Articles by Texas Monthly
Settle in for a by-no-means comprehensive list of some of the most popular stories in our pages this year.
The Best Things in Texas: The New Freedom Riders
Volunteers from across Texas, the U.S., and abroad have been making the trek to the border to help immigrants trapped in legal limbo.
The Best Things in Texas 2020
Last year, countless Texans acted in ways that brought honor to our state—or just made us grin. Here's a look at a few dozen of them.
2020 Bum Steer of the Year: Dennis Bonnen
For breaking new ground in being bad at being bad, Texas Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen has earned one half of our annual booby prize!
2020 Bum Steer of the Year: Beto O’Rourke
For abandoning the state that had lifted him up from obscurity, Beto O’Rourke is the winner of one half of our annual booby prize!
The 2020 Bum Steer Awards
Beto O'Rourke, Dennis Bonnen, and the Houston Astros make our annual dishonor roll, along with assorted lesser-known idiots and evildoers.
The Best Things in Texas: The Year of Lizzo
The flute-playing, body-positive, take-no-prisoners breakout star transformed our ideas of what a pop icon looks and sounds like.
Announcing ‘Boomtown,’ a New Podcast on the Greatest Oil Boom in History
Our new 10-part series takes you inside the rugged Permian Basin of West Texas, where roughnecks and billionaire wildcatters are fueling a boom so big it’s reshaping our climate, our economy, and our geopolitics.
The Power of Boots
The cowboy boot is more than a sturdy piece of workwear. It’s more than a fashion statement, too. It’s a vital piece of Texas culture, as complicated, diverse, and ever-evolving as the makeup of our state.
Dining Guide: Highlights From Our December 2019 Issue
We review more than sixty restaurants each month. Here’s a peek at what’s new!
Not sure what to do this weekend at the state’s biggest literary gathering? We’ve got nearly three dozen ideas.
Lizzo-Themed Cowboy Hats and Custom Chaps: The Best Westernwear Looks at ACL
Fringe, rhinestones, and boots were in full display at the Austin music festival.
Kacey Musgraves’s “Yeehaw” Chant, and Other ACL 2019 Highlights
Texan stars dominated the annual Zilker Park festival.
Texas Monthly Recommends: Matthew McConaughey in So-Bad-It’s-Good “Serenity”
Plus, a melancholy Norah Jones duet, Austin singer Christelle Bofale’s EP, and chef Aarón Sanchéz’s new memoir.
Stephen Harrigan’s ’Big Wonderful Thing’ sweeps away decades of mythmaking. Are we ready to remember the Alamo—and the Texas Rangers and the Civil War—differently?
Announcing Five New Hires, Including Our First Taco Editor!
Dallas-based writer and tortilla connoisseur José R. Ralat is one of five recent additions to our staff.
September 2019: Roar of the Crowd
Reader letters published in our September issue.
Texas Monthly Recommends: Driving and Listening to “Dallas” by Silver Jews
Plus, a north Texas photographer’s Instagram and Brockhampton’s new music video.
Collection: Summer Eats
Take advantage of these long summer days to grill, eat, and drink the best that Texas has to offer.
Snow’s BBQ Wins the 2019 Texas Monthly Readers’ Choice BBQ Bracket
Newcomer Brett’s Backyard Bar-B-Que was a close second in the battle for smoked-meat supremacy.
Vote in the Final Round of the 2019 Readers’ Choice BBQ Bracket
It’s Snow’s BBQ vs Brett’s Backyard Bar-B-Que in a contest to decide the smoked meat crown.
Texas Monthly Recommends: Eugene Lee Yang Comes Out in New Music Video
Plus, an immersive art experience, a song nostalgic for hometowns, and a Southern Gothic rom-com.
Texas Monthly’s Newest Hires
We're thrilled to announce our new culture editor and some other important additions to the editorial staff.
2019 Readers’ Choice BBQ Bracket: Vote in the Semifinals!
Three old favorites and one upstart newcomer have advanced to the final four.
This summer marks the fiftieth anniversary of the trip that changed the world: the Apollo 11 moon landing. Texas Monthly has written about Texas’s role in the space program for decades, and our July collector’s issue combines the best of our archives with new perspectives on the final frontier.
Texas Monthly’s New Owner
Houston investor Randa Duncan Williams pledges to protect the magazine’s legacy and boost investments in its long-term growth.
Collection: Summer Travel 2019
We’ve put together a number of options for you to get out and see the state—and often stay cool while you do it.
A Shaman, a Storyteller, a Joyful Boy From Blanco: Memories of Bill Wittliff
We asked friends and colleagues to share their personal recollections of the Texas cultural giant we lost last week.
Dining Guide: Highlights From Our June 2019 Issue
We review more than sixty restaurants each month. Here’s a peek at what’s new!
2019 Readers’ Choice BBQ Bracket: Vote in the Quarterfinal Round
Only one newbie made it to this round. Only you can determine whether they land in the finals!
Our Favorite Bests, 1973-2019
Passing legislation may be fun. But this compilation shows that writing about passing legislation can be even more fun.
Our Favorite Worsts, 1973-2019
Passing legislation may be fun. But this compilation shows that writing about passing legislation can be even more fun.
Texas Monthly Recommends: Kevin Abstract’s Sophomore Album, ‘Arizona Baby’
Plus, more summer jams, an essay about coming of age in Houston, and an Instagram account where sneaker culture and preachers collide.
2019 Readers’ Choice BBQ Bracket: Second Round Voting Has Begun
Old favorites dominated the early matchups. It’s time for you to decide which Texas barbecue joints advance to the final eight.
2019 Readers’ Choice BBQ Bracket: Cast Your Vote in the First Round
The bracket has been seeded. Let’s get down to business.
San Antonio Spurs Fans Face an Existential Question: Kawhi Leonard or the Warriors?
In this year’s NBA Finals, do they root for the star who spurned them or their hated Western Conference foe?
Watch the Moment Mount Vernon Learned Art Briles Would Be Its Next Head Coach
Inside the May 24 school board meeting.
Where to Stay Next: Five Upcoming Hotels
In our June cover story, we look at the best new and renovated hotels that have opened since our last Where to Stay Now published in 2016. Many hotels are scheduled to open across the state over the next year. Here are five that we’re excited to visit in…
Where to Stay Now: The Honorable Mentions
Things we loved at other Texas hotels, from the food to the hospitality.
The 10 Best New and Improved Texas Hotels
Where to Stay Now, 2019: Whether it’s a restored Dallas gem, a coastal B&B, or a pueblo paradise in the Trans-Pecos, it’s choose your own adventure, Texas-style.
Vote for Your Favorite Texas BBQ in the 2019 Readers’ Choice Bracket!
You know our BBQ editor's favorites. We want to hear yours—vote in the first round today!
Texas Monthly Recommends: Maren Morris’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Song
Plus, Brené Brown’s Netflix special and the Vincent van Gogh exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Dining Guide: Highlights From Our May 2019 Issue
We review more than sixty restaurants each month. Here’s a peek at what’s new!
Texas Monthly Recommends: Musgraves and Midland on Brooks & Dunn’s ‘Reboot’
Plus, the second coffee table book from El Arroyo, a dreamy music video, and something just a bit quirkier out of Texarkana.
Texas Monthly Recommends: Lizzo Sets the “Tempo” with Missy Elliot in Her Latest Single
Plus, a hip-hop powerhouse from Houston, an immersive history exhibit in Austin, and a fictional boy genius in East Texas.
