Main Street, Salado
Veer off I-35 to explore this lively stretch of boutiques, bistros, and gift shops galore.
A Fort Worth native, Jordan Breal is a graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and joined Texas Monthly in February 2005. As the magazine’s resident travel writer, she spends most of her time on the road in search of Texas’s most interesting sights, best hotels, and notable eats.
Jordan chronicles her adventures in her monthly column, The Wanderer, as well as a blog of the same name. She has also written about her home state for Fast Company, National Geographic Traveler, and Whole Living, among other publications.
Articles by Jordan Breal
Downtown Llano
Handmade crafts, homey cafes, and cowboy couture make this Hill Country hamlet a browser’s paradise.
Fear Factor
If you really want to scare your boots off this Halloween, take a look at these eight places, which our bloodcurdling, hair-raising, nerve-racking research has determined to be the state’s spookiest.
Historic Downtown Jefferson
Eat and antique your way along the brick-paved streets of this charming East Texas town.
Home on the Range
Location: Wildcatter Ranch, Graham What You’ll Need: Nothing at all The wildcatter ranch resort and spa isn’t exactly a hard-core dude ranch, but that’s how I sold it to my dad and two brothers when we were mulling over plans for our annual family vacation. “Just think,”…
All in the Family
A new film presents a never-before-seen look at Dominique de Menil in her curatorial element.
Saturday Night
From a honky-tonk in Odessa to a Catholic church in Houston, there’s one night of the week when you’re guaranteed to find Texans at their snappiest.
Feature
He Saw the Light
Wyman Meinzer takes the most amazing pictures of Texas skies you’ve ever seen. Here are seven unforgettable shots from his new book.
Breaking Into Showbiz
NAME: Angela Kinsey | AGE: 37 | HOMETOWN: Archer City | QUALIFICATIONS: Plays uptight accountant Angela Martin on The Office / Won a Daytime Emmy for The Office: Accountants webisodes • Be prepared to be very patient. When I got to L.A., I was like, “Okay, let’s do this.” I…
A Dark Visionary
Art, like politics, is polarizing by nature. Although there are plenty of universally likable artists—Monet and his water lilies come to mind—the vast majority tend to elicit diametrically opposed reactions. John Alexander is one such example: You either love his stark, emotionally charged landscapes or you hate them. You…
Child’s Play
Summer vacation is right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean you should panic. We’ve rounded up 68 of our favorite things to do with your toddlers, teens, and every kid in between. Dance the hokey pokey. Rope a horse. Eat way too many hot dogs. Zip down a waterslide. And yes, feed the animals.
Web Exclusive
Performance Anxiety
An interview with Cliff Redd—executive director of the Long Center
Barry Walker
The curator of The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston discusses the museum’s recent acquisitions, from Jasper Johns to Philip Guston.
Fashion at The Park
You’re never going to believe this. Mere weeks ago, Giorgio Armani made the declaration every chic native has longed to hear: “Fashion has arrived in Dallas.” Come again? The city may be the state’s most stylish (two words: Neiman Marcus), but it’s still a distant cousin to the four…
Big State Festival
Here comes another all-the-decibels-you-can-handle musical gathering. The Big State Festival, which spans a weekend this month (and has a moniker only a Texan could love), is aiming to do for country music what the Austin City Limits Music Festival does for rock and roll: that is, lure in thousands…
Six-Man Super Saturday
Football as religion is the gospel truth here in Texas, where players are gods and fields are hallowed ground. So the organizers of this month’s Six-Man Super Saturday can be forgiven if their slogans have been a bit holier-than-thou: “Not since Moses have believers traveled so far to the…
An Interview With Dirk Van Tuerenhout
The Houston Museum of Natural Science curator of anthropology talks about this month’s new exhibit, Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia.
An Interview With Tim League and Karrie League
The founders of the Alamo Drafthouse chat about how the indie movie theater got its start.
An Interview With Alison de Lima Greene
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston curator of contemporary art talks about this month’s new exhibit, “Red Hot: Asian Art From the Chaney Family Collection.”
Rolling Roadshow Tour
Tell the boss you’re not feeling so well. The state’s most famous indie movie theater, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, is kicking off its third national Rolling Roadshow Tour—a series of gratis 35mm screenings of famous movies in the locations where they were filmed—and now’s the time to play that…
East Meets West
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston curator of contemporary art talks about this month’s new exhibit, Red Hot: Asian Art From the Chaney Family Collection.