Crystal City, Texas
Crystal City, the seat of Zavala County, is the primary center for packing, processing and shipping vegetables from a Del Monte Foods plant and independent farmer co-ops. Most famous for its spinach crop, the Winter Garden area also produces large quantities of onions, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, watermelons and cantaloupes. The cattle industry features both local ranches and available grazing land leases for out of area and out of state ranching enterprises.
The annual Spinach Festival is held during the second weekend of November. The festival features a spinach cook-off, parade, live Tejano music, carnival, car show, a variety of food and beverage booths, a 5K run and related activities.
Hunting game available in Crystal City include white tail doe and buck, wild hog, turkey, white wing Dove, javelina and rattlesnake. Fishing is available on the Nueces, Leona and Frio Rivers, Espantosa Lake and plentiful creeks with species such as alligator gar, bass, catfish and perch. Many hunting and fishing lodges are located just minutes from Crystal City.