October 2018

How Phoenix Restaurant and Bar in Port Aransas Got its Caribbean Flair

October 22, 2018 | By

The Worsham clan’s enthusiasm for Mouttet’s food motivated Worsham to start her culinary apprenticeships as soon as she graduated from high school. It also influenced her preference for piquant dishes and reinforced her choice in hiring Omar Brown, the Phoenix’s current sous chef who grew up in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

At the Confluence of the North & South Llano Rivers, Junction Is More Than a Fly Fisher’s Paradise

October 4, 2018 | By Jane Kellogg Murray

I was lured to Kimble County by my fly fisher husband—his heart set on hooking the fabled Guadalupe bass and learning a trick or two at the annual Oktoberfisch fly-fishing festival. For three days every October, the Fredericksburg Fly Fishers invite first-timers and avid anglers to their event along the Llano River in Junction. The town—known as The Land of Living Waters, a nod to the county’s abundance of flowing waterways—sits where the North and South Llano rivers meet, so it’s a prime locale for such a fest.

Fredericksburg Was a Tiny House Haven Long Before HGTV

October 4, 2018 | By Heather Brand

Spanning 3.5 acres along West Main Street in downtown Fredericksburg, the Pioneer Museum chronicles the history of Sunday houses (among other vernacular architecture) and serves as an ideal launching point for a self-guided walking tour of the tiny historic homes, most of them within a few blocks of one another. For a broader overview, the museum offers a guided historical and architectural walking tour of the town on select Wednesday evenings.

Austin Piano Great Marcia Ball is Still Tickling Them Ivories

October 4, 2018 | By

When Marcia Ball gets to rocking—her long fingers pounding out barrelhouse keyboard rhythms, knees bouncing to the beat, the band locked into the groove—it can be downright difficult to sit still. The Austin piano player has been getting people to their feet for decades with her joyful take on rhythm and blues and a voice steeped in Gulf Coast soul.

33 Roadside Restaurants for Your Next Texas Road Trip

September 26, 2018 | By

Texas is vast, and the decisions are wide open when hunger strikes on those long hauls across the state. Sure, you could pull up to the nearest drive-thru window (again), but there’s nothing boldest or grandest about a bag of fast food—especially when exceptional mom-and-pop restaurants are dishing up affordable comfort a little farther down the line. Whether you’re hankering for a taste of home or the meal less traveled, sometimes you just need to get out of the car and into a diner booth.

The Daytripper Visits the Antiquing Outpost of Round Top for Texas Antiques Week

September 25, 2018 | By

It may be one of the smallest incorporated towns in Texas (official population: 90), but don’t let that fool you—the little town of Round Top makes for some big trippin’. Visit during the biannual Texas Antiques Week and you’ll find thousands of “junkers” filling every available cow pasture with vintage collectibles. But even on a normal day, this hamlet has plenty of charm.

History, Art, and Colorful Fall Foliage Distinguish the Great Plains Town of Canadian

September 25, 2018 | By

Not far from the banks of the Canadian River, tucked among the River Valley Pioneer Museum’s artifacts of Panhandle ranching and railroad history, black-and-white portraits gaze from the gallery wall as if they’ve been waiting patiently for a century to look you in the eye.

Help Yourself to Sausage, Biscuits, and a Side of History at the King Ranch

September 24, 2018 | By

My kids know I’m happy to travel for a meal, particularly when huevos are involved, but in their minds, this was pushing it. The night before, we’d driven more than three hours across the dark, South Texas landscape to Kingsville. Now, on a Saturday morning, they were back in the car just before dawn. “But look at the light, it’s beautiful!” I told them, pointing to the horizon. “Besides, this is not just any breakfast,” I promised. “It’s a chance to experience Texas history on one of the most famous ranches in the world.”

Explore Frontier Life in San Antonio at the Yturri-Edmunds Home

September 20, 2018 | By

Before the first railroad line reached San Antonio in 1877, the villa was known as “the city of adobes,” according to an 1887 article in the San Antonio Daily Express. Along with rock, adobe was cited as the most common construction material. Another report in the Express noted that local adobe buildings would “endure forever almost.”

Any Day Above Ground Is a Good One at the Quirky National Museum of Funeral History

September 20, 2018 | By

For the past eight years, the treasury of exhibits about the cultural practices and traditions surrounding death has hosted a haunted maze during the month of October. The president and curator of the museum, Genevieve Keeney, says it takes great pains to make sure the event is a good time for all ages.

Port Aransas Seafood Eatery Phoenix Restaurant and Bar Bounces Back After Being Destroyed by Hurricane Harvey

September 19, 2018 | By

The question of whether The Phoenix Restaurant and Bar in Port Aransas would reopen after Hurricane Harvey was not “if” but “when.” In the aftermath of the devastating storm, the eatery’s namesake became more relevant than chef Tiana Worsham and co-owner Vanessa Brundrett could have imagined when they founded it a decade ago.

Tannat Is the New Texas Wine Everyone Will Be Talking About

September 19, 2018 | By

The growing throngs of oenophiles traveling what is known as Wine Road 290—the winery-heavy stretch of US 290 between Johnson City and Fredericksburg—have become very familiar with once-exotic wines like tempranillo, sangiovese, and viognier that thrive in the Texas heat and soil.

Now here’s another one to get acquainted with: tannat, an under-the-radar red wine that’s poised to become Texas’ favorite varietal.

Interactive Map of Family-Owned Restaurants Across Texas

September 18, 2018 | By

Plan your food-inspired road trip with these 33 mom-and-pop restaurants Texas. The decisions are wide open when hunger strikes on those long hauls across the state. Sure, you could pull up to the nearest drive-thru window (again), but there’s nothing boldest or grandest about a bag of fast food—especially when exceptional mom-and-pop restaurants are dishing up affordable comfort a little farther down the line.

A Scenic Detour off Interstate 10 Reveals Spectacular Views of the Pecos River Valley

August 26, 2018 | By

The best road trips allow time for detours off the beaten path. Though it can be tempting to choose the most expedient route, it’s often the “long-cuts” that make a trip memorable. One of our family’s perennial favorites is the Sheffield Loop, a 20-mile scenic drive on State Highway 290, just off Interstate 10 west of Ozona.

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