Wineries

Teddy Roosevelt, San Antonio, and the Birth of the Rough Riders

B eneath a warm Caribbean sun, down a twisted road from the tattered colonial city Santiago de Cuba, an American soldier stands frozen in time. It’s a statue, actually, in a small park that commemorates the derring-do of Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, formally known as the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, who helped drive Spain out of Cuba during the Spanish-American War in 1898. Read More »

Against All Odds, Caddo Lake Prevails

The great cypress swamp is lovely, dark, and deep. There is no debating this. The wildly intricate and critter-infested maze of bayous, lakes, ponds, sloughs, and interconnected channels known as Caddo Lake and Big Cypress Bayou is one of the country’s most spectacular nature shows. It contains arguably the most diverse collection of species in Texas. The place has a mystical feel, too, an impression enhanced by the ghostly Spanish moss that drapes the trees, by the cypress roots known as “knees” that rise from the swirling mists like Excalibur in the Arthurian legend, by the lily pads with lotus flowers that spread everywhere and suggest Celtic fairylands. Read More »

Fall Weekend Getaway: Post Oak Savannah

The southern span of the Post Oak Savannah in East Texas evolved out of ancient woodlands of oak and hickory that once stretched from Canada to Central America. Read More »

Dropping in at the Largest Public Skate Park in the Country

The drive from Austin to Houston is marked by undulant pastures, vibrant swaths of wildflowers, and if you know ... Read More »

Experience “Amarillo Ramp”, a Seminal Work of Art, Before It Disappears

In 1973, when it was completed, Amarillo Ramp was a spiral pathway jutting into Tecovas Lake, an artificial body of water outside of Amarillo. It was comprised of sandstone found in the area, compacted to an ascending height of 15 feet, and measured 140 feet in diameter. Now, with the lake long since dried up, Amarillo Ramp amounts to a quirky, failing rock formation. Read More »

This Wilderness Survival Course Teaches Beginners How to Navigate an Outdoor Emergency

Earth Native founder Dave Scott grew up tagging along with his father and uncle on volunteer search-and-rescue missions in Colorado. After six years in the military, he began studying wilderness survival techniques. In 2011, he launched Earth Native, one of a handful of schools in Texas that meld advanced outdoor skills like backcountry navigation, shelter building, and plant medicine with nature appreciation. Scott says he’s noticed an uptick in people’s interest in these types of skills because of survival-oriented reality TV shows. But the majority of his students tend to be less extreme. They mostly want to get into backpacking or spend more time outside with their kids. Read More »

In New Novel, Dallas Native and Foreign Correspondent Sid Balman, Jr., Turns his Lens on Texas

Dallas native and longtime foreign correspondent Sid Balman, Jr., explores the members of two close families in Dell City, following dramatic paths that take them to Austin, West Point, the World Trade Center, the Middle East, India, and home again. Catch his Texas book tour over the next two weeks. Read More »

Color Factory Pop-Up Exhibition Celebrates the Hues of Houston

Live-oak green, NASA logo blue, and Viet-Cajun-crawfish red are among the colors developed for the interactive exhibition. The Color Factory selected Houston for the project because it was looking for “a place that’s quirky and fun and passionate about art.” Read More »