On the Water

An Adventurer’s Guide to Texas State Parks

An Adventurer’s Guide to Texas State Parks

I learned a few important lessons on my first multiday mountain biking trip through Big Bend Ranch State Park as I ... Read More »

The Floating Campsite at Sea Rim State Park Is a One-of-a-Kind Experience

The Floating Campsite at Sea Rim State Park Is a One-of-a-Kind Experience

As I push off from the dock on the north side Marsh Unit at Sea Rim State Park, about 10 miles west of Sabine Pass ... Read More »

Bird Blinds Offer State Park Visitors and Migratory Birds a Tranquil Escape

Bird Blinds Offer State Park Visitors and Migratory Birds a Tranquil Escape

Home to Roost State park bird blinds offer a closer look at Texas’ avian diversity By Melissa GaskillWhether ... Read More »

The Houston Zoo’s New Galápagos Islands Exhibit Enchants and Educates

The Houston Zoo’s New Galápagos Islands Exhibit Enchants and Educates

In 2018, the Houston Zoo announced an ambitious capital campaign to revitalize the sought-after Texas ... Read More »

Go (Almost) Under the Sea at the Patton Center of Marine Science Education in Port Aransas

Go (Almost) Under the Sea at the Patton Center of Marine Science Education in Port Aransas

Inside a sofa-size aquarium, a black-and-white striped sheepshead and a small school of shiny Gulf menhaden ... Read More »

‘Oldest and Friendliest’ Bar in Port Aransas Makes a Move

‘Oldest and Friendliest’ Bar in Port Aransas Makes a Move

A bit of Port Aransas history has moved—literally. The final section of Shorty’s, the beach city’s oldest ... Read More »

The Eternal Springs of Balmorhea State Park Pool in West Texas

The Eternal Springs of Balmorhea State Park Pool in West Texas

Deep in the Chihuahuan desertin West Texas, at the foot of the Davis Mountains, water beckons. It flows far ... Read More »

Explore Rio Grande Valley Wilderness at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

Explore Rio Grande Valley Wilderness at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

Beyond Laguna Madre, on the ocean side of South Padre Island, a bank of cumulus clouds looms over the Gulf of ... Read More »

A Lost Swimming Hole in the Panhandle Plains Holds Generations of Family Memories

A Lost Swimming Hole in the Panhandle Plains Holds Generations of Family Memories

Open Road  | January 2023 Parting the Waters Generations of family ... Read More »

Keep Your Eyes on the Skies: Hawk Watch at Smith Point Gets Underway

Keep Your Eyes on the Skies: Hawk Watch at Smith Point Gets Underway

Every fall, tens of thousands of birds migrate south through Texas in search of warmer climates for the ... Read More »

Do’s and Don’ts of Late Summer Travel in Texas

Do’s and Don’ts of Late Summer Travel in Texas

Getting in a last-minute road trip before summer vacation ends? Along with the fun traveling has to offer also ... Read More »

As Drought Sets in Across Texas, Expect a Bumpy Tubing Season

As Drought Sets in Across Texas, Expect a Bumpy Tubing Season

  What’s not to love about tubing the river? Hot sun and cold water, fun with friends, and time spent ... Read More »

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