McAllen, Texas

If the mere mention of a slate-throated redstart, a golden-crowned warbler, and a blue mockingbird makes you grab the nearest set of binoculars and dash outside, then you've come to the right place – with more than 450 different bird species, McAllen is a renowned birdwatchers' mecca.

Of course, with its population of 106,414, and its close proximity to Corpus Christi (an approximately three-and-a-half-hour drive), McAllen has so much more to offer than just birds. It's also a booming Southern town (according to Forbes, it's the fifth best place to start a business or build a career 2002). Since 1990, its population has risen from 84,021 to its present number; however, it has managed to keep its border-town charm. A large part of its population is of Hispanic descent, and nowhere is that more evident than at the Fiesta Festival in nearby Edinburg. The fun-packed week takes place in early February, with rodeo shows, folk music, and lots of Mexican-inspired food. Of course, with an eye for public health (and maybe also with a touch of irony), the month of February also offers a chance to join the Heart of the Valley Health Fair, where you can get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked. Just in time before you head for those fajitas ....

For those with a need to sate the spirit as well as the stomach, McAllen is also home to the Virgen de San Juan del Valle Shrine, which houses a world-famous image of the Virgin and attracts between 10,000 and 20,000 pilgrims every week!

If you're in search of more intellectual pursuits, head to the International Museum of Art & Science. Here you find the Science Lab, with its focus on water, its uses, and its conservation and the Rioscape, a 10,000-foot discovery park with slides, tunnels, and even its very own river! Of course, it's a great place to bring the kids, but we both know they're just the excuse, right?

So there you have it! McAllen has plenty to offer the curious mind (and hungry stomach). Should there against all odds be a quiet weekend looming on the horizon, while living in this southern city, then don't forget that Mexico is just a stone's throw away. It's all too easy to hop (or drive, or skip, or somersault) across the border and spend a couple of days in busy Reynosa or relaxed Nuevo Progreso, both just minutes away. All in all, McAllen is certainly not a place for people who like to be bored.

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