By Far, the most popular across the border destination for winter visitors to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is
Nuevo Progreso, Mexico.

Exploring Nuevo Progreso is a fun experience enjoyed by locals and Winter Texans alike. You will find a wide variety of curio shops with everything from Mexican candies and cookies to colorful ceramics, blankets, leather goods, jewelry, chimineas, clothing and much more.

You can expect street vendors to beckon you to enter their kiosks to get that special "almost FREE" bargain. Be ready to haggle a bit, it is expected, but don't insult them by trying to get something for almost nothing. This is how they make their living after all. Explore the side hallways to find more variety. Perhaps you will find a special gift for your grandchildren.

Be prepared for the youngest of the street vendors plying their wares. Just remember that giving a nickel, dime or quarter to one, pretty much guarantees that a flock will be following you everywhere you go from then on.

So enjoy Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. Just use common sense and everything will be fine. Go with friends, stick to the main drag and leave before dusk.

Winter Texans have been visiting this small border town, south of Weslaco, Texas, for more than 50 years. It is a safe area for tourists to enjoy shopping for souvenirs and pharmaceuticals, taking advantage of low priced dental services, and enjoying the local cuisine and beverages.

Finding a dentist in Nuevo Progreso is easy. There are dental clinics up and down both sides of the main street as well as in the nooks and crannies of the side streets. Most dental clinics are clean and modern and most of their personnel speak English. You will find the cost of dental work, pharmaceuticals and other services in Nuevo Progreso to be a fraction of what it would be in the United States.

Many Winter Texans visit Nuevo Progreso on a regular basis while they are wintering here in Texas.

Every year early in December (usually a Friday), Nuevo Progreso hosts a celebration to welcome visitors from across the border to their small town. In the US we call this Winter Texan Appreciation Day while in Mexico it is Dia de la Turista. The date varies for this event from year to year.

No matter what you call it, it is a day of Fun, Food, Music and Dancing. There is a similar day in the Spring, in mid-March, when the Winter Texan population starts to plan their departure to the North.

A valid US passport is required to re-enter the United States. Whether you walk across or drive across the border, you will be required to present your passport at the US Customs Border Protection checkpoint. For more info see travel.state.gov

There is a Toll charge when entering Mexico at Nuevo Progreso. If you are walking across, have a couple of quarters ready. If you are driving across, the toll is currently $3 (as of July 2017). The return trip will cost you around 35¢ if walking and currently $1.60 if driving (as of July 2017). Be prepared with US paper currency and coinage.

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