Dance Hall Devotion
People pack the wall-to-wall tables in Gruene Hall, and the band has hit full swing when I walk in one summer ... Read More »
Lone Star Love
There’s a reason all of George Strait’s exes live in Texas — there’s something ridiculously romantic about the ... Read More »
Mardi Gras 2017
On the eve of Lent, Mardi Gras is a moment of indulgence. Food, drink, and family are at the core of Fat Tuesday. ... Read More »
Lunar New Year 2017
Happy Lunar New Year! Festivals featuring lion and dragon dancers, firecrackers and great food mark the changeover ... Read More »
Holocaust Remembrance
One of the deepest scars in the history of humankind is the Holocaust. Friday, January 27 is International ... Read More »
Laguna Gloria
You could easily get a crick in your neck from looking up at Tom Friedman’s stainless-steel sculpture Looking Up. ... Read More »
Playing Cowboy
Texans known better than most: there’s something romantic about playing the part of a cowboy. Clint West of ... Read More »
San Antonio’s Grande Dames
Three grand San Antonio hotels, the St. Anthony, Gunter, and Crockett, opened in 1909. The timing is hardly a coincidence. Founded at the crossroads of early travel routes, San Antonio saw significant growth after Texas became part of the Union and again with the arrival of the railroad in 1877. According to the Texas Almanac, San Antonio was the state’s most populous city in 1909. And, says architect Irby Hightower, principal of Alamo Architects Inc., these hotels filled a growing need for lodging and places to conduct business. Even during tough economic times in the 1920s and 1930s, San Antonio prospered thanks to oil and ranching money. Through the years, these hotels made enough money to remain open but not so much to tempt their owners to tear them down and build something bigger. All three have continuously operated as hotels, and thanks to recent renovations, they retain their original grandeur. Read More »
Hunt County Heroes
The Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum in Greenville could just as easily be called the Hunt County Historical ... Read More »
Gone Ameripolitan
Veteran Austin honky-tonker Dale Watson says it’s gotten harder and harder to explain his music to strangers—the ... Read More »
Punchin’, Preachin’, and the Piney Woods
Maybe you know George Foreman the boxer. “Big George” notched a 76-5 record in his legendary career, including an ... Read More »
Main Street Remake
With its spreading oak trees and architecture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the scene is what you might expect to see in a cinematic depiction of Texas small-town life before interstate highways, strip malls, and big cities wrested rural downtowns of their vitality. But this is no time warp. Thanks to public and private restoration efforts, a strong local economy, and a convenient location between Houston and Austin, La Grange’s downtown square thrives with a charm that feels both vital and vintage. Read More »