History Lesson 
50 Things Every Texan Should Do
Have you hiked to Big Bend’s South Rim? Seen whooping cranes on the coast? Read Travis’ “never surrender” letter while inside the Alamo?
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24. Sit in the stands at the Stephenville YellowJackets-Brownwood Lions football game this fall. The annual clash pits longtime rivals from towns only 61 miles apart and exemplifies Friday-night lights in all their glory. In these communities, football is both entertainment and obsession, thanks in no small part to each school’s reputation for producing winners: The Lions have taken seven state championships and former coach Gordon Wood won more games than any Texas high school football coach, but during the nineties the Jackets dominated the matchup while winning four state championships. Buy that ticket well in advance: Call Brownwood High School (915-643-5644) or Stephenville High School (254-968-4141) for info. j.n.p.
25. Attend a star party at the McDonald Observatory. Fort Davis is too far west to be deep in the heart of Texas, but the stars at night are definitely bigger and brighter there than anywhere else in the state. Show up at the University of Texas’ heavenly science center (seventeen miles northwest of town on Texas Highway 118) at sunset on a Tuesday, Friday, or Saturday, and for $5 per adult ($15 per family) you can sneak a peek through various hefty telescopes, then step outside to look skyward as resident astronomers point out planets, nebulae, and other celestial sights (877-984-7827). Hmm—suddenly Texas doesn’t seem quite so big. a.d.
26. Make the Sunday-evening juke-joint circuit in Houston. Soaking up the blues, the most American of all music forms, in its native element can be a far richer musical experience than a concert at Carnegie Hall. Start at C. Davis Barbecue (4833 Reed) in the Sunnyside area, where I. J. Gosey, house bassist for the legendary Duke-Peacock record label, holds forth with his Supremes beginning at four o’ clock; then move on to the Third Ward blues jam led by Oscar O’Bear at Miss Ann’s Playpen (3710 Dowling), which cranks up around seven, or the El Nedo Cafe (3401 Ennis), where Eugene Moody and his Blues Back Band take the stage around eight-thirty. Wrap up the evening at Etta’s Lounge (5120 Scott), where Grady Gaines, the Houston saxophone treasure who was a charter member of Little Richard’s band, starts cooking at ten-thirty. j.n.p.
27. Look down on the Hill Country from way up high by driving the windingest, twistingest road in Texas. For sixteen miles, from Vanderpool to Leakey, FM 337 ascends and descends the steep hills and valleys of the Edwards Plateau until it finally reaches the crystalline, cypress-shaded waters of the Rio Frio. This half-hour ride makes it clear why the hills of Central Texas are considered so dang sacred. (Traffic can be heavy in October and November, when the Lost Maples State Natural Area, five miles from Vanderpool, puts on the flashiest show of autumn leaves in the Hill Country.) j.n.p.
28. Read the revealing monument in Texon at the site of the Santa Rita No. 1, the well that made the University of Texas rich. It was a gusher, and so is the text on the bronze plaques erected by UT to commemorate it. Named after the saint of the impossible, the well drilled in 1923 in the middle of UT’s extensive West Texas holdings rapidly filled the school’s coffers. Giddy with the knowledge of many more millions in royalties to come, the UT regents penned a long and breathless tribute to the Permian Basin producer when they relocated the original rig to the Austin campus in 1940: “The development of these tremendous resources is without parallel among the educational institutions of America. Cognizance of what took place here compels one to be amazed at the great goodness of Providence …” (And they couldn’t resist a line praising “the wisdom of the university’s governing boards.”) The high-blown language contrasts dramatically with the current state of the oil industry, the bleak terrain of Reagan County, and the scruffy environs of Texon; today the once-hopping company town is no more than a cluster of abandoned shacks and a reminder of the vagaries of fortune. a.d.
29. Look for celebrity signatures in the guest register of the Excelsior House in Jefferson. Along with the signature of Lady Bird Johnson (the former Claudia Alta Taylor), who grew up in Karnack, just down the road from this storied former riverboat port, the thick ledger contains those of Irish writer Oscar Wilde, three U.S. presidents—George W. Bush, Rutherford B. Hayes, and Ulysses S. Grant—and robber baron Jay Gould. Many residents persist in believing, falsely, that Gould participated in the Texas and Pacific Railway’s decision to bypass Jefferson, which caused the town to wither away in the nineteenth century and left it frozen in time. j.n.p.
30. Catch a glimpse of the endangered whooping cranes at the Aransas and Matagorda Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Fewer than four hundred exist in the wild today, and nearly half of those winter at this 113,000-acre coastal preserve some eighteen miles north of Fulton on Texas Highway 35. Wannabe crane spotters who drive the sixteen-mile loop can enjoy the view from the forty-foot observation tower, but to maximize your chances of seeing one of the big white beauties, take Captain Ted Appell’s boat tour out of Rockport (800-338-4551). a.d.
31. Drive over the railroad tracks on San Antonio’s South Side where, according to urban legend, a school bus collided with a train some sixty years ago, killing all of the children on board.Heading west at the end of Shane Road near Espada Park, off Mission Road/Villa Main, put your car in neutral about one hundred yards from the tracks and feel it being “pushed” uphill over the apparent slight rise—an optical illusion—and across the rails (watch out for trains!). It’s said that on foggy nights, you can see tiny handprints on your car trunk, signs that the children’s spirits were trying to save you from the same tragic fate. (Alamo City Paranormal—210-227-3286—offers ghostly guided tours.) j.n.p.
32. Follow the River Oaks Azalea Trail through Houston’s wealthiest neighborhood to Ima Hogg’s mansion, Bayou Bend. We Texans love our Western heritage, but this springtime flower fest reminds us of the state’s Deep South roots (tickets $15; riveroaksgardenclub.org). The pink-, fuchsia-, and white-blossomed bushes add color and character to many of the grand houses of River Oaks, especially the neighborhood’s historical crown jewel, the pristinely restored mansion of governor’s daughter and philanthropist extraordinaire Ima Hogg (yes, her real name; no, no sister named Ura). The columned back porch of her Georgian-influenced home, at One Westcott Street (off Memorial Drive), offers a lovely view of rolling lawns and lush gardens. You can almost smell the mint in the juleps. a.d.
33. Dance under a string of year-round Christmas lights to the tunes of Johnny Bush, the Country Caruso, in the open-air pavilion at John T. Floore’s Country Store in Helotes. This place, at 14464 Old Bandera Road, is about as real as a Texas dance hall can be, from its rickety tables, long bar, and walls covered with memorabilia to the dance floor that’s slick from decades of scooting boots. Cattle drivers and sheepherders started coming here in 1886, and Hank, Ernest, and Willie have all graced its stage. Listen to Johnny warble his own compositions (like “Whiskey River”) while you chow down on hot homemade tamales and drink a cold longneck or two. j.n.p.
34. Drive FM 170—El Camino del Rio, the River Road—from Presidio to Lajitas, following the course of the Rio Grande.The fifty-mile stretch cuts through rugged canyons and weird formations left over from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, with almost no sign of human habitation. In 1985 National Geographic declared that it “may well be the prettiest drive in America.” Make sure you start in Presidio and drive east to take advantage of the play of light on the mountains, and budget enough time to stop at the crest of the big hill fifteen miles west of Lajitas to get an eyeful of Colorado Canyon. j.n.p.
35. Take the folk-art tour of Houston. Folks in H-Town like to express themselves and don’t mind showing off their creative side in their front yards and on their porches (blame it on the heat, Southern tradition, or the lack of zoning). Start at the Orange Show (2401 Munger), the late Jeff McKissack’s whimsical tribute to the citrus fruit; then move on to the homemade wonders of the Pig Lady’s Pigdom, the Flower Man, the Beer Can House, the OK Corral, and the Art Car Museum. The Orange Show Foundation sponsors a folk art tour on March 11 ($50 for non-members; 713-926-6368) and also sells cassettes for do-it-yourself tours. A good time to take one would be during Art Car Weekend (April 26 through 28), which is highlighted by the Art Car Parade, the city’s greatest folk-art event. j.n.p.
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