A Weekend Getaway in Bell County
Located in the heart of Texas, just off I-35 between Waco and Austin, Bell County is far enough from hipster joints and the urban hustle to provide a dose of small-town Texas—but close enough for a weekend getaway. For barbecue enthusiasts, Belton’s stellar smoked meat purveyors provide reason enough to exit the interstate. But the area’s appeal goes well beyond brisket: There is camping, fishing, and boating on Lake Belton; hiking in state parks; craft beer, and a free-spirited creative community; and plenty of shopping in nearby Salado. It’s a diverse community where the camouflage population of Fort Hood intermingles with co-eds. Early on, Belton’s location on Nolan Creek fueled its growth. In the 1870s, most businesses were devoted to cotton and the numerous cattle drives on the Chisholm Trail. After a fire destroyed Belton’s business district in 1879, locals rallied to build the town’s first cottonseed oil mill (and more gins to follow). The best way to appreciate the area’s charms and understand its rich history is to spend a weekend soaking it all up. Read More »
How Beaumont Photographer Keith Carter Redefined the Artform
He’s one of the world’s great photographers, with a legendary sense for the mystery in the mundane. But right now he’s at home in Beaumont, and his longtime assistant, Cathy Spence, is calling for help from a side door. Read More »
Water Weed-Devouring Weevils Helping Clear up Caddo Lake
Anglers and paddlers, rejoice: Caddo Lake is back. Once largely overrun by giant salvinia, a highly invasive aquatic fern, the lake has benefited from a combination of freezing weather last winter and the release of more than 200,000 salvinia-munching weevils—the same kind that keep salvinia in check in the noxious weed's native Brazil, the Marshall News Messenger reports. Read More »
The Presnall-Watson Homestead in San Antonio Welcomes Hikers, Bikers, and Equestrians
Aseemingly incongruous site greets Saturday afternoon visitors at the Presnall-Watson Homestead, a rambling 19th-century farmhouse along the Medina River in south San Antonio. Kids on bicycles kick out tricks as horseback riders in cowboy regalia round the corner, creating a surprising mash-up of three centuries crammed into one. Read More »
Mr. and Mrs. G’s Serves Up Soul Food in San Antonio
Wearing a red apron and blue “Retired Air Force” cap, William Garner walks out of the kitchen of Mr. & Mrs. G’s Home Cooking and Pastries in San Antonio. It’s the lunch rush, and the phone is ringing as the 81-year-old takes his usual seat behind the cashier. “Hello,” he answers. “Pot roast? Yes, we do.” Read More »
Jose Andres’ Frisco Restaurant Zaytinya Shines at The Star
Frisco’s entertainment complex at the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters, The Star, exudes all the glitz one expects from a Jerry Jones-adjacent operation. One boutique, for instance, sells a kid-size sparkly blue Ford F-150 emblazoned with a silver star for $15,000. But Zaytinya, the Mediterranean restaurant from chef José Andrés, shines in a different way. Read More »
The Daytripper’s Top 5 on Route 66
The top stops in Texas on the ‘Mother Road of America’ Read More »
Empress of Gulf Coast Soul Barbara Lynn Reflects on Her Decades-Long Career
Barbara Lynn was a left-handed young girl in Beaumont when she started sounding out notes and chords on a guitar made for right-handed musicians. She’s always done things her own way. The pioneering sound that grew out of those childhood guitar rhythms—fiery and percussive, complemented by her soulful singing voice and a poet’s command of songwriting—took Lynn around the world, from Beaumont to the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and to the top of the charts in 1962. Read More »
A Cancer Survivor on the Healing Nature of Birds
The first time I encountered whooping cranes, my wife and I were stationed on an observation tower on the dry ... Read More »
A Music-Industry Veteran Breathes New Life Into a Classic Small-Town Venue
From the outside looking in, the Texas dance hall appears to be a pretty basic proposition: live music in a big building with a stage at one end and a dance floor in the middle. It’s the other, smaller details that separate the classic dance halls from the rest. Read More »
Relive Dallas’ Glamorous Past at Three Newly Renovated Classic Hotels
Stories of Dallas’ glamorous past unfold at three classic hotels where recent, significant updates make them as relevant as some of their much younger and flashier counterparts. To spend time exploring The Adolphus, The Stoneleigh, and The Statler is to appreciate the ways old becomes new again and to understand how these vintage jewels first shaped the Big D into an enjoyable place to visit. Read More »
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Announces its 2019 Concert Lineup
Dust off your favorite pair of cowboy boots because the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo is back Feb. 7-24. The event, which was established in 1949 and brings 2 million visitors to the AT&T Center every year, has released a live music lineup packed with country music stars and other national entertainers. Read More »
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