitalization effort to create, retain, and expand job opportunities in the Giddings area, and to revitalize and beautify rural downtown Giddings through the preservation and celebration of its railroad architecture and heritage.

The railroad fueled Giddings' early growth and prosperity in 1874 and by 1912, three railroad depots anchored and defined a developing downtown to serve as Giddings' vibrant social and economic center. The closure of the railroad depots in the 1950s and 1960s and their conversion to private commercial use marked an era of economic decline for downtown Giddings, leaving vacant buildings and a reduced tax base.  Through the Landmark Square revitalization & restoration project to restore all three depots, they once again become the anchor for downtown Giddings.

The Union Station freight & passenger depot, restored for the Rural Texas Tourism Center, offers a museum setting with lots of room to showcase rural Texas and provide a glimpse of railroad transportation history. The freight depot was reconstructed in 2008 and features a traveling scene with life size figures and railroad memorabilia such as travel schedules and signage authentic to the history of the Giddings region. The brick passenger depot restoration was completed in 2008 and houses the offices of GEDC and offers 24 hour public restrooms constructed in an adjacent baggage room.  We invite you to tour our historic depot projects at any time!

 

Impact of Rural Texas Tourism Center Project

The economic benefits of this project are already evident. Over the past three years as local professionals and entrepreneurs witnessed the revitalization project evolve, nine Giddings businesses have invested in building improvements or expansions. These represent 8 million dollars private sector investment has made.

Partnerships are being formed with agencies & rural communities to participate in the project and promote community events, businesses, and local attractions. Participants are acknowledged as a center supporter within the Rural Texas Tourism Center and in publications and listings.

 

For More Information

Please contact Ms. Kelita Alberts, RTTC Program Administrator at (979)542-3455 or at contact@ruraltexastourism.org  if you have any questions. Also, like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RuralTexasTourismCenter! 

Thank you for your interest in Rural Texas Tourism!