Dance and shop at Austin's Armadillo Christmas Bazaar.

Settle in an Austin, Texas Bed and Breakfast and prepare for a startlingly unique holiday shopping experience. In fact, it’s more like a shopping party than anything else. Peruse affordable gifts and admire high-end art. Need a break? Grab a drink and dance.

Performers include Kyle Park, Brian Keane, Band of Heathens, Sarah Smith, Del Castillo, and Eliza Gilkyson. For a complete schedule and list of performers, please see Armadillo Bazaar.

As of this writing, it’s sunny and 70 degrees in Austin. That’s good enough reason to book a room in an Austin Bed and Breakfast right there. The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar is just cream in the coffee, frosting on the cake.

The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar runs December 14 – 24, 2011 at the Palmer Events Center. Doors open at 11 a.m. and close at 11 p.m, daily. Come on down and shop with pizazz!

Celebrate the mushroom at the Texas Mushroom Festival in Madisonville.

For the past 10 years, the Texas Mushroom Festival has taken Madisonville by storm. Amateur and expert mycologists – along with anyone who has a fondness for fungi – are invited to celebrate the many fabulous attributes of edible mushrooms. Each year the festival grows in popularity, so don’t delay, book a room in a Madisonville Texas Bed and Breakfast today.

There will be cooking demonstrations, mushroom art, and even a Shiitake 5K run (or walk). There will be arts and crafts vendors, food booths, and an auto showcase festival. Nearly a dozen Texas wineries will be on hand, pouring their wine and offering pairing suggestions for some of your favorite mushroom dishes.

This year, chefs will reveal the secrets of preparing perfect Mushroom Croquettes, Risotto Mushroom Balls, and Pistachio-stuffed mushrooms, among other delectable treats. If you love mushrooms and just can’t find enough creative ways to prepare them, you’ll definitely want to linger in the cooking demonstration tent.

Mix with the locals and attend the Gala Dinner on Friday, October 21, 2011, where you can rub elbows with the Mushroom Queen and her Court. The Champagne Social starts at 6:30, the dinner at 7:30, and the auction at 8:30. The dinner is to feature exquisitely prepared mushrooms, including a dessert called The Mushroom Stack. You’ll have to attend the Gala to discover just what it is.

The Texas Mushroom Festival takes place October 22, 2011. Give yourself over to these funny fungi – spend the weekend at a Madisonville Texas Bed and Breakfast.

More information is available at the Texas Mushroom Festival.

Saddlehorn Winery is located on 360-acre ranch in Burton, Texas. Wines are poured in a renovated horse barn overlooking the working winery. Their wines range from semi-sweet Muscats (perfect on a hot Texas afternoon) to big Cabernet Sauvignons.

Windy Winery is situated on top of a hill outside Brenham. Wines crafted at Windy Hill are made from grapes grown only in Texas.

Pleasant Hill Winery offers tours that follow the grape from the vine to the glass. Located in Brenham, the winery offers commanding views of the surrounding Central Texas countryside.

The 2011 Lavender & Wine Fest is a good time for a Brenham Texas Bed and Breakfast getaway. Stand among fragrant fields of lavender at Chappell Hill Lavender Farm, then head to Windy Winery for a grape stomp, live music, and wine tasting. The Lavender & Wine Fest is August 13, 2011.

There are ten wineries along the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail. Take your time and visit them all.

Guests of Georgetown TX Bed and Breakfasts are close to Inner Space Cavern, an astonishing limestone cavern on the edge of the Texas Hill Country.

Nature has outdone herself in these caverns. Check out “The Flowing Stone of Time”, the “Lake of the Moon”, and the “Soda Straw Balcony”. Tours of the cavern reveal one masterpiece after another. It’s as if the world’s finest sculptors – from Michelangelo to Rodin to Calder – left some of their best work in this subterranean space.

In addition to remarkable limestone formations, Inner Space Cavern is also home to Pleistocene-age fossils. Visitors can still see bones from mammoths and saber-toothed cats. It’s extraordinary.

Inner Space Cavern isn’t the only reason to visit Georgetown Texas. The town has a beautiful downtown district, with many restored Victorian buildings. Southwestern University is in Georgetown, and there are many Texas Wineries nearby. Spend a few days at a Georgetown TX Bed and Breakfast, and explore above and below ground. You’ll be delightfully surprised.

A variety of cavern tours are offered daily. Find up-to-date information at Inner Space Cavern.

It's spring! Come see the Texas wildflowers.

Follow the wildflowers.

Travel itineraries at this time of year tend to be built around what is blooming. A good place to start is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, at the University of Texas at Austin. The Gardens are expansive and diverse, showcasing gracious Live Oaks, large Mountain Laurel, and of course meadows full of Central Texas wildflowers. Before you leave, stop by the store to see the current exhibit, Ken Moore Bluebonnets, through May 30. His colorful oil paintings are a nice way to keep bluebonnets forever in bloom on your walls.

After learning a bit about the wildflowers native to Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country, take to the road. Traverse the Texas Hill Country, staying in Bed and Breakfasts from New Braunfels to El Dorado, Marble Falls to Boerne. Then head into Central Texas, over to Brenham and up to Madisonville. Enjoy lodging in a number of Central Texas Bed and Breakfasts and Hill Country Bed and Breakfasts as you go.

Additional information about Texas wildflowers may be found at Wildflowers in the Hill Country.

Expect to hear some great music at South by Southwest 2011.

South by Southwest is one of the most celebrated events in all of Texas. It certainly takes hold of Austin TX. If you’re planning to attend the 2011 SXSW, consider lodging in an Austin TX Bed and Breakfast.

Austin has long been known for its eclectic music scene. As a university town and the capital of Texas, it draws people from all over the world and all walks of life, and together they make great music. Yet in the mid 1980s, not everyone had cause to go to Austin.

The South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival was created in 1987 to help encourage the rest of the world to visit Austin and experience its creativity. And come they did. The first SXSW Festival drew thousands of people from both coasts; they came to hear the “cosmic cowboy, blues, punk, and other” music they had long heard was in Austin. The following year drew an international crowd, and the fate of SXSW was sealed.

Today, the SXSW Music Conference has become a Music and Film Interactive in recognition of the way technology, film and music impact each other. To quote the SXSW website, “The South by Southwest Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW is the premier destination for discovery.”

South by Southwest takes place March 11 – 20, 2011. March 11 – 15 focuses on Interactive Technologies, March 11 – 19 focuses on Film, and March 15 – 20 focuses on music.

Whether you are attending SXSW for business or for pleasure, you’ll find comfortable lodging in Austin TX Bed and Breakfasts.

For more information about the festival, please see the South by Southwest website.

In 2010, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar will be held at the Palmer Events Center, December 15 to 24. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. In addition to original art and crafts, there will be live music and entertainment almost around the clock. For more information, please visit the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar.

Studio K Scene from the 2009 Armadillo Christmas Bazaar.

People travel from all over Texas to attend the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar. Make your travel plans soon: book a room in your favorite Austin Texas bed and breakfast.

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park , originally uploaded by mrchriscornwell.

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site marks the birthplace of Texas. Anyone interested in Texas history will enjoy visiting where the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico was signed, on March 2, 1836. It is interesting from a historical standpoint, plus it’s in a beautiful natural setting.

There is so much to do and see at Washington-on-the-Brazos Historic Site, it’s worth spending some time at a nearby Washington Texas bed and breakfast. The site includes the original historic town of Washington, which was the capitol of Texas from 1842 – 45. In addition, it is the site of the Star of the Republic Museum, which strives to “to collect and preserve the material culture of the Texas Republic (1836-1846) and to interpret the history, cultures, diversity, and values of early Texans”.

Also at Washington-on-the-Brazos is the Barrington Living History Farm, the original homestead of Anson Jones, who was the last president of the Republic of Texas. Jones kept a detailed diary about his life on the farm – when he planted, what he grew, the buildings, etc. Today, interpreters dressed in period clothing reveal what life on a Central Texas farm was like in the mid 19th century. The Jones home is original, and outbuildings are replicas based on Jone’s drawings. Not only does the Living History Farm show visitors what life was like, it allows them to participate in activities such as plowing a field with oxen, spinning yarn, and making soap.

Take some time to learn about the fascinating history of Texas while vacationing at a Washington Texas bed and breakfast.

Texas Photo Festival , SmithVille TX 227, originally uploaded by Ruben Chiquillo.

The railroad town of Smithville, in Central Texas, is so picturesque that it has caught the attention of Hollywood (see the film Hope Floats). With a historic main street full of restored shop fronts and many wide, tree-lined streets, it is worth an extended stop.  Spend a few days at a Smithville Texas bed and breakfast to allow ample town to explore the area.

Visit antique shops, galleries and restaurants in town, dine in Texas and Tex-Mex restaurants, or visit a museum. The Smithville Heritage House and Museum and the Railroad Museum and Depot give a full picture of Smithville’s past. Each Saturday there is a Farmers Market featuring delicious local produce, and the first Saturday of each month there is an Art Show and Sale at the Gazebo in town.

When you are ready to get back to nature, check out Buescher and Bastrop State Parks, north of Smithville. A lovely, hilly 12-mile road between the parks that makes a pleasant scenic drive or a great bike ride for experienced cyclists. In the parks, enjoy non-motorized boating, fishing, swimming and hiking. In addition, the Colorado River passes through Smithville, and when temperatures rise, it’s a great place to cool off. Rafting, canoeing and kayaking are all popular, as are swimming and fishing.

Golfers bring your clubs, because there are four golf courses in the area worth playing. Pine Forest Golf Club affords some terrific views of the Colorado River from several tees. Ask the innkeepers of your bed and breakfast Smithville which golf course they prefer.

Central Texas is full of interesting towns and sites. Before leaving the region, visit neighboring Bastrop and La Grange, too.

If you like contemporary art and innovative performance art, be spontaneous and book a room at an Austin bed and breakfast during the Fusebox Festival, which runs now through May 2, 2010. In fact, several events take place the first weekend of May: celebrate spring at the May 1 Maypole Festival at Pioneer Farms, and admire art at the Old Pecan Street Festival on Austin’s Sixth Street, May 1 and 2.

If you need more time to plan your stay at an Austin bed and breakfast, you may be interested in the Classical Guitar Festival, June 22 – 27, 2010. Or stay at a Central Texas bed and breakfast outside of town, and check out the Chamber Music Festival of Marble Falls, June 21 – 26, 2010.