Indie Record Stores Are Turning the Tables on Texas Music Sales
For some time now, prognosticators have been predicting the total demise of records—you know, the old-fashioned discs that play musical sound—as well as the brick-and-mortar establishments that sell them. And yes, it’s true that CD sales are down, and more than a few record stores have shut their doors. But there’s good news for those of us who can’t imagine life without flipping through bins, admiring the physical objects for their creative covers, and listening to the tunes imprinted in their grooves. Read More »
Say Hi to the Llamas When You Stay at This Historic Blanco River Ranch
Despite the newness in the name, time seems to stand still at New Tracks, which is how David and Shyrle prefer it. “I often wish I had grown up in the 1800s,” says 85-year-old David, who remembers riding into the small town of Kyle as a child and finding dirt streets and hitching racks for horses in front of the general stores. Read More »
Houston’s Antone’s Po’ Boys Go Statewide
Jan Norris remembers when customers sat on fig and olive barrels when they dined at Antone’s Import Co. in Houston more than half a century ago. Norris moved from Vivian, Louisiana, in 1957 and ordered his first Antone’s po’boy at the location on Taft Street a few years later. Read More »
Jefferson’s ‘Diamond Bessie Murder Trial’ Plumbs 19th-Century Mystery
It was the O.J. Simpson trial of its day. Reporters descended on the northeast Texas town of Jefferson to chronicle the tragic tale of Diamond Bessie with black ink and purple prose. Nobody recognized the dashing young couple Annie Moore and Abe Rothschild when they checked into a local hotel in January 1877. But when Moore’s body was found in the woods two weeks later, a bullet in her head, the mystery of Moore, aka Diamond Bessie, catapulted Jefferson into the national spotlight. Read More »
Photographer Captures the Evening Light of Texas’ Blackland Prairie
On most evenings, as the sun sinks below the horizon in the Blackland Prairie, photographer Andy Sharp is in his aged Honda chasing the light somewhere on a country road or in a small town. Sharp has rambled about for 10 years, since he and his wife moved to Taylor in Williamson County. Read More »
Man Versus the Most Untamed Stretch of River in Texas
It was midday on Día de los Muertos as I hurtled down a rain-swollen Rio Grande, my illusions of control over my ... Read More »
Dearest Dumplin’: Ya Novelist Julie Murphy Talks Teen Empowerment, Dolly Parton, and Her Netflix Movie
Julie Murphy was on the law school track when a little book named Twilight came out during her senior year at Texas Wesleyan University. The young adult vampire novel reignited a love of reading in Murphy that she hadn’t felt in years. It also gave her the writing bug. “It was the first book that made me feel like maybe writing isn’t so far out of reach,” Murphy says, sitting at the kitchen table of her home just east of Fort Worth. “Maybe if this woman can write this admittedly ridiculous book about a sparkling vampire, maybe I can write one book that one person will read at least once.” Read More »
Willie Nelson Opens up About His Musical Family, His Love of Texas, and Why He’s Still on the Road to the Next Stage
There’s nothing like the feeling of stepping onto Willie Nelson’s tour bus. Whether you do it once or a hundred times, it’s a thrill to be invited onto Willie’s rolling roadshow. Stories will be told. New songs may be played. Jokes that may or may not be suitable for print will be exchanged. And laughter will definitely ensue. It’s Saturday night in the Fort Worth Stockyards. A sold- out crowd is already finding their seats just a few steps from Willie’s bus, which is parked behind the world’s largest honky tonk, Billy Bob’s Texas. I’ve come to see an old friend and to hear what might be my 100th Willie concert. Or maybe my 300th—I lost count long ago. Read More »
Things To Do in Texas This Weekend: March 29-31
Enjoy all springtime has to offer with this weekend's outdoor event offerings—including the LBJ 100 bike ride in Stonewall and the Texas Night Sky Festival in Dripping Springs. Read More »
Texas Highways Debuts Special Issue Dedicated to All Things Texas Wildflowers
Over the years, we’ve scouted the state’s best wildflower drives; dug up wildflower trivia; covered dozens of wildflower festivals from El Paso to the Piney Woods; and offered grower’s guides and field guides. But this issue beats them all: 100 pages devoted entirely to Texas wildflowers—a botanical feast for the eyes. It’s a cornucopia of flower facts, folklore, photography, and festivals, and can be enjoyed year-round, even when those beautiful bluebonnets aren’t in bloom. Here we bring you the best of Texas Highways’ wildflower writing, imagery, and useful tips—where to wake up next to fields of flowers, Texas artisans making everything from pressed-flower art to wildflower soaps, and a grand total of 12 scenic drives guaranteed to feed your flower frenzy in every corner of the state. Read More »
Photo Gallery: The Inaugural IndyCar Classic at Circuit of the Americas in Austin
The NTT IndyCar Series—most famous for the Indianapolis 500 race each year—made its first visit to the Circuit of the Americas outside Austin on March 22-26. Colton Herta, an 18-year-old rookie, became the youngest driver to ever win an IndyCar series event. Herta races for Harding Steinbrenner Racing, a team that is also in its first full year competing in IndyCar. Read More »
Poppies Festival on Saturday Celebrates El Paso’s Big Bloom
El Paso will celebrate its poppy bloom on Saturday at the El Paso Museum of Archeology’s annual Poppies Festival. “This year’s bloom is considered the best in the last three years,” Museum Director Jeff Romney says. The wildflowers are in full bloom throughout the region, accenting the city’s Chihuahuan Desert slopes with brilliant sunset hues of orange and yellow. The show usually begins in late January and lasts through early April. With spring rains, the bloom can extend through mid-May. Read More »
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