Summer for Procrastinators: Lost Maples State Natural Area
Lost Maples is most often touted as a destination for viewing fall foliage, but the shade from the trees make the park a cooler and more comfortable hiking destination in the summer. Read More »
Rent a Kayak for a New Perspective on Austin’s Bat Flight
Each evening between late February and late October, as the sun hits the horizon line, experts estimate that somewhere between 750,000 and 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats leave the nooks and crannies of this downtown bridge’s interior to go a-hunting. And each evening over that same eight-month span, hundreds of people line the bridge’s walkway, as well as any open spaces nearby, to take it all in. Most locals suggest claiming space hours before sunset in order to get a good view. But a few hours in the hot sun with nothing to do but wait? That seemed like a situation that would violate all three of our family getaway hopes fairly quickly. Read More »
Stories of Suffering and Salvation from Colonial Texas’ Western Edge
For the colonists who settled Texas, the Colorado River represented boundless potential—lands thick with alluvial soils, timber, and game. But as the edge of civilization, the Colorado also meant danger—a treacherous obstacle that was prone to flooding, deadly to cross, and a harbor for native tribes. Read More »
The Bard is Back
"As You Like It" and "Othello" are atop the bill for the 34th Texas Shakespeare Festival beginning Thursday at Kilgore College. Read More »
The Story of Mi Tierra’s ‘American Dream’ Mural in San Antonio
Featuring portraits of more than 100 people, "American Dream" was the idea of Jorge Cortez—the son of Mi Tierra founders Pedro “Pete” and Cruz Cortez. “I wanted to honor my father and mother, who came to the U.S. as immigrants,” Cortez says of the mural. Read More »
Seeking Solitude, an East Texas Native Discovers an Island of Indelible Characters
When I moved away from the Piney Woods, my old canoe stayed behind. Years passed before I came back to fetch it ... Read More »
Photo: Keep Cool at Devil’s Waterhole in Inks Lake State Park This Summer
A lot of lore surrounds the naming of Devil’s Waterhole along a northeast branch of Inks Lake State Park near Burnet: One legend says the land's previous owner was known to curse loudly whenever his wagon got stuck crossing it, while others believe Native Americans originally named it for its warmer waters. While the source of the name is unconfirmed, there’s no question that it’s a popular natural swimming area for daredevils. It can only be reached from inside the park by either hiking the quarter-mile Devil’s Waterhole Trail or by paddling along Inks Lake. Upon arrival, hikers and paddlers are greeted by the park’s metamorphic rock, Valley Spring Gneiss, with ledges rising up to 40 feet above the water. Read More »
Vintage Mural in Hamilton Post Office Depicts Texas Rangers Singing in Camp
Across Texas, murals in post offices and other buildings date to a New Deal-era federal program designed to put artists to work while beautifying public places with depictions of local culture. About 90 such murals survive in the state, including painter Ward Lockwood’s Texas Rangers in Camp in the post office in Hamilton, a Central Texas town. “From the spontaneous remarks of visitors in the post office, I am sure that the mural is the most popular one I have done,” once wrote the late artist, a member of the famed Taos Society of Artists who was teaching at the University of Texas at Austin when he created the work. Shauna Melde, a 33-year post office employee, says the painting remains popular. “People in Hamilton frequently say they remember coming in as kids and seeing the mural,” Melde says. —John Lumpkin Read More »
A Refurbished Baker Hotel Signals a New Beginning in Mineral Wells
The venerable but long-vacated Baker Hotel, which opened in Mineral Wells in 1929 and once hosted personalities such as Judy Garland, Clark Gable, and president Lyndon Johnson, is poised to surge back to life under a newly announced $65 million renovation slated for completion in 2022. Read More »
How the Texas “Moth Man” Identified 900 Species Along the Trinity River
About 10 years ago, Stuart Marcus, refuge manager for the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, arrived early one morning at his office to find that a tiny visitor had stopped by. Sporting glistening spiked hair and garbed in an exotic dayglo fuchsia/tangerine/black ensemble, this emissary from the order lepidoptera might well have been saying, “I’m here to introduce you to my tribe.” Read More »
Horse Racing, Ferris Wheels, Dancing—Find it All at the Gillespie County Fair in Fredericksburg
The fairgrounds draw horse racing fans from El Paso to Beaumont and Amarillo to McAllen. “People like watching the races here because they can get so close to the track,” says Billy Roeder, who recently retired after 28 years as a Gillespie County commissioner. Read More »
Summer Getaway: A Weekend in Seguin
Seguin’s mix of Hispanic and Czech/German culture can be heard in the Mexican polka “Viva Seguin,” made famous in the early ’40s by Santiago Jiménez Sr. It’s an instrumental about a lyrical town, with a beat everyone can dance to. Read More »
Find Texas Events
[gravityform id="1" title="true" description="true"]