Attractions

Come to the Valley and find your own place amidst our diversity. Bring all your senses to share in our Valley Traditions. Where cultures draw close there is energy from joining the traditional and the modern.

In the heart of the Rio Grande Valley, McAllen offers many attractions that compliment the bi-cultural and tropical ambiance of our diverse and exciting city.

Mexico

The Convention Center is only 15 minutes from Mexico, where cities founded in the 1700s offer unique shopping, excellent restaurants and an old world colonial charm. Allow plenty of time to enjoy the enticement of bustling Reynosa, or laid back Nuevo Progreso. Explore the shops and markets for their endless possibilities... jewelry, ceramics, hand woven fabrics and hand-blown glass, the unique creations of skilled Mexican craftsman. And toast the day's discoveries with a frosty margarita at a fine Reynosa restaurant.

The Gulf

A little over an hour away, South Padre Island provides miles of sandy beaches, fresh ocean air and the warm waves of the of the World Famous Gulf of Mexico.

World-Class Shopping

Typically towns this size could never boast of shopping this good. But with visitors from Northern Mexico and other parts of the Valley, McAllen has become a major retail capital, with something for everyone.

Air Transportation

McAllen-Miller International Airport offers convenient flights with Continental and American Airlines to many cities in the US and Mexico and is only 5 minutes from the Convention Center. Our new service featuring Allegiant Air nonstop service to Las Vegas is ready and waiting to offer you complete vacation packages.

Birder's Paradise

The Rio Grande Valley is a birder's paradise, with six wildlife refuges less than an hour's drive from the city. McAllen is home each April to the Texas Tropics Nature Festival, while nearby Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is recognized as one of the top ten birding sites in the nation -boasting a record count of bird species. Other refuges along the river provide great opportunities to add to your life list, or simply to enjoy a pleasant walk among the native flora, which once graced the entire Valley. Hunting and fishing are important ingredients in the McAllen experience. Freshwater and deep-sea fishing? Hunting for deer or birds? McAllen, the Valley and nearby Mexico provide the waters, the woods and the fields to satisfy every outdoor sportsman.

Quinta Mazatlan

Quinta Mazatlan is the McAllen Wing of the World Birding Center under the stewardship of the City of McAllen Parks & Recreation Department. Its mission is to preserve the 1930s adobe estate and the native plants and animals of the Rio Grande Valley, by providing a sanctuary for environmental education, eco-tourism and inspiration to people of all ages.

Anzalduas Park

Anzalduas Park and Dam-A diversion dam used to divert water from the Rio Grande.

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge-Home to many birds/waterfowl, and animals native to the Valley.

Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park

Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park-588 acres of moist woodlands and dry chaparral brush lands on the Rio Grande.

Museum of South Texas History

Museum of South Texas History, Edinburg, presents history and heritage of South Texas.

International Museum of Art and Science

International Museum of Art and Science - An exciting variety of short and long-term exhibitions are featured in this outstanding art and science museum.

Virgen de San Juan del Valle Shrine

Virgen de San Juan del Valle Shrine - The original shrine was dedicated in 1954 in honor of La Virgen de San Juan de los Lagos in Mexico.

La Lomita Mission

Lomita Mission is the first chapel built in 1865, present structure dates from 1899.

Shary Estate

Shary Estate is the original home of Mr. & Mrs. John H. Shary who are buried in the chapel across at a road.