Exploring the Cosmos at the Johnson Space Center
When in Houston, do as the astronauts do. That means investigate moon rocks, attend mission briefings, and see how you fill out a space suit.
The Discovery Science Place Celebrates 30 Years
Travel Back in Time to Prehistoric Texas
Nature and Tranquility Await at Three Parks on the Edge of East Texas
A sandy trail leads me through the forest to a bog spanned by a suspension bridge that sways as I cross.
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Larry McMurtry’s Last Auction Sale
The Promise of Summer at Lake Bob Sandlin State Park
A Day Spent at Lake Bastrop Trailway Rewards Human and Canine Adventurers
When my dog and I go hiking, I try to find trails that meet three criteria.
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A Texas Take on White Castle Sliders
Texas ‘Kidlit’ Showcases Diversity of Character and Place
Hope Floats at Photo Exhibition ‘Smithville, USA’
Did an East Texas Preacher Beat the Wright Brothers Into the Sky?
The turn of the 20th century was a time of technological dreams. The harnessing of petroleum had spawned the automobile, as well as the hope for something greater—powered, controlled flight.
A Native East Texan Remembers the Teacher Who Taught Him to Love the Detour
A Self-Taught Woodworker Practices His Craft on the Gilmer Town Square
Three Takes on the Classic Texas Cheeseburger
After Three Years, the Grass House at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site Returns
In April 2019, a devastating tornado swept through Caddo Mounds State Historic Site and the neighboring town of Alto.
Absent Since 2009, Piggly Wiggly Stores Are Reappearing in East Texas
The excitement rises with the temperature on a sunny June morning in the East Texas town of Athens.
Polka Music? Czech! Kolaches? Czech! Get Ready for Slavnost in La Grange
For a long time, Czech influences on Texas culture have been overlooked, often overshadowed by the history and traditions of the German immigrants who settled in Central Texas.
The Spirit of Diamond Bessie Lives On In New Novel Inspired By Jefferson’s Famous Murder Trial
In downtown Grapevine, novelist Jody Hadlock breezes into a busy coffee shop to talk about her new book, The Lives of Diamond Bessie, a historical novel about a murder that took place in East Texas in 1877.
It Wouldn’t Be Wedding Season in Texas Without the Grand March
The dance starts with our elders. Two old-timers who know what it means to spend decades together in marriage and come out wealthier in love.
For Bastrop Residents, Last Week’s Rolling Pines Fire Was Too Close for Comfort
The history of Bastrop County is marked by wildfires, the most devastating being the 2011 Complex Fire that burned 32,000 acres and lasted 55 days.
Where to See Bald Eagles in Texas this Fall and Winter
In early August, a staff member at Canyon of the Eagles Nature Park and Resort on Lake Buchanan near Burnet reported the area’s first bald eagle of the season.
A Nocturnal Motorist Stops for Gas at a San Augustine Sinclair Station in 1939
A Huntsville Museum Offers a Rare Chance to Step Into the Room where Sam Houston Died
The Steamboat House in Huntsville not only protects artifacts of Texas history at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, the house itself is an artifact.
EXCLUSIVE: Willie Nelson Shares “Dear Texas” Letter From His New Book
Author May Cobb Just Can’t Quit East Texas
This is the setting of my childhood in Longview, an East Texas town sandwiched between Marshall and Kilgore on U.S. Highway 80. It holds unimaginable beauty, but also dark secrets that won’t keep speaking to me.
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.
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.
Woodville’s Refurbished Big Woods Nature Trail Is a Hidden Gem Worth Discovering
Fine-Feathered Friend or Foe? The Pitfalls of the Pine Siskin
One of the things I most eagerly anticipated about moving into my new home on the lower San Bernard River was that finally, after many long years, I would have the opportunity to safely hang a bird feeder.
A Mesquite Artist Sets Out to Capture Every Courthouse Square in Texas
When Mesquite artist Tony Delane is not behind the wheel of a truck hauling glass for Trulite Glass and Aluminum Solutions, driving from DFW to deep East Texas to the Cross Timbers and the northern edge of the Hill Country, he most likely can be found with a paintbrush or a pen in the hand.
Home Sweet Mahomes: East Texas’ Whitehouse Goes Chiefs Crazy Ahead of the Super Bowl
The East Texas town of Whitehouse is about 10 miles south of Tyler, but in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, it is looking more like a suburb of Kansas City.
My Favorite Texas Trip: From Rome to Cedar Creek
Watching Paris, Texas—in Texas
I must have seen Paris, Texas, for the first time when I was in college.
Small-Town Business Spotlight: The Blue Store Outside Tyler Serves Campers and Counselors
Small-Town Dispatches: The Vendors at Canton’s First Monday Trade Days Adapt to New Ways of Selling
George Davis had spent his day loading a trailer for Canton or Round Top; he wasn’t sure which yet.
Small-Town Dispatches: Oil and Gas Aren’t the Only Sectors in Longview Hit By COVID-19
Residents of the East Texas city of Longview reflect on how COVID-19 has affected the local oil and gas industry, as well as other sectors of business and life.
Small-Town Dispatches: Tyler, an Empty Town in Bloom, Looks Ahead to Better Days
In the East Texas town of Tyler, spring is usually a hopping time. Flowers bloom spectacularly throughout the historic district. The annual Azalea and Spring Flower Trail lures thousands of visitors who come to experience the area’s beautiful gardens, elegant homes, local eateries, and quaint brick streets.
New Paddling Trail Near Carthage Navigates a Secluded Stretch of the Sabine River
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Sabine River Sandbar Paddling Trail runs 15 miles through undeveloped riverbank with sandbars that provide opportunities to rest or camp.
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.
The Daytripper’s Top 5 in Jacksonville
From the local Tomato Bowl football stadium to the countless painted concrete tomatoes that adorn businesses and parks all over town, Jacksonville is bursting with tomato pride. But what one might not expect is that a day trip here is as ripe and flavorful as the town’s signature crop.
My Hometown: A True-Blue Rangerette Explains Why There’s More to Kilgore Than Oil and the Drill Team
“People automatically associate Kilgore with oil and Rangerettes,” says Shelley Wayne, who should know. Wayne’s husband works in the petrochemical business, her daughter was a Rangerette, and Wayne herself was a member of Kilgore College’s world-famous drill team before becoming its choreographer. But she adds, “There is much more to this town.” Founded in 1872 by the Great Northern Railroad, Kilgore changed dramatically with the discovery of oil in 1930. Derricks soon crowded downtown, comprising the “World’s Richest Acre”—today a collection of restored derricks along a manicured downtown strip.
Summer for Procrastinators: Splashway Waterpark & Campground
The small community of Sheridan, located between San Antonio and Houston, offers a more relaxed water park experience with Splashway, which opened in 1998.
Texas A&M Forest Service Branches Out by Hosting “Forest Bathing” Events
Based on a Japanese practice, the Texas Forest Service sets out to prove communing with nature can lead to increased happiness.
Celebrate Fourth of July with These Tasty Recipes
Whether you plan to spend Independence Day with a cookout, barbecue, or picnic, we’ve got crowd-pleasing recipes that are sure to keep your guests satisfied.
The Bard is Back
“As You Like It” and “Othello” are atop the bill for the 34th Texas Shakespeare Festival beginning Thursday at Kilgore College.
Seeking Solitude, an East Texas Native Discovers an Island of Indelible Characters
How the Texas “Moth Man” Identified 900 Species Along the Trinity River
About 10 years ago, Stuart Marcus, refuge manager for the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, arrived early one morning at his office to find that a tiny visitor had stopped by.
Sporting glistening spiked hair and garbed in an exotic dayglo fuchsia/tangerine/black ensemble, this emissary from the order lepidoptera might well have been saying, “I’m here to introduce you to my tribe.”
Hitch a Ride on the Texas State Railroad from Rusk To Palestine
Join Amberly, Rich, and Luke as they head to the Piney Woods of East Texas in the June edition of “A Piece of Texas”.
The Texas Basket Company is a Century-Long Link to Jacksonville’s Tomato Capital Heritage
The Jacksonville manufacturer, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, has churned out millions of veneer baskets since it opened in 1919, surviving amid changing times from its home along the railroad that first brought this East Texas town to life.
National Forests in Piney Woods Closing Some Trails, Campsites
Planning a wilderness escape to the Piney Woods? Consider double-checking the availability of your preferred camping areas and hiking trails—particularly in East Texas’ national forests, which are closing some campsites and trails to ease the financial strain.
