Texas Highways logo Texas Highways logo

Clayton Maxwell

Clayton, born and raised in South Texas, has been traversing the state covering travel and culture since the early 2000s. She now lives in Austin. 

See more of her work here.

Latest

A blonde woman with glasses looking at a framed painting on a wall.

Art

Fort Worth Is Home to Michelangelo’s First-Known Painting

By Clayton Maxwell
February 9, 2026
The head of a man with dark hair, short facial hair and glasses.

Architecture

Architect Michael Hsu on Shaping Texas Cities

By Clayton Maxwell
December 10, 2025

Architecture

Five Architectural Styles That Define Texas

By Clayton Maxwell
November 25, 2025

More

A person sits at a table in a dimly-lit restaurant

This Houston Chef Is the City’s Biggest Cheerleader

By Clayton Maxwell
March 19, 2025
Ornate and colorful furniture fill a room in front of a wood-paneled bar in a hotel lobby

Lodging

These Houston Hotels Are Works of Art

By Clayton Maxwell
March 4, 2025
A person wearing a long-sleeve shirt and hat walks behind tall okra plants in a garden under blue sky

Culture

Austin’s Community First! Village Offers a Fresh Start

By Clayton Maxwell
October 22, 2024

Road Trips

A Weekend Getaway in Historic Nacogdoches

By Clayton Maxwell
May 15, 2024

Drive

The Historic Hotels That Housed Texas’ Most Infamous Outlaws

By Clayton Maxwell
August 22, 2023

Weekend Getaways from Houston: Galveston and Nacogdoches

By Clayton Maxwell
May 30, 2023
A bright green ocotillo plant grows out of the rugged brown earth of Big Bend

Drive

Retracing a Grandfather’s Footsteps in Big Bend

By Clayton Maxwell
May 30, 2023

Meet Comfort Tysen, the Texas State Capitol’s Longest-Serving Tour Guide

By Clayton Maxwell
May 25, 2023

Nature

Find Adventure in Texas’ Lesser-Known State Parks

By Clayton Maxwell
May 2, 2023
A slab of wood has Scrabble-like tiles that are arranged with a quote from Lady Bird Johnson: "Where Wildflowers Bloom, So Does Hope." Other tiles contain painted wildflowers.

The Cabinet Oak Project Celebrates Art, a Historic Tree, and LBJ’s Legacy

By Clayton Maxwell
April 19, 2023
A glass display case contains

Houston’s 1940 Air Terminal Museum Preserves the Culture of Flight

By Clayton Maxwell
February 14, 2023

History

Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern Offers Inspiration and Reflection Beneath Houston

By Clayton Maxwell
January 24, 2023
A red, white and blue circular collection of bricks under Texas and United States flags

Drive

Hemphill Remembers the Columbia Disaster 20 Years Later

By Clayton Maxwell
January 24, 2023
A painting of two deer on the shoreline of a lake under tall trees

A New Book Explores the Beauty and Diversity of Texas State Parks Through Art

By Clayton Maxwell
December 31, 2022

Evergirl Vintage Boutique Gives Houston’s East End a ’60s Shine

By Clayton Maxwell
December 21, 2022

Get a Taste of the Cowboy Life at a Texas Dude Ranch

By Clayton Maxwell
October 27, 2022

‘Field of Light’ Shines Bright at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

By Clayton Maxwell
September 9, 2022
A man in a black t-shirt stands in front of numerous vintage motorcycles and memorabilia

Drive

The Texas Vintage Motorcycle Museum Introduces Johnson City to the Wild Side

By Clayton Maxwell
August 25, 2022

Go Wild for New Texas Nature Documentary Narrated by Matthew McConaughey

By Clayton Maxwell
June 1, 2022
An illustration of a man wearing a t-shirt with a man's face in a cowboy hat

Texas Humor’s Founder Jay B. Sauceda Considers the Texas Identity

By Clayton Maxwell
May 26, 2022

Texas and Louisiana Find Common Ground Along Toledo Bend Reservoir

By Clayton Maxwell
May 26, 2022
A young person in a bright blue bathing suit stands in water being sprayed from a mechanical seahorse

Drive

San Antonio’s Morgan’s Wonderland Caters to Kids with Disabilities

By Clayton Maxwell
April 28, 2022

Wildflowers

Wildflowers Serve as Inspiration for These 6 Texas Artists

By Clayton Maxwell
February 24, 2022

In Johnson City, It’s Out With Midcentury Furniture, In With Vintage Motorcycles

By Clayton Maxwell
February 19, 2022

The Legacy of Blind Lemon Jefferson in Deep Ellum

By Clayton Maxwell
November 24, 2021
A brightly-colored elephant statue surrounded by gold dressings, flowers and a small gate

The Mahatma Gandhi District Is the Epicenter of Indian Culture in Texas

By Clayton Maxwell
October 28, 2021
An overhead view of the wide blue Blanco river with boats in the middle and trees on the side

‘Viva Texas Rivers!’ Celebrates Texas’ Storied Waterways

By Clayton Maxwell
October 28, 2021
Clarence Glover

African American Cotton Pickers Day Shines a Light on the Complex History of the Ubiquitous Fiber

By Clayton Maxwell
October 22, 2021
An illustration of a woman looking down to the left and smiling slightly

Film & TV

Fort Worth Filmmaker Chyna Robinson Shines a Light on Domestic Abuse

By Clayton Maxwell
September 23, 2021

M.L. Leddy’s Celebrates 100 Years of Custom-Made Cowboy Boots

By Clayton Maxwell
August 26, 2021
The view through a window to a lush green outdoor scene above a white bed with pine walls

Get Away From Distractions by Taking a Solo Retreat in the Texas Hill Country

By Clayton Maxwell
June 9, 2021

From the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley: In Search of What Unites Us As Texans

By Clayton Maxwell
April 29, 2021

How To Be a Boss Like Barbara Jordan

By Clayton Maxwell
April 9, 2021
A blue and purple sunset over gray buildings and large windows

Lodging

Willow House in Terlingua Offers Out-of-This-World Views

By Clayton Maxwell
March 25, 2021
Color photo of cowboy driving cattle

Janell Kleberg’s View From a Moving Horse

By Clayton Maxwell
March 2, 2021

Fuel

A Church Brings the Good Word of Gumbo to Marble Falls

By Clayton Maxwell
January 28, 2021

Recreation

Two Ways to Expand Your Horizons on Texas’ Private Lands

By Clayton Maxwell
November 26, 2020
An illustration showing the set of Lonesome Dove

A Piece of Lonesome Dove Lore is on Display at the Wittliff Collections

By Clayton Maxwell
November 26, 2020

The Untold Stories of 3 Mighty Women in Texas History

By Clayton Maxwell
October 29, 2020

Take a Tour of Horton Foote’s Wharton with Director Anne Rapp

By Clayton Maxwell
October 22, 2020

Music

Musician Justin Treviño Finds the Heart of Hardcore Country in Brady

By Clayton Maxwell
August 27, 2020

Dr. James Ayres Reflects on 50 Years of the University of Texas at Austin’s Shakespeare at Winedale Program

By Clayton Maxwell
August 13, 2020
Salado Creek Texas Pandemic

Small-Town Business Spotlight: No Stranger to Hard Times, Salado Pivots to Stay Afloat During the Pandemic

By Clayton Maxwell
August 10, 2020

Music

Grammy-Winner Sarah Jarosz Reflects on the Influence of Texas Music and her Hill Country Upbringing

By Clayton Maxwell
July 30, 2020
Two buildings on High Street in Comfort, Texas

How 10 Small Towns In Texas Have Adapted and Flourished

By Clayton Maxwell and Joe Nick Patoski
July 30, 2020
Singer and songwriter Sarah Jarosz

New Album From Sarah Jarosz Reflects on Her Texas Roots and Hometown of Wimberley

By Clayton Maxwell
June 4, 2020
An illustrated postcard of Goliad Texas showing Presidio La Bahía

Remembering Goliad, Beyond the Texas Revolution

By Clayton Maxwell
May 28, 2020

Get more Texas in your inbox

Sign up for our newsletters and never miss a moment of what's happening around the state.