Northeast Texas.

From mystical swamps to arid plains, from cowboys to art museums, the northeast section of the state exemplifies the wide diversity of Texas, the expected and the unexpected.

Home of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with more than five million people, this area affords urbane getaways with emphasis on the cultural arts. Yet with all their sophistication, both Dallas and Fort Worth pay homage to their cowboy roots.

To the east, the slightly rolling plains of the metropolitan area become heavily forested with pine trees and dotted with lakes and small towns, among them Jefferson. A little gem of a rivertown, it seems frozen in the steamboat era and welcomes visitors with several dozen historic homes turned into romantic B&Bs.

To the west of the cities, the grassland prairies rise to the plains, the trees begin to disappear and the sky dominates the view. In this scenic countryside, romantics escape to a charming Victorian town called Granbury, where a restored turn-of-the-century courthouse square once again bustles with activity. And, outside nearby Glen Rose, in African savanna-like country where giraffes, zebras, ostriches and other wildlife roam, you can stay in a safari tent camp, listen to cries in the wild and see a million stars in the sky.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Area Information Sources

* Dallas-Fort Worth Area Tourism Council, [telephone] 817-329-2438, www.visitdallas-fortworth.com.