Grapevine Texas

Wineries Museums Public Art Trails Vintage Railroads and Mass Transit

Grapevine is a small town located between Dallas and Fort Worth and is home of DFW International Airport, the world’s fourth largest, with nonstop service from more than 200 cities, including over 50 international destinations. Main Street in the historic downtown has a public library, recreation center, antique stores, restaurants, bars, theaters, a park, and many specialty shops. Here, you can also bottle your own wine, explore Historic Nash Farm, the Botanical Gardens and Lake Grapevine.

A Downtown Walking Tour the Main Street Historic District includes over 50 buildings and their architectural descriptions as well as stories, events and people who contributed to the town’s development. Founded in 1844, Grapevine is the oldest community in Tarrant County. In 1888, when the Cotton Belt Railroad came to Grapevine, businesses flourished and the wooden buildings on Main Street were replaced with new structures constructed of locally-made brick. At least 80 percent of the commercial buildings date from that period.

The Vintage Railroad follows a scenic route to the Fort Worth Stockyards along the Cotton Belt Railroad right-of-way. The service is a tourist attraction due to its slow speeds. The Grapevine Rail also hosts one of the community’s seven winery tasting rooms.

Mass Transit Service new train stations downtown and north of the airport that follow existing rail lines from downtown Fort Worth, northeast to downtown Grapevine and then into the north entrance of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. The route connects with other transportation services, including the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter rail service, AMTRAK, and downtown bus transfer center at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center as well as a connection to the Dallas Dart Rail. 

Cultural Heritage & Museums Water Resources & the Environment Local Food Wine & Beer Community Public Transport Initiatives

Texas and Wine a major wine producer in the United States, thanks to a sunny and dry climate, and with the earliest recorded wine making in El Paso in the 1650s by Spanish missionaries, Texas boasts more than 4,400 acres of vineyard farmland and a variety of vintages.

Wineries there are 310 wineries in Texas, ranging from small producers who concentrate on tourism to large wineries catering to national and international markets as well as eight American Viti Cultural Areas. Harvest time is normally around the end of July, two months before California and three months earlier than many of France’s wine regions.

Wine Production In keeping with the state’s tradition of doing things big or not at all, more than 1.5 million gallons of wine are produced in Texas, with an economic impact of over $1.83 billion.

Wine Trails Grapevine is home to a vibrant and growing urban wine trail featuring daily wine tastings and special events throughout the year. From strong and bold Texas red wines to crisp and clean Texas white wines, you'll find a variety of favorite taste sensations.

Arts & Culture downtown Grapevine is home to numerous art galleries, many within walking distance of one another. Enjoy a live glass blowing demonstration at a glass blowing studio or watch a blacksmith weld at a blacksmith shop. Also, some beautiful works of art at new and recently opened galleries throughout the city, including studios where you can paint your own painting or others where you can design your own pottery. The city also boasts the Grapevine Opry where country music classics are performed, the Texas Star Dinner Theater where the Wild West comes to life and the 1940s Palace Arts Theatre with live performances and classic movies.

A Public Art Trail features bronze works of art that depict characters of the city as well as scenes of Grapevine's history. Museums and Galleries host a variety of art, cultural, historical and educational exhibitions with a wide variety of mediums and artists.

The Grapevine Museums discover what life was like over 100 years ago. The museum plaza is home to two 19th century pioneer homes and a school house. The plaza and the museums speak to life on the Grape Vine Prairie and to the larger story of settling Texas. The three museums, The Donald Schoolhouse Museum, The Keeling House Museum and the Grapevine Cotton Ginner's Museum feature educational exhibits, hands-on activities and a collection of 19^th century artifacts that represent the community as a commercial center. Grapevine's art and museum community continues to expand with art exhibitions ranging from Texas history to space exploration, agricultural heritage and contemporary art. 

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Environmental and Mass Transit Initiatives

Tourism Destinations and Learning Experiences

Personalized Travel Programs for families, schools and theme groups with environmental training, visits to state of the art transit facilities and museums featuring the history of rail and water transport.

Communities and Local Public Transport Initiatives

Americans and Italians are second to none in their love of the automobile but in recent years efficient and affordable public transit - in the form of bus rapid transit, subways, elevated and other rail services and trolley cars – for urban, suburban and intercity service -  have been debated, studied and in some instances implemented.

Our US itineraries include cities with established commuter and regional service as well as communities that are implementing new transit programs. An opportunity to meet with local planners and managers as well as travel efficiently, safely and affordably as you visit the United States.

Colorado Springs is renowned for its walkable historic areas, its commitment to sustainability and its natural attractions and ample recreational opportunities in the nearby Rocky Mountains. Activities range from family itineraries to educational, cultural and a wide range of outdoor programs. Experience scenic and historic train ride s aboard the Broadmoor's Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad and Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad. Colorado Springs’ first streetcar service was powered by horses; at its peak, a total of 10 horse-drawn trolley cars operated in the city. In 1890, the Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Railway began replacing the horse car lines with electric power, a system that numbered 44 electric cars by 1900; at its peak, the system covered 41 miles. In 1931, buses began replacing streetcars. Streetcar service ended shortly thereafter.

Metropolitan Portland’s commuters and visitors have many options to get around in America’s best pedestrian and transit-friendly city. Public transit is comprised of TriMet’s regional bus network and the Metropolitan Area Express – MAX - light rail system, which connects the city and suburbs while the WES Commuter Rail reaches Portland's western suburbs. Portland Streetcar connects shopping areas and dense residential districts north and northwest of downtown as well as the east side of the Willamette River. The Portland Transit Mall on Fifth and Sixth avenues limits automobile access in favor or bus and light rail service. And Portland’s mainline steam locomotives can be seen pulling excursion trains operated by the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation.

Hershey, PA From Roads to Rails, travel back in time as O-gauge trains chug through the idyllic Pennsylvania countryside and multiple scenes reminiscent of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. The Museum of Bus Transportation has partnered with the Antique Auto Club of America Museum to provide museum quality displays of the bus industry - intercity, transit, and school - for the public.  It also serves to showcase the industry’s growth and development in the United States and celebrate the role that the bus industry continues to play in mobility and progress of the American public. 

The Motorbus Industry Occupies a Vital Place in America’s Everyday Life

In rural areas and in the thousands of towns and cities across the nation, buses provide personal transport, carrying more persons daily than all other public modes of transportation put together. The evolution of this industry provides a fascinating story of invention, entrepreneurship and the effort of thousands of people risking their time and capital in the hope of creating a profitable business. 

The Grapevine Vintage Railroad follows a scenic route to the Fort Worth Stockyards along the Cotton Belt Railroad right-of-way. The service is a tourist attraction due to its slow speeds. The Grapevine Rail also hosts one of the community’s seven winery tasting rooms. A new train station downtown and north of the airport are included in the proposed commuter route that follows existing rail lines from downtown Fort Worth, northeast to downtown Grapevine and then into the north entrance of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. The route connects with other transportation services, including the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter rail service, AMTRAK, and downtown bus transfer center at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center as well as a connection to the Dallas Dart Rail. 

Fort Worth It is easy to get around Fort Worth or travel to nearby Dallas and Grapevine.

Bus The T – Fort Worth Transport Authority – provides extensive service throughout the city and its cultural attractions.

Rail the TRE – Trinity Rail Express - connects Fort Worth and Dallas with transfer access to DFW International Airport.

Air DFW is only 17.5 miles from downtown Fort Worth via bus, rail or taxi service. From here, you can reach any major city in the U.S. in less than four hours.

Walking is a wonderful way to experience the city’ entertainment districts and the Trinity Trails.

Bike Sharing: Bike sharing is an inexpensive, healthy and environmentally friendly way to get around Fort Worth. Pick up a bike at any of the 40 docking stations.

In Italy, today’s frecce (arrow) high speed intercity rail service is a direct descendant of a long established commuter service dating back to the mid-19^th century as evidenced by the National Railway Museum of Pietrarsa, located alongside the Naples-Portici railway line, the first one in Italy. Originally known as “Pietra Bianca” (white stone), it was renamed Pietrarsa (burnt stone) after the eruption of the Vesuvius in 1631. The Museum is a journey through time among the locomotives and trains that united Italy from 1839 to modern times, spanning nearly two centuries of Italian railway history. It is housed in what was originally the old Bourbon dynasty workshops where steam machines for ships and boilers for locomotives were built. Today’s Naples area commuters are serviced by a modern underground rail network, the city’s famed funicolare and suburban rails such as the electrically powered, 142 km (88 mi) six line, 96 stations Circumvesuviana.

Water Resources Management and the Environment

Visit and study the efforts of communities that are in the forefront of water resources management and other environmentally sustainable practices in coastal and river waterfront development in small towns and large cities as well as agricultural communities. Local officials and nonprofit stewards of the environment, among others, will explain their policies, programs and best management practices in wastewater and watershed management, land conservancy issues, LEED certifications, recycling, rainwater collection and energy efficient systems.  

In Montgomery County, Maryland Experience Rain Garden Training, a hands-on rain garden building class at a pre-dug site.  After reviewing the criteria for siting and sizing rain gardens, participants determine and finish the grading, install the soil media, build the berm, plant and mulch the garden.

You can also learn the complex procedures that govern the building, watershed and renewable energy permitting process.

Some communities have been in the forefront of land conservation, historic preservation and the arts movements that celebrates land and landscapes and water resources management initiatives: 

In the Lehigh Valley, the local culture draws from the Moravian settlements experience in which all men were equal; a broad cultural environment in which music, art, education and religious tolerance flourished, as evidenced by the communal dwellings, churches and industrial structures still present.

The Brandywine Valley has focused on Development & Conservancy Issues, including floodplain areas that threaten to devastate water supplies in parts of the Delaware River Valley. Local residents initiated conservation easements that now protect five and one-half miles along the Brandywine River. 

In the city of Philadelphia, the waterfront is now a 6 mile walking and biking destination. Trail features include streetscape improvements along the entire waterfront trail, a bi-directional bikeway, pedestrian walkway and rain gardens that collect the first inch of storm water, relieving the city sewer system during major weather events, as well as benches, bike racks, decorative street pavers and innovative solar trail lighting. Center City offers a thriving culture and entertainment scene as well as a contemporary arts museum with training programs and study tours for students, aspiring artists and families.  

Dallas is the first ISO 14001 certified city in the US - the international environmental standard which sets environmental goals for organizations and communities – and among the first to adopt a green building program that now boasts 5 LEED Gold, 1 LEED-EB Silver and 2 certified buildings. New projects in the city include pedestrian-friendly parks such as Main Street Garden, Belo Garden and the Klyde Warren Park. Dallas also is home to the Trinity River Audubon Center, a LEED certified building with many sustainable features: a vegetated roof, rainwater collection system, energy efficient systems and recycled materials.

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Grapevine and Texas Wine

Wineries Museums Public Art Trails Vintage Railroads and Mass Transit

Grapevine is a small town located between Dallas and Fort Worth and is home of DFW International Airport, the world’s fourth largest, with nonstop service from more than 200 cities, including over 50 international destinations. Main Street in the historic downtown has a public library, recreation center, antique stores, restaurants, bars, theaters, a park, and many specialty shops. Here, you can also bottle your own wine, explore Historic Nash Farm, the Botanical Gardens and Lake Grapevine.

A Downtown Walking Tour the Main Street Historic District includes over 50 buildings and their architectural descriptions as well as stories, events and people who contributed to the town’s development. Founded in 1844, Grapevine is the oldest community in Tarrant County. In 1888, when the Cotton Belt Railroad came to Grapevine, businesses flourished and the wooden buildings on Main Street were replaced with new structures constructed of locally-made brick. At least 80 percent of the commercial buildings date from that period.

The Grapevine Vintage Railroad follows a scenic route to the Fort Worth Stockyards along the Cotton Belt Railroad right-of-way. The service is a tourist attraction due to its slow speeds. The Grapevine Rail also hosts one of the community’s seven winery tasting rooms.

Mass Transit Service new train stations downtown and north of the airport are included in the proposed commuter route that follows existing rail lines from downtown Fort Worth, northeast to downtown Grapevine and then into the north entrance of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. The route connects with other transportation services, including the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter rail service, AMTRAK, and downtown bus transfer center at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center as well as a connection to the Dallas Dart Rail. 

Texas and Wine a major wine producer in the United States, thanks to a sunny and dry climate, and with the earliest recorded wine making in El Paso in the 1650s by Spanish missionaries, Texas boasts more than 4,400 acres of vineyard farmland and a variety of vintages.

Wineries there are 310 wineries in Texas, ranging from small producers who concentrate on tourism to large wineries catering to national and international markets as well as eight American Viti Cultural Areas. Harvest time is normally around the end of July, two months before California and three months earlier than many of France’s wine regions.

Wine Production In keeping with the state’s tradition of doing things big or not at all, more than 1.5 million gallons of wine are produced in Texas, with an economic impact of over $1.83 billion.

Wine Trails Grapevine is home to a vibrant and growing urban wine trail which features daily wine tastings and special events throughout the year. From strong and bold Texas red wines to crisp and clean Texas white wines, you'll find a variety of favorite taste sensations.

Arts & Culture downtown Grapevine is home to numerous art galleries, many within walking distance of one another. Enjoy a live glass blowing demonstration at a glass blowing studio or watch a blacksmith weld at a blacksmith shop. Also, some beautiful works of art at new and recently opened galleries throughout the city, including studios where you can paint your own painting or others where you can design your own pottery. The city also boasts the Grapevine Opry where country music classics are performed, the Texas Star Dinner Theater where the Wild West comes to life and the 1940s Palace Arts Theatre with live performances and classic movies.
A Public Art Trail features bronze works of art that depict characters of the city as well as scenes of Grapevine's history. Museums and Galleries host a variety of art, cultural, historical and educational exhibitions with a wide variety of mediums and artists.

The Grapevine Museums discover what life was like over 100 years ago. The museum plaza is home to two 19th century pioneer homes and a school house. The plaza and the museums speak to life on the Grape Vine Prairie and to the larger story of settling Texas. The three museums, The Donald Schoolhouse Museum, The Keeling House Museum and the Grapevine Cotton Ginner's Museum feature educational exhibits, hands-on activities and a collection of 19^th century artifacts that represent the community as a commercial center. Grapevine's art and museum community continues to expand with art exhibitions ranging from Texas history to space exploration, agricultural heritage and contemporary art.