Follow the fruit to the southern tip of Texas. This is the state’s produce aisle, where 86,000 acres of sandy, arable soil are dedicated to producing fruits and vegetables. Rio Grande Valley farmers specialize in growing citrus, most notably the Texas red grapefruit, which was named the official state fruit in 1993. The Valley has long been a hub for agritourism; this scene from 1979, captured by Texas Highways photographer Jack Lewis, shows a miniature locomotive chugging through the narrow passages between fruit trees at the Live Steam Museum in Alamo. Carfuls of riders live their zest life as they pass bumper crops of grapefruit, oranges, and tangerines. The now-defunct museum once boasted the “largest juice bar in Texas” and catered to Winter Texans who returned to the Valley each year for another taste of the sweet life.
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