Chops Construction Company

Grab your tankard of ale, your favorite Lord and Lady, and spirit your way to The Texas Renaissance Festival, named #1 Best Cultural Festival by USA Today. Take a step back in time to the nation's largest Renaissance-themed event, where you will experience a 60-acre 16th-century European village filled with kings, queens, knights, nobles, peasants, and all manner of fantasy creatures. The festival has 21 stages of continuous entertainment by clowns, acrobats, musicians, dancers, magicians, award-winning food and drink, wine and beer, and over 500 shops that showcase the work of master artists and craftspeople from around the world.

Visit the Chapel of St. Basil, based at the University of St. Thomas. Designed by renowned architect Phillip Johnson, the chapel includes three functioning bells, a custom-built organ, and an overall style reminiscent of historic European churches. The chapel hosts Mass every day. It seats about 225 people and is lit from the inside by natural light from the dome, a skylight over the altar, and the statue of Our Lady on the east wall and from the asymmetrical glass cross on the west wall.

Reconnect with nature today at Armand Bayou Nature Center, one of the largest urban wilderness preserves where you can learn, explore, respect, and help protect nature and its vital local ecosystems. Armand Bayou offers 2500 acres of natural wetlands forest, prairie, and marsh habitats and is home to over 370 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. They also feature hiking trails, exhibits, bat hikes, birding, a historic farm, a bison viewing platform, and Nature Photography.