top 40

Comfort Food: Pies

October 21, 2015 | By

Notice there is no category called “Dessert.” No category for cake, cookies, ice cream, or candy.

Comfort Food: Tex-Mex

October 19, 2015 | By June Naylor

It’s a Texan birthright to argue for a favorite Tex-Mex plate and place. What all Texans seem to agree on is that Tex-Mex is simply the finest variation of Mexican food in existence.

Comfort Food: Kolaches

October 16, 2015 | By June Naylor

Of the many treasures bequeathed to Texas by European settlers who began arriving more than 200 years ago, perhaps the single most beloved is the kolache.

Comfort Food: Mac ‘n’ Cheese

October 16, 2015 | By

Never underestimate the comfort factor in a bubbling-hot crock of cheese-cloaked noodles pulled right from the oven.

Comfort Food: Fish & Shrimp

October 16, 2015 | By June Naylor

More than 600 miles of Gulf Coast landscape shapes one long, arching side of the state.

Comfort Food: Chicken-Fried Steak

October 16, 2015 | By June Naylor

 

The most popular dish among cowboys driving cattle to market, the chicken-fried steak began as a simple pounded steak—usually a cheap cut that the chuck-wagon cook tenderized with a good walloping—that was cloaked in flour, salt, and pepper, and then fried in a skillet.

Comfort Food: Burgers

October 13, 2015 | By June Naylor

If you’re a recent arrival in Texas, you may not have heard that our state gave birth to the hamburger, but now you know: Allegedly created in the late 1880s at an East Texas café owned by a man named Fletcher Davis, the hamburger was introduced to a larger audience at the 1904 St.

Comfort Food: Barbecue

October 13, 2015 | By June Naylor

Few topics in the Texas food world get people more excited than barbecue.

Readers’ Choice: Texas’ Top 40 Comfort Food Hot Spots

October 12, 2015 | By June Naylor

Asking readers for their favorite comfort foods seems a lot like asking someone to name a favorite grandchild—the answers frequently come in a flood of options, as they have since we put out the call early this year.

Viva San Antonio!

November 13, 2014 | By Matt Joyce

You could argue that San Antonio had a head start in Texas Highways’ countdown of the Texas Top 40 travel destinations.

Texas Top 40 No. 2, Denton

October 3, 2014 | By

Forty minutes north of the rapidly growing cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, the college town of Denton (population 121,000, more or less) enjoys a relaxed vibe that some admirers liken to “Austin in the old days.”

Texas Top 40 No. 3, Waco

October 2, 2014 | By

For those unfamiliar with Waco, the little city in the heart of Texas might be tough to decipher.

Texas Top 40, No. 4 Big Bend

September 22, 2014 | By

 

Big Bend rewards patient travelers. “Patient” because not only does it take a long time to get here from most everywhere in the state, but also because it can take some time to fully relax into Big Bend’s transformative pleasures.

Texas Top 40, No. 5 Hill Country

September 15, 2014 | By

With a bounty of small towns, sparkling lakes and rivers, and wildflower-splashed pastures in spring, the Hill Country has inspired countless road trips for Texas travelers.

Texas Top 40, No. 8 Nacogdoches

August 1, 2014 | By

You probably learned in school that six flags have flown over Texas: French, Spanish, Mexican, Lone Star, Confederate, and United States.

Texas Top 40, No. 7, Fredericksburg

August 1, 2014 | By

If only the German immigrants who first settled Fredericksburg in 1846 could see what they started.

Texas Top 40, No. 9 New Braunfels

August 1, 2014 | By

The allure of a New Braunfels getaway is particularly strong during these dog days of summer, when the town’s two scenic rivers—the Comal and the Guadalupe—beckon for a refreshing dip.

Texas Top 40, No. 11 Mount Pleasant

July 7, 2014 | By

What’s not to like about a place called Mount Pleasant?

Texas Top 40, No. 10 Palo Duro Canyon

July 7, 2014 | By

Palo Duro Canyon has been wowing people for at least 12,000 years, when natives found shelter within this rugged chasm in the southern high plains.

Texas Top 40, No. 12 Brazos Bend State Park

July 7, 2014 | By

Less than an hour southwest of Houston, the hardwood forests and alligator-rich waterways of Brazos Bend State Park create a welcome respite from big-city hustle and bustle.

Texas Top 40 No. 13, Corpus Christi

June 9, 2014 | By

Texas’ biggest beach city (pop. roughly 313,000) seasons its mix of beachcombing, wakeboarding, sailing, and other oceanfront fun with such urban amenities as luxurious hotels and restaurants, a lively festival scene, and well-curated museums dedicated to art, science, nature, and history.

Texas Top 40 No. 15, Galveston

June 9, 2014 | By

With its coastal setting and intriguing history, Galveston is a favorite among readers seeking a Texas beach escape.

Texas Top 40 No. 24, Port Aransas

March 4, 2014 | By

We used to call Port Aransas a sleepy fishing village.

Texas Top 40 No. 25, Granbury

March 4, 2014 | By

Far enough from DFW to feel like small-town Texas but close enough to draw on the Metroplex’s economic vitality, Granbury offers a slate of enticing options for tourists.

Texas Top 40 No. 26, Austin

March 4, 2014 | By

It would be understandable for Texans to grow weary of their capital city’s popularity and outsized national reputation as a funky cultural mecca.

Texas Top 40 No. 27, Lake Fork

March 4, 2014 | By

Sportfishing rules at Lake Fork. In fact, the reservoir—which lies on the Sabine River 70 miles east of Dallas—ranks among the country’s top trophy bass lakes.

Texas Top 40 No. 30, Garner State Park

February 7, 2014 | By

One of Texas’ most popular parks, Garner State Park enchants visitors with its dramatic scenery on the southwestern edge of the Edwards Plateau—high mesas, steep canyons, and hilltop vistas.

Texas Top 40 No. 29, Lockhart

February 7, 2014 | By

Named by the 76th Texas Legislature in 1999 as the Barbecue Capital of Texas, the Central Texas town of Lockhart lives up to the honor with some of the best-regarded ’cue joints in the state.

Texas Top 40 No. 28, Possum Kingdom Lake

February 6, 2014 | By

Some 90 miles west of Fort Worth, Possum Kingdom Lake sparkles along the upper reaches of the Brazos River.

Texas Top 40 No. 31, Dallas/Fort Worth

February 4, 2014 | By

Like fraternal twins with different personalities, the North Texas cities of Dallas and Fort Worth—roughly 30 miles apart by car or train—offer almost everything a traveler could want in an urban vacation, from outdoors adventures to art, history, fine dining, nightlife, and museums.

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