Our Top Ten Texas Critters of the Year
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . . five feral hogs?
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . . five feral hogs?
The Pecos River bridge offers spectacular views, especially from the overlook.
Folklore holds that our state native shrub, also called the barometer bush, can predict rain. The truth is a little more complex.
This tropical beauty is expanding its range beyond the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Dry and dusty it may be, but the South Plains city is fertile ground for a vibrant creative scene.
In cities across Texas, rugged ruminants are chowing down on the plants that plague us.
Even the most jaded Grinch will find something to enjoy.
At Station Mountain Bike Park, Rhett Jones created the serpentine trails and daring jumps of his dreams.
Folks are flocking to Corpus Christi to see the little yellow flier, which may have blown 2,600 miles off-course in a storm.
Ounce for ounce, rhinoceros beetles are among the strongest animals on earth.
Drive up State Park Road 100 long enough and the beach comes to meet you.
The diminutive swamp dragon of the Piney Woods has a fascinating life cycle. Just don’t eat one.
Investigators are finding new ways to catch smugglers, but high demand from China, weak laws, and cartel involvement are making enforcement harder than ever.
Call them the astronauts of the underground. The state’s cavers are a literal subculture, daring to go where no one has gone before.
Where to immerse yourself in the subculture.
Wildcatter Ranch, near Possum Kingdom Lake, caters to weekend cowboys from around the world.
That’s why farmers and ranchers consider it a friend.
Whatever you do, don’t forget the special snacks.
Skip the traffic and exorbitant hotel rates—go camping at one of the 31 parks in the path of totality. Overnight reservations open on November 7.
I marveled at the thousand-year-old Big Tree and stargazed with a pod of pelicans.
Just a few minutes from the celebrated Rothko Chapel, the Chapel of St. Basil provides a spiritual respite.
Step aside, Buc-ee’s and Blue Bell. Where’s the love for horny toads, swallowtails, and passion vine?
Found along Texas’s southwestern border, the creature has a mug only a mother could love.
A veteran of many Sunset Limited trips to Alpine finally indulges in a private room and finds a lot to love. Especially the French toast.
The Texas-based kayaking team completed the 1,600-mile journey over 83 grueling days.
Small-town charm abounds at this quirky Central Texas event, which once hosted oatmeal-wrestling and oatmeal-sculpting competitions.
Austinites gathered poolside to celebrate a sick pecan tree’s hundred-plus years of shading swimmers.
Unfazed by extreme weather, this dangerous beauty blooms only at night.
They’re hard-shelled escape artists—and faster than you think.
No, Texans’ favorite agave doesn’t live for a century. But it is a botanical marvel.
Six hikers died from heat-related causes in Texas state and national parks this summer. Should trail closures on the hottest days be standard?
They miss Tex-Mex and barbecue something fierce.
Anonymous landowners donated the pristine 1,200-acre parcel, which will be open to the public on September 23.
With a vibrant festival scene, a funky downtown, and great birding, it offers more than just sand and surf.
Photographer Keith Carter explores the otherworldly wetlands of East Texas in a stunning new book.
Exclusive: Auberge Resorts plans a posh new hotel in Houston, one of five properties it will operate around the state.
The explosion of color found at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute is not a mirage.
Found in the state’s riverways, the spiny softshell looks like a cross between a brontosaurus and a pancake.
Here you can sleep in a yellow caboose, swim in one of the many nearby watering holes, and eat a steak in the ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ house.
The booming North Texas city has an eclectic food scene, an indie bookstore, and a vintage railroad—all within downtown.
From arid El Paso to the Piney Woods, Texas boasts outstanding links that don’t require an expensive membership.
Paddle on a sea kayak in Rockport, party with Kinky Friedman in Kerrville, or find a quiet spot close to home.
Congrats to new parents Raani, Snaggle, and Big Boy—and the zookeepers who worked for years to help bring their toothy babies into being.
The world’s biggest fish swims in the Gulf, but much about it remains a mystery.
The home of Old Yeller, this scenic Hill Country getaway also has a beautifully restored courthouse.
H-E-B’s snazzy new nature docuseries highlights the conservationists who protect bats, bears, ocelots, and redfish.
After badly behaved tourists made headlines in Italy this summer, one Texpat offers a few pointers on local etiquette.
The small city of Sherman, which lies far from the coast, is a fossil hunter’s paradise.
How to weave your way through this magical Mexican destination.
I recently had a terrifying run-in with one in a West Texas stock tank.