Things to do in Tyler
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Tyler
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Azalea Trail season and the best walking weather of the year. Spring peak, book ahead.
Red Dirt BBQ and Music Festival, with heat starting to climb.
Hottest months, highs in the mid 90s. Lake mornings, zoo at opening, cheapest hotels.
Shoulder month, heat easing, golf and trails improve late in the month.
Second peak. Rose City Airfest early in the month and the Texas Rose Festival at peak bloom.
Mild, quiet and cheapest. Bare gardens but peaceful museums, inns and Christmas trains.
What's on
- Azalea & Spring Flower Trail Usually late March to early April
Ten miles of gardens and historic homes, with home tours, fairs and quilt displays.
- Red Dirt BBQ & Music Festival May
Texas pitmasters paired with red dirt and country music.
- Rose City Airfest early October
An aviation weekend tied to the airport museum scene.
- Texas Rose Festival mid October
Rose Parade with over 120 entries, Queen's Coronation and Queen's Tea in the Rose Garden.
- Mistletoe & Magic early November
Long running holiday market with dozens of specialty merchants.
Best things to do in Tyler
Caldwell Zoo
Tyler's top sight, an 80 acre AZA zoo with giraffe feeding and otters that stays manageable for small children.
Tyler Rose Garden
The largest rose garden in the US, 14 free acres of 38,000 bushes that peak around the October Rose Festival.
Tyler Azalea & Spring Flower Trail
Ten free miles of spring gardens and brick streets through a historic district of about 950 homes.
The 1859 Goodman-LeGrand House and Museum
An 1859 house filled with the family's original things, lifted by docents reviewers praise by name.
Discovery Science Place
Hands on science for under tens downtown, with a planetarium element, mock grocery and ship exhibit.
Tyler Museum of Art
A calm accredited art museum by Tyler Junior College, best as a one hour pause in a garden weekend.
Historic Aviation Memorial Museum
A focused volunteer run aviation museum at the airport that lands hardest with plane and history fans.
Center for Earth & Space Science Education
Planetarium shows at Tyler Junior College plus a small exhibit floor children enjoy after the dome.
Where to stay in Tyler
Downtown Tyler
walkable evenings and boutique stays
The square holds Liberty Hall, Rick's and ETX, with The Thomas Hotel and Greyhound Inn nearby.
South Broadway
reliable chain hotels and family logistics
Tyler's hotel row near Faulkner Park and South Tyler dining, with easy parking everywhere.
Bullard and the Kiepersol estate
couples and splurge weekends
Staying on the vineyard puts tastings, the estate dinner and your bed on one property.
Near Downtown Tyler
sociable inn stays
Rosevine Inn sits a short drive from the square with gardens, games and a social breakfast.
Tyler State Park
budget and outdoors first trips
Cabins and campsites put trails, swimming and fishing outside your door at dawn.
Think twice about
- Downtown Tyler away from the square
Neighbourhood data scores downtown crime well above the US average. Stay on the lit square blocks at night and keep valuables out of the car.
Best restaurants in Tyler
Restaurant at Kiepersol
Tyler's fine dining summit, steaks and estate wines in a dining room overlooking the vines.
Rick's On The Square
Downtown's steakhouse since 1992, with an Art Deco bar, big patio and live music at weekends.
FD's Grillhouse
The dependable local favourite for grilled steaks, seafood and salads, loved for consistency.
Villa Montez
Latin cooking in a 1930s mansion, famous for chimichurri steak and a romantic garden patio.
Stanley's Famous Pit Barbecue
Sixty years of East Texas barbecue, the Mother Clucker sandwich, live music and 90 plus bourbons.
Clear Springs Restaurant
Catfish, famous onion rings and Southern comfort plates that keep mixed age groups happy.
Mercado's
Big festive Tex Mex with fresh tortillas, fajitas and free ice cream to finish dinner.
ETX Brewing Company
Family owned downtown brewpub with a proper kitchen, weekly live bands and a dog friendly patio.
Outdoor things to do in Tyler
Tyler State Park
985 acres of tall pines around a spring fed lake, with 13 miles of trails, paddling, swimming and fishing.
Pine Springs Golf Club
The public round visitors can book, 6,509 yards through rolling piney woods at honest value prices.
The Cascades Golf & Country Club
Tyler's premier private course by Lake Bellwood, playable only with a member host or event invite.
Oak Hurst Golf Course
The budget public round south of Tyler, cheap and casual with genuinely mixed recent reviews.
Lake Tyler Marina
Boating, bass fishing and a waterfront lunch on Tyler's own big reservoirs south east of the city.
Faulkner Park
Free in town trails, a fishing pond, disc golf and a sprayground, the local active hour without a drive.
Texas State Railroad
A heritage train day trip through the Piney Woods, best on themed or premium rides booked ahead.
Caddo Lake State Park
A full day trip to paddle moss draped cypress bayous unlike anywhere else in Texas, guides help first timers.
Best hotels in Tyler
Kiepersol Bed and Breakfast
The estate stay, with vineyard rooms, a famous cooked breakfast and dinner and tastings on site.
The Thomas Hotel
Design led boutique suites on the square with The Judge cocktail bar and walkable dinners.
Greyhound Inn
Nine spacious suites in the restored 1932 Greyhound bus station, a short walk from the square.
Rosevine Inn Bed & Breakfast
A playful themed room inn with games barn, firepit patio, hot tub and a praised cooked breakfast.
Holiday Inn Tyler - Conference Center
The reliable full service South Broadway hotel, with 24 hour desk, parking and event space.
Tyler State Park
Cabins, screened shelters and campsites in the pines, the cheapest good night near Tyler.
Is Tyler expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $75 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $140 a person |
| Splurge | $280 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Liberty Hall: a few days ahead
- Kiepersol Vineyards Winery & Distillery: a few days ahead
- Pine Springs Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Texas State Railroad: weeks ahead
- Kiepersol Bed and Breakfast: weeks ahead
- The Thomas Hotel: a few days ahead
- Greyhound Inn: a few days ahead
- Rosevine Inn Bed & Breakfast: a few days ahead
- Book rooms early for Azalea Trail weeks and Texas Rose Festival weekend, when South Broadway fills.
- Reserve Kiepersol restaurant tables, winery tours and its few B and B rooms ahead.
- Book Texas State Railroad rides, Liberty Hall shows, planetarium times and state park cabins ahead.
Is Tyler safe?
- Downtown crime data scores well above the US average. Use the lit square blocks and well used parking at night.
- Lock cars at trailheads and parks and keep gear out of sight at the lakes.
- Treat summer heat as a real safety issue. Start trails early and carry water.
Tyler travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Rose Garden outside bloom is pleasant, not spectacular. Build summer trips around lakes instead.
- Do not drive the whole Azalea Trail at midday on peak Saturday. Walk the best blocks early.
- Standard railroad runs divide reviewers. Choose themed or premium rides or skip it.
- Avoid defaulting to Loop 323 highway chains when Stanley's, Villa Montez and Mercado's exist.
Getting around Tyler: public transport and more
- Downtown and the square are the one walkable cluster. Everything else is a 5 to 25 minute drive.
- A car is effectively required. Day trips run 45 minutes to Palestine and up to two hours to Caddo Lake.
- Most visitors fly into Dallas, about 90 miles west, and drive in. Parking is mostly free.
Who Tyler suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Tyler your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store