Photo Credit: Schlitterbahn Waterpark

By Maryann Hammers

Traveling to Texas? Head to the seashore, play at a waterpark, or take a walk back in time. Admission is free or heavily discounted for servicemembers.

With 70 miles of coastline, dunes, prairies, and wind tidal flats, Padre Island National Seashore on the Gulf of Mexico is the world’s longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island. Save the usual $10 admission fee with the America the Beautiful Annual Military Pass, available free to servicemembers and dependents in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, activated Reserve, and activated National Guard. The pass allows free entry into all national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and other federally protected lands for one year. You’ll need to show your Common Access Card or military ID (Form 1173) at the park entrance station. For more information, call (361) 949-8069.

Schlitterbahn waterparks offers servicemembers up to $20 off admission at its parks in New Braunfels (the world’s first waterpark resort), Galveston Island, South Padre Island, and Corpus Christi. The discount is not available at the parks’ gate: You must purchase tickets on base or through the mail. Find more information here.

For more ideas for what to see and do in Texas, see some of our previously published deals, which are still valid. For example, many of the 19 museums in Houston’s Museum District offer free admission or military discounts, as does a nearby hotel. Or stay at a four-diamond resort near San Antonio for $179 (regular rates start at $319). You can also stay in a peaceful B&B cottage on a lake near Dallas at a discount.