Things to Do in Brenham

Featured on AustinBoredKids.com, The Dinosaur Park was sparked by the passion of two tiny dinosaur enthusiasts. One 3-year-old boy’s interest in dinosaurs evolved into a passion so strong that it also took hold of his younger sister, leading their parents to hatch the plans for what would soon become The Dinosaur Park. In an outdoor museum setting, a path leads the way through exhibits that include life-size dinosaur replications donning skin and color variations that give a better idea of how these prehistoric giants lived and survived their awkward teen years. More than 15 replicas inhabit the woods, including a 28-foot triceratops, a 6-foot velociraptor, and a 40-foot T. rex. The displays also include Texas-native dinos such as the iguanodon and the coelophysis. Other activities such as a playground, a fossil dig, and a gift store await visitors after they walk the trail.

With horrifying haunts designed to elicit new shrieks each year, House of Torment Haunted House keeps bones chilled well below room temperature. HauntWorld.com ranked House of Torment in its Top 13 Haunts in 2011, praising it as a "Dynamic and ultra-creative attraction" that is "widely considered to be one of the most innovated haunted houses in the country." Other rave reviewers include the Travel Channel and the Wall Street Journal, who call the haunted house, "20,000 square feet of terror." Though House of Torment's attractions change annually, its wall of shame exists as an immortal photo catalog of all those who have squealed in fright or received bunny ears on its premises.

Travis Tooke's passion for mixed martial arts fueled his decorated competitive grappling and Brazilian-jujitsu careers, which instinctively led him to form Team Tooke Mixed Martial Arts and share his expertise with others. He proudly wears a Gracie Barra black belt and has been a Brazilian-jujitsu and submission-wrestling trainer for more than 12 years, during which he’s mentored renowned UFC fighter Yves Edwards. He and his team of instructors lead students in an array of mixed-martial-arts fitness classes, including kickboxing, Brazilian jujitsu, and wrestling. They offer kids' classes, women's classes, and classes for combat buffs looking to break into the professional mixed-martial-arts world, which used to require locking your resume in a chokehold until it got you a job.

Since its asphalt cooled in 1968, Texas World Speedway has hosted races big and small, gaining renown as “the world’s fastest speedway” in 1973 when Mario Andretti set his closed-course speed record there. The racing mecca continues to expand its repertoire with a performance driving school, which couples classroom learning with on-road experience, as well as through a work-drive program that lets young racers exchange a day of toil for everyday practice on the track. Frequent visitors can reap the rewards of the speedway‘s membership program, which grants holders access to benefits such as gear, discounts, exclusive events, and secret handshakes that produce motor oil.

Local residents and Austin Eats Food Tours founders Andy and Lindsey pluck inspiration from their city’s abundant and encyclopedic assortment of cuisine, sharing their finds with locals and visitors. As they lead participants through the city in search of regional and international bites, they regale them with Austin history, such as how it became the capital city of Texas and why Austin-style pizza is shaped like a guitar.

The tri-day festival starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 29, packing The Domain with more wines, brews, tunes, artisans, and food than New Orleans, Santa Fe, Napa Valley, and Munich smashed together at high speed and compressed into a super-dense, marble-sized pellet. Check out the scheduled band list for all the info on your favorite strummers, including Rob Baird, Micky and the Motorcars, Texas Renegade, and more. The festival also offers plenty of food vendors, artisans, and craftsmen for items ranging from wood designs to gourmet pizzas.