35 Things We Love About Texas - Lois M. Rodriguez

35 Things Web Editor Lois M. Rodriguez Loves About Texas

1.    Texas people – from Waskom to Anthony – because they’re open, friendly and oh, so funny.
2.    Funnel cakes, kettle corn, apple cider and hot chocolate options while watching families/friends/lovers spin underneath the Zilker Park Tree of Lights in Austin
3.    Houston’s museum and theater districts
4.    Nasher Sculpture Center and the Dallas Museum of Art
5.    Fort Worth’s Cultural District
6.    Summer weather in the middle of winter
7.    Spelunking in Texas caves
8.    Tubing down the Guadalupe, Frio or Comal rivers
9.    Driving through/visiting any of the state’s national forests in the Piney Woods
10.    Swimming holes
11.    Offerings of world-class dining, theater, music and art
12.    The state’s geographical diversity, which makes it multiple destinations in one – hills, mountains, shorelines, piney woods, sand dunes, deserts, big cities and small towns.
13.    The solace of sunrise or sunset along the Gulf Coast – from Galveston to Padre.
14.    Pecans and all the goodies made from them
15.    Kayaking Lady Bird Lake in Austin
16.    The kitsch – biggest rocking chair, Cadillac Ranch, Beer Can House, Art Cars, etc.
17.    The majestic views of Big Bend
18.    Beautiful, lush Hill Country
19.    Culturally-rich South Texas region. Mi gente!
20.    Watching people do the Chicken Dance at WestFest (with kolaches as a bonus).
21.    The atmosphere in San Antonio during Fiesta
22.    Rafting down the Rio Grande
23.    Climbing to the top of Enchanted Rock
24.    All the beautiful, historical missions in South Texas
25.    REAL Dr Pepper floats in Waco or Dublin
26.    Norman Rockwell collection at the National Scouting Museum in Irving
27.    Teeming pride in Texas culture visible in museums, statues, historical markers and living re-enactments
28.    Sense of wit that shines through in town names like Paris, Turkey, Egypt and Earth, as well as, Uncertain, Utopia, Happy, Friendship, Veribest and Needmore. Let’s not forget Cut and Shoot. Oh, there’s so many more!
29.    Austin’s live music scene – especially in random places, like a plant nursery or a clothing store.
30.    I’m always amused (at the same time repulsed) to see what fried items end up on the State Fair of Texas menu each year. Fried Coke, bacon, marshmallows, Twinkies, banana splits, Oreos, jelly beans.
31.    Forbidden Gardens in Katy
32.    Ghost stories and folklore (like Marfa Lights, Big Foot and the haunted railroad crossing in San Antonio!)
33.    The McNay Museum in San Antonio
34.    The beautiful Texas landscapes on long drives
35.    It was home to phenomenal women like Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan, Sandra Day O’Connor, Babe Didrickson Zaharias and all those honored at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth.

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