Unusual Photo Ops

• McAllen is the Square Dance Capital of the World. Square dancers can be found 7 days a week during the winter months.
• The San Juan Shrine, recently designated a basilica, is located 5 minutes from McAllen.
• McAllen features several buildings of architectural interest, including the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, the old train depot (now an attorney's office), Quinta Mazatlan (an estate owned by the City and McAllen's World Birding Center), and the Historic Casa de Palmas Renaissance Hotel, where many notable people have stayed over the past several decades.
• McAllen hosts the annual Candlelight Posada, a 2 day Christmas event mixing holiday traditions of Mexico and the U.S.
• Local events often feature mariachis and folkloric dancers.
• A local restaurant, El Pocito, offers fresh, homemade tortillas. A request can usually get you a tour of the kitchen where the tortillas are being hand made.
• The McAllen area is home to many colorful birds, including the green jay, kiskadee, red crowned parrot and altamira oriole. These can often be seen in neighborhoods around town.
• The McAllen Chamber of Commerce sponsors a "Day of the Dead" celebration held right across the border in Rio Bravo, Mexico. The entire town celebrates with picnics in the cemetery, displays of altars to relatives who have passed on, and public special events. Tourists are encouraged to attend.