The 50th Anniversary of LBJ’s Return to his Texas Hill Country Ranch
This year marks the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s return to the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall ... Read More »
Taking the Waters: The Fascinating History of Texas’ Mineral-Water Resorts
Dr. John Sutherland would have died in the Battle of the Alamo had William Travis not dispatched him as a messenger to Gonzales. Read More »
Rock Paintings at Hueco Tanks Reveal Clues About Ancient Visitors
At Hueco Tanks, 30 miles northeast of El Paso, four mountains of granite-like rock soar out of the desert landscape. The surface of the rock is covered with huecos—Spanish for hollows—formed through millions of years of erosion. Because the huecos hold water, this oasis has attracted humans for more than.... Read More »
Class Up Your Look in a Peter Brothers Custom Hat that Brims with History
Willie Dedmon calls himself a walking billboard for Peters Brothers Hats, the historic Fort Worth haberdashery. His collection numbers around 60, with headwear stored in various closets around the house and under his bed. Every day, the 65-year-old retiree dons a hat that fits his mood and attire before making his rounds about town. Read More »
Explore the Birthplace of Boogie Woogie Along US 59 in East Texas
The heavy left hand mimicked the rumble of steam locomotives on iron rails, while the right played melodic cross-rhythms that whistled up and down the tracks. A national craze during World War II, the hard-driving piano style known as boogie woogie set the stage for the musical revolution of rock ’n’ roll. Read More »
The Daytripper’s Top 5 in Sweetwater
Texas is already known for being big. But in our beloved “Big Country,” things are taken to another level. When visiting Sweetwater, the history seems a little richer, the stories a little grander, and the snakes a little longer. If you find yourself in this Big Country town, don’t miss these spots. Read More »
Is Luckenbach, Texas, the Center of the Universe?
Author and artist Becky Crouch Patterson, the daughter of onetime Luckenbach owner Hondo Crouch, is touring the state to promote her third book, Luckenbach, Texas–The Center of the Universe. Read More »
Neill-Cochran House Museum Keeps History Alive in Changing Times
The 26-foot pine-wood columns that bolster the front porch of the Neill-Cochran House Museum in central Austin stand out not only for their visual grandeur. Their history is equally compelling: When building the home in 1856, 17 years after Austin’s founding as the Texas capital, famed builder Abner Cook ordered the pine from Bastrop, and a barge boated the lumber 30 miles up the Colorado River to Austin. Read More »
Mardi Gras Cocktail Recipe from Galveston’s Tremont House
The historic Galveston Tremont House bar mixes up the perfect cocktail to accompany Mardi Gras festivities. When Galveston held its first Mardi Gras celebration in 1867, no one recorded the libations served. But modern-day revelers can hoist a signature Mardi Gras Punch (see below for recipe) at the Tremont House hotel, which shares the island’s long history with the raucous holiday. Read More »
Terry Allen Dishes on Lubbock (And Everything)
Terry Allen wears many hats, not that you’ll catch him in a Stetson. Twangy as all get out, the pioneering Texas country singer still enjoys a cult following for his first two albums. Read More »
Q&A with The Iron Orchard Screenwriter Gerry de Leon
Set and filmed in West Texas, the oil boom period piece starts screening Feb. 22. West Texas wildcatters have long been mythologized on screen in classic films like Giant and There Will Be Blood. This month, The Iron Orchard follows in those footsteps with its dramatic tale of greed, lust, and hunger during the oil boom of the 1930s through ’50s. The Iron Orchard is based off a novel of the same name written by Tom Pendleton (a nom de plume of Fort Worth writer and oil producer Edmund Van Zandt). The book caused a stir when it was published in 1966 and has since become a beloved classic for many in the Texas oil industry—in fact, a group of oilmen subsidized the independent film, directed by Midland native Ty Roberts. Read More »
In Ennis, Wildflowers Beckon Weekenders in Pursuit of Small-Town Charm
Founded in 1872 by the Houston and Texas Central Railway, Ennis is a product of two pillars of Texas’ 19th-century economy: cotton and the railroad. While Ellis County is no longer a top cotton producer, the railroad still plays a role in connecting Ennis’ thriving manufacturing industry with the world. Read More »
Find Texas Events
[gravityform id="1" title="true" description="true"]