From beautiful white sand beaches on the Texas coast to the prairies, hills and valleys of Central Texas, event planners can discover beautiful full-service resorts that cater to their every whim. These five Texas resorts offer plenty of outdoor recreation and exciting group experiences alongside first-class meeting and event venues.
The Woodlands Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton
The Woodlands
The Woodlands Resort is nestled in the Texas Piney Woods, less than 2 miles from The Woodlands township and about a 30-minute drive northwest of downtown Houston. The 402-room hotel overlooks the property’s beautiful forests, water features and the Forest Oasis Waterpark with its lazy river, whirlpools and slides. Guests can play golf at the resort’s two championship golf courses, practice on the putting green or driving range, or take private golf lessons. There are tennis and pickleball courts, outdoor pools, a fitness center and six restaurants on-site.
The resort is also less than 2 miles from The Woodlands Waterway, which wends its way through the township’s center before spilling into Lake Woodlands. Visitors can kayak or rent swan boats on the waterway as they explore the waterfront. Market Street, with its plethora of dining options and shops, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, an outdoor amphitheater, are also within a couple miles of the resort.
The Woodlands Resort has 36 meeting rooms and 70,506 square feet of event space. The 13,430-square-foot Grand Ballroom is the resort’s largest event space and can host up to 980 for a banquet or 1,240 theater style. It can be divided into three smaller rooms. The Woodlands Ballroom is 6,000 square feet and can seat 430 for a banquet. It can be divided into two equal spaces that can host banquets of 220 each.
Grand Galvez Resort, Autograph Collection
Galveston
The historic Grand Galvez Resort in Galveston transports visitors back in time to the 1920s and 1930s with its Great Gatsby-inspired design. The 219-room resort faces the Gulf of Mexico with 350 feet of shoreline beach. Resort guests can explore the surrounding area and downtown Galveston — only a mile from the resort — by taking advantage of the hotel’s complimentary stable of pink old-fashioned bicycles or enjoy the heated swimming pool and the full-service spa with its massages, steam showers and relaxation rooms.
Meeting planners have their choice of several beautifully appointed rooms decorated with soothing colors and elegant chandeliers. The 5,000-square-foot Music Hall overlooks Centennial Green and features the original historic wooden Galvez lobby bar, which is considered Galveston’s last speakeasy. The hall can hold up to 300 guests. Centennial Green is an outdoor space with a pergola and great views of the Gulf that can host 300 guests.
The Terrace Ballroom and Veranda offer 5,000 square feet of space that can accommodate 300 for a seated dinner. The veranda features floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the Gulf. Two small parlors are perfect for 60 seated dinner guests, and groups wanting to host events outdoors can take advantage of the Center Lawn and Oleander Garden. Groups can also host events on the beach, bringing in a stage and food trucks. There is a gourmet espresso bar, The Founders Bar and Monarch Restaurant on-site. The resort also offers Sunday brunch and high tea.
Horseshoe Bay Resort
Horseshoe Bay
Horseshoe Bay Resort, in the Texas Lake and Hill Country northwest of Austin, is known for its four award-winning golf courses, golf academy, 18-hole Whitewater Putting Course, waterfront spa and lakeside views. The resort offers several types of lodging, including 250 classic tower rooms and suites, 99 villas for families and groups, spacious lakeside condos and 16 private homes.
Meeting groups have their pick of 37,500 square feet of indoor event space and more than 36,000 square feet of outdoor event space. The Granite Ballroom offers 12,000 square feet of flexible space. The Live Oak Pavilion offers 10,000 square feet of space, and Live Oak Lawn offers 25,000 square feet of event space. The Lady Bird II Dining Yacht can accommodate groups with 30 to 85 passengers on Lake Lyndon B. Johnson. It offers gourmet catering and live entertainment.
There are eight dining options on-site, and groups wanting to add some fun to their events can add on experiences such as Breakfast with the Birds, a Bronco Hills & Thrills Off-Roading Experience or fun at Splash Safari Aqua Park. The marina has a fleet of boats for wakeboarding, skiing and surfing, and it offers pontoon boat charters and fishing expeditions. Kayaks, paddleboards and jet skis are also available for fun on the lake.
Bayside Spa offers massages, body treatments and professional beauty services, all situated at the lakeside.
Moon River Ranch
Waco
Moon River Ranch is a 600-acre exotic game ranch near Waco that offers safaris and ATV trails that encompass the entire ranch along the Brazos River. The property has a beach area along the river, and meeting groups can enjoy kayaking, ATVs, archery, hatchet throwing, skeet shooting and horseback riding.
The ranch can accommodate 185 guests. Master Penthouse Lodge & Suites is perfect for large groups with 20 bedrooms and 20 bathrooms. It can sleep 50. The ranch also features six covered wagons along the river that were converted to lodgings and can each sleep three to five guests; a riverfront boathouse that sleeps eight; and seven new “Modern Vessels,” which are contemporary pod homes with kitchens and spacious porches. Several smaller cabins and hotel-style lodging pepper the property.
The ranch has several event spaces for groups, including the Party Barn, which can seat 250 in a rustic barn setting, and The Old West Town, a new event center that can host a variety of gatherings. Multiple outdoor areas, including the Grand Ceremony Pavilion, Pecan Grove and The Chapel, can accommodate groups of more than 300 guests. There’s a general store on property and a restaurant that serves ranch-style meals.
The ranch works with three outside caterers and helps meeting groups plan team-building activities, such as stick horse races, scavenger hunts and a meal-style cook-off.
BlissWood Bed and Breakfast Ranch
Cat Spring
In Cat Spring, an hour west of Houston, BlissWood Bed and Breakfast Ranch sits on 350 acres of ranchland that features live oaks, small lakes, outdoor recreation and exotic wildlife, such as zebras, bison and several varieties of deer. Small groups of 30 can host retreats on the property. Lodging includes houses, cabins and suites. But if event planners just want to enjoy the property for the day, larger groups are welcome.
BlissWood offers team-building exercises, including horseback riding, kayaking, archery, tomahawk or knife throwing, and trap shooting. Groups can compete against each other to see who can catch the biggest fish or take part in the Red Rider Range experience, where they use BB guns instead of shotguns to shoot targets.
“I tell people I sell joy and relaxation and resting and rejuvenation close to the city but out in the country,” said Carol Davis, owner of BlissWood.
Groups can plan a Ranch Winery Experience where they ride horses to a neighboring wine cellar for a wine tasting or participate in a 45-minute guided exotic animal safari where they can get close to zebra, bison, blackbuck antelope, fallow deer, red deer and axis deer, some of which come up to the all-terrain vehicle and eat out of guests’ hands.
