Those making a return trip to the artsy West Texas town of Marfa will notice quite a big change at popular fine-dining destination Stellina. In August, the restaurant, which opened in 2016 in Maiya’s former space, converted its menu concept from “rustic Mediterranean” to offerings influenced by the cooking of Oaxaca and elsewhere in Mexico’s interior.
This holiday market lets you get out, explore downtown, and shop artisan goods from around the Hill Country. Meet and mingle with more than 70 artisans while you’re in town to visit Marble Falls’ annual Walkway of Lights.
There was a time when going home for the holidays meant taking the train. Whether boarding a steam locomotive or the electric interurban, passengers who could afford a ticket enjoyed unheard-of advantages in speed and comfort over horse-drawn coaches and the earliest automobiles.
Known for being stuck between a rock and a weird place (Round Rock and Austin), Pflugerville may seem like just another suburb. But hidden among the urban sprawl is a small town full of budding entrepreneurs working to make this pfunnily named community a deluxe daytripper destination.
If you swing by Rosa’s Cantina on the western edge of El Paso, mere minutes from “the badlands of New Mexico,” you will not find Feleena, the girl who drove a lovesick cowboy to his doom in Marty Robbins’ famous ballad “El Paso.” But you will find friendly locals sitting at the bar with ice-cold Tecates. You will also find Robbins memorabilia adorning the walls—1970s album covers with the mustachioed musician in a denim shirt, for example, and a framed copy of the lyrics of “El Paso.”
Texans didn’t invent the fruitcake, but in our state’s tradition of braggadocio, we made it better (and bigger, in some cases).
A holiday delicacy with a sometimes stodgy reputation—thanks in part to Johnny Carson’s long-running gags in the 1970s and ’80s—fruitcakes were imported to Texas in the 1800s by German immigrants who packed their original family recipes and brought them to their new home. Though the recipes stayed basically the same, the fruitcake benefited from one crucial Lone Star ingredient: fresh pecans.
Remember Goliad? It’s one of the oldest towns in Texas, originating in 1749 as a Spanish colonial mission and presidio where the San Antonio River flows through gently rolling coastal plains a little more than 45 miles inland from San Antonio Bay.
Modern barbecue origin stories typically fall into two categories: that of the apprentice who struck out on his or her own, as in the case of Franklin Barbecue in Austin; or that of the backyard enthusiast who gained a cult following before opening a brick-and-mortar, as in the case of Gatlin’s BBQ in Houston. They usually don’t start with small-batch, artisanal chocolate sold at the local farmers market. But at Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue in Tomball, where a handmade chocolate shop is fused with a celebrated, hoppin’ barbecue restaurant, it’s a lot like what Forrest Gump’s mama used to say: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.”
Delia Lubin, the namesake of this holiday season staple, started her tamale empire—which includes six restaurants, a food truck, and a mail-order business—with just 5 pounds of masa and the need to provide for her young family.
On our all-new website, you’ll get all the useful and interesting content you’ve come to know and love, with better searching capabilities, immersive photos, and useful travel-planning features, including:
Destinations: Our new Destination pages provide curated recommendations for lodging, activities, sites, and delicious bites in your favorite Texas towns.
Things to Do: Whether you’re an avid hiker or art aficionado, you can easily find articles to fit your passion grouped together by activity.
Events: You can now search the state’s most comprehensive events listings by location or type of event.
Latest: For news on new and updated attractions, activities, and destinations, check back daily.
When grandma wakes up on a deflated air mattress and half the cousins are banished to the kids’ table, Christmas might be too crowded. Enter the home rental, where extended family can gather under one roof, everyone has a bed, and the dining table is big enough for all. For something even more special, look for houses that pack history in locations featuring plenty of festivities and activities, helping to create lasting memories—the perfect gift for the
entire family.
Some called it a miracle: For a couple of hours across a wide swath of Texas last December, people could legitimately sing along to “Let It Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!”
The Texas badlands east of the Pecos River and along the state’s border with Mexico bristle in thorn-covered plateaus and jagged limestone canyons. But after spring rains, the country often reveals a softer side, blushing with Texas sage blooms. The sage grows on both sides of the Rio Grande, clinging to crevices, thriving among the flats, and populating the rocky shores of Amistad Reservoir, home to Amistad National Recreation Area and ground zero for the most important shared resource in badlands territory—water.
Penny the Chihuahua greets visitors with an inspection sniff outside the elevator leading to Bunkhouse, the Austin-based hospitality company owned by Odessa native Liz Lambert.
Published monthly by the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Highways, the official travel magazine of Texas, encourages travel to and within the Lone Star State and tells the Texas story to readers around the world.
© 2008–2018. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy