Texas Celebrity Travel News

Austin

While movie buffs will remember her Oscar-winning performance in “Children of A Lesser God” and TV viewers will recognize her from her stint on the NBC comedy “My Name is Earl,” Marlee Matlin is also a literary luminary. In support of her children’s book, the actress enjoyed the Texas Book Festival’s premiere night gala, which was held at the Four Seasons Hotel, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

Boerne

When “Palo Pinto Gold” hits theaters in June 2008, Enchanted Springs Ranch in Boerne will share the big screen with Texas troubadour Kinky Friedman and country crooners Mel Tillis, Roy Clark and Trent Willmon. An 86-acre western wonderland in the Texas Hill Country, visitors can admire the bevy of buffalo and Longhorns that call the venue home and relive the days of ranch hands and gunslingers among 30 wild west-style buildings each weekend throughout the year.

College Station

Former President George H.W. Bush was awarded an eagle’s eye view of College Station in early November as his parachute glided down on to the campus of Texas A&M University to mark the grand reopening of the museum which chronicles the life and times of the 41st president. Open Mondays through Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum offers not only a look at the leader’s time in office, with recreations of the White House Situation Room, the Oval Office and a miniature version of the White House, but also gives visitors a rare glimpse at his younger years as tourists find themselves on a flight simulator that brings back Bush’s days as a Navy pilot back to life, while a replica of Barbara Bush’s wedding dress represents his happiest moment in life.

Former President George H.W. Bush and U.S. Army Golden Knights Sergeant 1st Class Mike Elliot freefall while parachuting during the George Bush Presidential Library & Museum grand reopening ceremony on November 10, 2007. “Just because you are 83 years-old does not mean you have to sit around,” said the 41st President following his sixth parachute landing. “The U.S. Army Golden Knights made me feel like I was 23 again.”. (PRNewsFoto/U.S. Army)

Dallas

Ashlee Simpson and her bassist beau Pete Wentz were spotted by The Dallas Morning News days before Halloween at the favorite haunt for Hollywood hotshots, Ghostbar, a luxury lounge located on the rooftop of the W Dallas-Victory Hotel.

“My Name Is Earl” star Jaime Pressly pleased her palate recently at the Hotel Palomar’s Central 214, the boutique retreat’s ode to American cuisine. Patrons of the Palomar can also peruse the menu at Trader Vic’s, the hotel’s Polynesian-influenced restaurant.

Irving

The 65,675 football fans that huddled together at Texas Stadium to watch the Dallas Cowboys beat the New York Jets 34 to 3 had plenty to be thankful for on turkey day as multi-platinum recording artist Kelly Clarkson belted out some of her top-selling tunes during halftime. The Burleson-raised “American Idol” is also currently singing the praises of The Salvation Army– the performance marked the beginning of the 2007 Salvation Army Red Kettle Christmas campaign.

New Braunfels

Each summer, the Texas Hill Country town of New Braunfels is teeming with tubers, lazily floating down the Guadalupe and Comal rivers. Although the water’s temperature dips during the fall, Disney darlings Cole and Dylan Sprouse of “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody” fame got the opportunity to enjoy a Mark Twain-style adventure on the rivers as cameras rolled on the upcoming action adventure flick “The Kings of Appletown.” According to the San Marcos Record, Tinseltown’s top TV twins will will be in New Braunfels, the home of Schlitterbahn and Wurstfest, and surrounding areas throughout November.