Travel
Rio de Enero
If you visit San Antonio in January, when the river’s touristy stretches are drained, you can still commune with the waterway’s serene soul.
Travel Stories
January's Happy Trails
Comfort is surprisingly different from other Hill Country towns. In fact, it has a cosmopolitan feel. Maybe that’s why it has attracted so many urban refugees.
More travel stories...
Riding a camel across the West Texas sand dunes, I got in touch with my inner O'Toole— and left the modern world far behind. [November 2003]
Fair's Fair
The State Fair has seen it all, from a model of the Washington Monument made entirely out of human teeth to a visit by King Olaf V of Norway on Norweigian Day. [September 2003]
by Anne Dingus
New Orleans, Louisiana [August 2003]
It's not easy, exactly, but it is possible to get from Texas to places like New Orleans and Chicago on a reasonably comfortable Amtrak train. Just don't expect to be on time. [June 2003]
by Suzy Banks
To the long list of reasons to visit Fort Worth these days, add this: outstanding bike trails. [April 2003]
Lured by the lucre of tourism, many small towns can't resist quainting themselves to death—which is why true-to-itself Fayetteville is such a pleasant place to visit. [March 2003]
by Suzy Banks
There are rivers in Texas—some of the most beautiful places on earth—where the fly-fishing is great and you don't have to battle the crowds. Now, tell me again why I should vacation in Montana? [January 2003]
I'm susceptible to seasickness and sun poisoning, and I hate being part of a herd. So, naturally, I took a cruise. [November 2002]
by Suzy Banks
A kayaking trip offers close encounters with the ecosystem of the wetlands near Port Aransas, where still waters run shallow. [October 2002]
My Kind of Town [September 2002]
by Suzy Banks
Rough Roads
These drives are sure to get your attention. [May 2002]
A Good Mango Is Hard to Find
Unless you're Susana Trilling, who taught me how to prepare traditional Oaxacan dishes at her cooking school in Mexico. This month she'll teach you too—right here in Texas. [April 2002]
If you're looking for endless stretches of pristine coastline, more birds than you can count, and the state's largest concentration of alligators, then Port Arthur is your gateway to an unexpected adventure. [March 2002]
by S. C. Gwynne
If you want the romance in your marriage to take flight, take a cue from the whooping cranes of the Texas coast. [February 2002]
by Suzy Banks
Forget about the Rocky Mountains. For first-class kayaking, fishing, and bird-watching, head to the Lower Guadalupe after Labor Day, when the drunken armada of tubers retreats to shore and nature returns in full strength. [December 2001]
If you want to get into the Halloween spirit, head to South Texas and try to scare up San Patricio's famous ghost. [October 2001]
by Suzy Banks
Forget about getting down and dirty. Take a
trip into one of Texas' show caves, where
the beauty of going underground is on full
display. [July 2001]
by Suzy Banks
On the Water Front
Summer's blast furnace is firing up. Luckily, Texas is a paradise of spring-fed pools, sparkling beaches, and more. Here are our picks for the best places to chill out, get wet, and go off the deep end. Plus extra web-only information! [June 2001]
by Suzy Banks, Charlie Llewellin, Kit McConnico, Patricia Busa McConnico, Jennifer Olsen, Joe Nick Patoski, Eileen Schwartz and Katy Vine
No one considers Dallas a hot getaway for Memorial Day weekend. That's exactly the point. [May 2001]
by Suzy Banks
The Hill Country Equestrian Lodge is perfect for city slickers who want to escape civilization—but not entirely. [April 2001]
by Suzy Banks
50 Things Every Texan Should Do
Have you gotten lost in the Big Thicket? Attended a South Texas pachanga? Whether you're a newcomer or a native, following these suggestions will give you a crash course in all things Texas—and one heck of a good time. [March 2001]
by Anne Dingus and Joe Nick Patoski
Airport 2000
These days, a plane trip can entail more time in the terminal than in the air. But why get stressed when you can have a massage, taste Texas wines, go for a jog, check your e-mail—even eat gumbo while watching (other people's) planes take off? A survivor's guide to DFW, Houston Intercontinental, and five other big-city airports. [November 2000]
Rising high above the floor of the Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico's Museo Maderas del Carmen nature reserve is like a whole other country. Plus: information on how to visit the park. [October 2000]
Northern Mexico's Gruta del Palmito provides a caving
experience that won't leave you in the dark. [September 2000]
by John Burnett
For a laid-back coastal paradise that's reminiscent of
the Greek Islands in the seventies, pack a bathing suit
and head to Montezuma, Costa Rica. But be
forewarned: Half of the adventure is getting there. [August 2000]
For an ideal long-weekend destination, try this dusty
artists colony 25 miles south of Santa Fe. It's a New
Mexican version of Marfa—only a fraction of the
size. [January 2000]
Three great hotels on the Pacific coast of Mexico where you can do just about anything or nothing at all. [December 1999]
by Turk Pipkin
The Joy of Mex
From La Valentina in Dallas to Casa del Sol in Juárez, 75 Mexican restaurants that will leave your taste buds begging for more, plus seven great recipes. [November 1999]
I was lured to Central America by the promise of “unspoiled adventure travel.” After sailing for a week in the Caribbean, I can report that I wasn’t disappointed. [October 1999]
What Is the Panhandle? [July 1999]
by Anne Dingus
Let’s Get Lost
Hot springs, steep cliffs, death-defying trails: My six-day trek through Mexico’s Copper Canyon was the adventure of a lifetime. [May 1999]
Manageable crowds. Fabulous food. Great music. Authentic Cajun culture. Do you need any other reasons to visit Lafayette, Louisiana? [April 1999]
Small-Town Texas Directory [March 1999]
That’s the Ticket
The airlines are locked in a fiercely competitive war. Should you try to benefit? Discount-travel guru Tom Parsons says: All’s fare. [December 1998]
Don’t think of the Hill Country Hyatt as just another chain hotel. Think of it as your salvation—especially if you have kids. [July 1998]
by Turk Pipkin
The Wild Coast
The birds of High Island. The wilderness of Matagorda Island. The untamed beach of Boca Chica. These and other hidden treasures await you-if you know where to look. [June 1998]
I wanted to see lightning strike the steel rods that artist Walter De Maria installed in a New Mexico field. I didn’t, but the trip was still illuminating. [May 1998]
by Helen Thorpe
Out of This World
At the entrance to Las Pozas, the logical, the predictable, and the commonplace evaporate, giving way to one of the most enchanting places on earth. [April 1998]
After Liz and Dick put it on the map, Puerto Vallarta went glitzy. But the old romantic allure is still there—if you know where to find it. [March 1998]
by Bill Jamison and Cheryl Alters Jamison
Acapulco used to be a favorite destination of beautiful people from Texas and elsewhere. It still should be. [November 1997]
by Mimi Swartz
My Favorite Marfa
It’s still the best little town in Texas. [October 1997]
Until recently, I couldn’t. Then I enrolled in language school in the charming Mexican town of Guanajuato, and two weeks later I was comfortably conversant in español. [September 1997]
by Turk Pipkin
Did a flying saucer really crash-land in a field outside Roswell fifty years ago this month? The truth is out there; find out for yourself. [July 1997]
by Anne Dingus
High in the Mexican mountains and only a day’s drive from Texas lies El Cielo, a stunning cloud forest where exotic birds soar but the temperature doesn’t. [June 1997]
by Carol Flake
Rock, don’t run, to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, where Texas greats from T-Bone Walker to Sly Stone get their due. [January 1997]
by Jason Cohen
A historic dance hall, the cypress-shaded Guadalupe, a couple of rustic inns: A great weekend getaway awaits you less than an hour from Austin and San Antonio. [November 1996]
by Jan Reid
The time is ripe, and so are the chiles: This tiny, homey town in New Mexico is the ideal spot for a fall weekend getaway. [September 1996]
by Anne Dingus
There are no showgirls or musical revues, but the four casinos in and around Lake Charles, Louisiana, do a nice job approximating the Vegas experience. Deal yourself in. [August 1996]
by Brad Tyer
If you think there are bargains on the border, you won’t believe what you’ll find seven hundred miles south in three tiny Mexican towns. [July 1996]
by Turk Pipkin
The Big Chill-Out
Feeling stressed? Soothe the strain of the daily grind at these terrific Texas retreats. [June 1996]
Before my tortuous trek through the Peruvian Andes to Machu Picchu, I was told I’d be changed by the experience. And, indeed, the spirits moved me. [May 1996]
The rap on Corpus Christi is that there’s no there there—but a case can be made that it’s a great weekend destination.
[April 1996]
If you’re heading to New Orleans and you’ve got five days to spare, don’t fly or drive. Take a trip fit for a king—aboard the Delta Queen. [February 1996]
Brownsville’s Sabal Palm Grove has it made in the shade. [October 1992]
So Cool
A summer guide to the coolest place in Texas: the Davis Mountains. [August 1992]
It chopped, it scraped, it cut, it carved! Texas’ own Alibates flint helped civilize a continent. [April 1992]
by Melanie Cole
Big Bird
Getting up close and personal with the endangered whooping crane. [January 1992]
The Highway Establishment and How it Grew and Grew and Grew
All roads have to go somewhere; but it could be that
roads in Texas are going the wrong way. [April 1974]
San Francisco: An Offbeat Guide
Try something different next time you head West. [February 1974]
October is the month to pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and head to the sea. [October 1973]
by Felicia Coates and Harriet Howle
Try one of these extended weekend trips. You'll know you've left home. [June 1973]
by Griffin Smith, Jr and Richard West
Over the Sierras to Topolobampo and back by the headiest of Mexican railroads. [May 1973]
by Richard West
[February 1973]
by Richard West
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