Where to Stay in 2024: The Panhandle
Panhandle Plains
Plainview, a former Wild West outpost, explores its artistic side
By Michael Corcoran
Located 47 miles north of Lubbock on Interstate 27’s path to Amarillo, the town of Plainview is where West Texas meets the Panhandle.
Why Is Big Spring the Lighted Poinsettia Capital of Texas?
After Spring’s Mating Season, It’s Babies Gone Wild at Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway
The Texas State Parks system marks its 100th anniversary this year. With 89 parks, natural areas, and historic sites to choose from, visitors can experience all kinds of outdoor activities.
A New Memorial Honors Buffalo Soldiers History in San Angelo
Named for the strong, burly buffalo that roamed the land, the U.S. Army’s first Black enlisted soldiers left a legacy of perseverance and valor in the swath of territory they served, from Alaska, Hawaii, and the Philippines to almost every state and territory west of the Mississippi River.
Lunch Is Served at Lubbock’s Prairie Dog Town
Call it a prairie dog potluck, because everyone who visits Lubbock’s Prairie Dog Town comes with provisions.
What the Well? Why It Took Mineral Wells So Long to Become the Official Wellness Capital of Texas
Located about an hour west of Fort Worth, Mineral Wells is a small town built on the idea of wellness, as people flocked to the area starting in the late 1800s to drink the local well water that became famous for its healing properties.
The Most Outrageous Burgers in Texas
Larry McMurtry’s Last Auction Sale
Celebrate the Mother Road at the Inaugural Route 66 Festival in Amarillo
When author and photographer Candacy Taylor began researching her book Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America, Amarillo landed on her radar.
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A Texas Take on White Castle Sliders
Treat Yourself to a Glamping Weekend at Palo Duro Canyon State Park
The Texas State Parks system marks its 100th anniversary this year. With 89 parks, natural areas, and historic sites to choose from, visitors can experience all kinds of outdoor activities.
In the Texas Panhandle, a Farmer Turned Woodcarver Chisels Out a Name for Himself
In the front yard of a house in Tyler’s Brick Street Historic District stands what was once a dead tree.
Texas ‘Kidlit’ Showcases Diversity of Character and Place
The History of Pioneer Female Pilots Soars at the National WASP WWII Museum in Sweetwater
The trailblazing Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs), had to prove themselves twice—as the military’s first female pilots who supplemented the shortage of male pilots during World War II, and again more than 30 years later, when the U.S.
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Hooked on Horns: Where to Find the Largest Collections of Longhorns in Texas
Even with its association with a chain of rustic restaurants and a very popular college football team, few words in the English language evoke Texas more than “Longhorns.”
The breed of American beef cattle, with their beautifully expansive horn spread, began appearing after the breeding of Spanish and English cattle in the 1820s through 1830s, according to the Texas State Historical Association.
Ross Blasingame Is Abilene’s Tricycle-Riding Beacon of Good Will
The Trailblazing Story of Legendary Rancher Charles Goodnight Comes to Life at Houston Exhibition
Legendary Texas rancher Charles Goodnight was born in Illinois on March 5, 1836. One day later, in San Antonio de Bexar, the Alamo fell to the Mexican army.
Football Coach Gary Gaines, Famously Depicted in ‘Friday Night Lights,’ Has Died at 73
As the Emerald Ash Borer Expands Its Texas Invasion, There Are Ways to Help Stop the Spread
In 2002, a species of small, jewel-like green beetle appeared in Detroit. Called the emerald ash borer and originally found in northeastern Asia, the beetle sought out a particular target—ash trees—to lay their eggs, leaving its larvae to feed on the trees’ insides.
New Lubbock Attractions Bring an Artsy Flair to the Ranching Town
Three Takes on the Classic Texas Cheeseburger
A Century of Recorded Country Music Started With Texas Fiddler Eck Robertson
His tombstone is inscribed with “World’s Champion Fiddler,” as his virtuosity dominated contests in North Texas since his teen years in the early 1900s.
Banking on Renewed Interest In Its History, a Crazy Water Hotel Reopens in Mineral Wells
Historic photo courtesy Crazy Water Plaza / current by Gene Fowler
Several years ago, Kelly North was living in the Dallas area when she fell under the spell of Mineral Wells.
Pitmasters Share How To Make a Texas-Style Smoked Burger
From Cadillacs to Murals, Amarillo’s Art Scene Is a Sight to Behold
Writers to Pay Tribute to Larry McMurtry This Weekend in Archer City
Roughly six months after the passing of the Texas Tolstoy, writers and fans of Larry McMurtry will gather this Saturday in Archer City, the town that made the man who made the town famous.
Buddy Holly Hall Puts Lubbock on the National Tour Map
This 220,000-square-foot, $154 million venue, which took four years to construct, honors his legacy by providing a state-of-the-art space to welcome musicians as well as dancers, comedians, and actors.
Burklee Hill Vineyards Brings New Life to Kress Department Store in Lubbock
Located in a beautifully renovated 1930s Kress department store building, the winery opened in March 2020, and serves about a dozen wines.
EXCLUSIVE: Willie Nelson Shares “Dear Texas” Letter From His New Book
A Reader’s Maiden Voyage Into the World of Lonesome Dove
On January 1, I started doing what I’d been planning on doing for almost a year: reading the many books about Texas that I wasn’t exposed to until I was an adult.
Explore the Texas Panhandle with These Four Spring Daytrips
In the third part of our spring day drives series, we’re heading to the Texas High Plains.
How To Be a Boss Like Barbara Jordan
Big power can come in small packages. The brightly colored board book Boss Texas Women, by coauthors Kristen Gunn and Casey Chapman Ross, may be for children, but it packs a wallop of inspiration for all ages about the women who’ve changed Texas.
Almost 100 Years OId, Owl Drug keeps the Soda Fountain Flowing in Coleman
Roadside Oddity: The Woody Guthrie ‘This Land Is Your Land’ Sculpture in Pampa
Woody Guthrie is known as an Okie, but he spent eight formative years in the Texas Panhandle town of Pampa.
Five New Wineries to Visit During Texas Wine Month
October is Texas Wine Month, and after several months of closed doors due to the pandemic, wineries are opening up to celebrate the art and science of winemaking in the Lone Star State.
My Favorite Texas Trip: A Retreat at St. Benedict Monastery
I arrived at the St. Benedict Monastery in Canyon in the summer of 2015 to spend the week working on a few short stories.
Five Historic Texas Theaters Share Their Strategies for Survival
Since mid-March, theaters have been unable to book their usual slate of shows and special events resulting in lost ticket sales and lost revenue. Many theaters were expecting to reopen in June, and even put all of the necessary precautions in place to keep staff and guests safe. Then COVID-19 cases began to spike again in Texas, and reopening wasn’t feasible. Some theaters have postponed their reopenings until August, while others have canceled their seasons entirely.
My Favorite Texas Trip: An Englishman Goes Honky-Tonking in Amarillo
“Jesus did not Tap Out, He loves you!” shouted an oncoming billboard. Had I read that correctly?
Small-Town Dispatches: Two Brownwood Restaurants—One Classic and One New—Overwhelmed by Support
Two Brownwood restaurants—one the city’s oldest and one of its newest—have received overwhelming customer support during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two establishments, Underwood’s Cafeteria and Teddy’s Brewhaus, each face unique challenges at the moment, but have risen to them to provide care and comfort for their community of nearly 20,000 located about 70 miles southeast of Abilene.
My Favorite Texas Trip: Growing a Beard for St. Patrick’s Day in Shamrock
Hank to the Rescue! The Comical Tales of a Texas Cowdog Are Just What We Need Right Now
Texas author John Erickson has always had a close rapport with his fans. As the author of the popular “Hank the Cowdog” series of children’s books, Erickson and his wife, Kris, regularly visit schools across the region to read Hank stories and perform music.
Small-Town Dispatches: One Abilene Company Goes From Making Boats to Producing Face Shields
In Abilene, the heart of the region known as Big Country, a manufacturer called Tigé Boats has shifted its focus from making boats to producing personal protective equipment. The PPE, crafted from materials typically used in boat building, are going to local medical workers fighting COVID-19.
A New Visitor Center in Amarillo Explores the People, Places, and Legends of Historic Route 66
For Amarillo photographer Jim Livingston, the new I Am Route 66 Visitor Center and Gallery he opened in his hometown represents the thousands of personal connections he made while driving 25,000 miles up and down the highway known as the Mother Road.
The Daytripper’s Top 5 in Wichita Falls
Finding a Home on the Range in the Panhandle Town of Channing
Photographer John Dyer Drove 5,500 Miles to Document Texas’ Outer Limits
In the spring of 2019, John Dyer set out to see what the edge looked like close up. Dyer is a San Antonio-based commercial photographer who has authored photography books on vaqueros and conjunto music, written two novels, directed several short films, and shot numerous magazine covers including Selena for the May 1995 issue of Texas Monthly. But he’d never taken on a project quite like this.
Fall Really Does Happen in Texas – You Just Have to Know Where to Look
Mother Nature’s autumnal coloration of leaves before she applies her cruel winter grip is a visual gift typically associated with areas of the country that actually experience four distinct seasons. In Texas, where for the most part it’s oppressively hot and dry in September and October, green can abruptly give way to brown, without displaying even a hint of the kaleidoscope of oranges, reds, and yellows typical of a postcard New England fall. There are hidden pockets of the state, however, where the trees, beneficiaries of just the right weather conditions, offer one final, dramatic blush. Follow our photographers to these special places for some of the best foliage in the state—from the Nolan River in North Texas and Garner State Park in the Hill Country, to the Canadian River in the Panhandle and Guadalupe Mountains
National Park in West Texas.
Getaway: A Weekend in Lubbock
Lubbock may not be the first city that comes to mind when considering the arts in Texas, but maybe it should be. The High Plains town that nurtured many of Texas’ most exalted musicians—Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, Joe Ely, Terry Allen, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore to name a few—must have some creative fairy dust blowing through its Caprock winds. The visual arts are now finding fertile soil here, too. Just walk through the galleries and workshops of the Lubbock Cultural District, and you’ll get a whiff of the artistic freedom inspired by the city’s wide-open spaces and 265 days of sunshine a year—a freedom that also comes from a cost-of-living low enough that artists don’t sweat the rent. Like the wildly spinning wind turbines you pass on the drive into town, the “Hub City” is generating energy worthy of attention. If you are one of those travelers who buzzes through Lubbock on your way to New Mexico or Colorado, consider staying for the weekend to see what you’re missing.
