Guides
How things actually work here, written for someone who has not been before. No dates we cannot confirm, and nothing invented.
The Valley events year
What actually happens in the Rio Grande Valley, month by month — Citrus Fiesta, Charro Days, the livestock show, jamaica season, posadas, and the Winter Texan calendar. Seasons, not guessed dates.
What a jamaica is
A jamaica is a parish fundraiser with food booths, games, a raffle and a band — and anyone can walk in. What to expect, what it costs, what to bring, and how to find one in the Valley.
Planning a quinceañera in the Valley
Who you book for a quinceañera in the Rio Grande Valley and how far ahead each one goes — the misa, the salón, photos, music, the dress, the contract.
Free things to do with kids in the Valley
Free things to do with kids in the Rio Grande Valley, break by break — spring break, summer, Thanksgiving week, December, and the odd days off in between.
Birding the Valley month by month
Birding the Rio Grande Valley month by month — Bentsen, Santa Ana, Roma and South Padre, the winter peak, spring migration on the coast, and fall butterflies.
Bailes and live music in the Valley
Conjunto, norteño, Tejano, banda and cumbia, explained — plus what a baile is actually like, the tardeada, and why the flyer never reaches the internet.
What a charreada is
A charreada is a scored team competition with nine suertes, its own rules and the escaramuza. It is not an American rodeo. What happens, and how to watch it.
Getting around the Valley
The Valley is one long string of towns on one highway, not a metro area. How the cities relate, what counts as nearby, and what is genuinely a separate trip.
Pulgas in the Valley
A pulga is a weekend flea market and one of the most reliable things in the Valley. What is sold, why cash, when to go, and what to bring for the heat.
Crossing for the day
Nuevo Progreso is an ordinary Thursday, not an adventure. What people go for, what to carry, when the wait is worst, and why the return leg is the slow one.
The Winter Texan season
Who Winter Texans are, when they arrive and when they leave, what a week in an RV park actually looks like, and why the season still runs on a sheet of paper.
More on the way
The pulga guide, quinceañera season, the birding year, crossing for the day, and where the music actually is. We write them one at a time and only publish what we can stand behind.