Sections
Hide Show

News & Politics

  • Election 2022
  • Politics & Policy
  • Bum Steers
  • Best and Worst Legislators
  • Business
  • Health
  • Energy

Arts & Entertainment

  • Sports
  • Books
  • Music
  • Film & TV
  • Style & Design
  • Made in Texas
  • Art

Being Texan

  • Texas History
  • The Texanist
  • Country Notes
  • Best Thing In Texas
  • Texas Country Reporter
  • Videos

Food & Drink

  • Libations
  • Recipes
  • Pat’s Pick
  • Dining Guide
  • Tacos
  • Tex-Mexplainer

BBQ

  • Joint Reviews
  • BBQ Recipes
  • Top 50 Joints
  • Smoked in Texas
  • TM BBQ Fest
  • TM BBQ Club

Travel & Outdoors

  • Travel Guides
  • Hunting & Fishing
  • Parks & Recs
  • Where To Stay Now
  • Critters

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • All Issues
  • Longreads
  • True Crime
  • Shop Newsstand

Podcasts

  • America's Girls
  • State of Mind
  • One by Willie
  • Tom Brown’s Body
  • Boomtown
  • Underdog

Video

  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Join TM BBQ Club
  • TM BBQ Fest
  • Manage Subscription
  • Renew
  • Give a Gift
  • Back Issues
  • Buy Merch
  • About Us
  • The Stand Up Desk
  • Careers
  • Advertise
  • Texas Monthly Studio
  • Promotions

Texas Monthly
  • Subscribe
  • My Profile
  • Manage Subscription
  • Verify My Subscription
  • News & Politics
    • Election 2022
    • Politics & Policy
    • Bum Steers
    • Best and Worst Legislators
    • Business
    • Health
    • Energy
  • Arts & Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Books
    • Music
    • Film & TV
    • Style & Design
    • Made in Texas
    • Art
  • Being Texan
    • Texas History
    • The Texanist
    • Country Notes
    • Best Thing In Texas
    • Texas Country Reporter
    • Videos
  • Food & Drink
    • Libations
    • Recipes
    • Pat’s Pick
    • Dining Guide
    • Tacos
    • Tex-Mexplainer
  • BBQ
    • BBQ Joint Reviews
    • BBQ Recipes
    • Top 50 BBQ Joints
    • Smoked in Texas
    • TM BBQ Fest
    • TM BBQ Club
  • Travel & Outdoors
    • Travel Guides
    • Hunting & Fishing
    • Parks & Recs
    • Where To Stay Now
    • Critters
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • All Issues
    • Longreads
    • True Crime
    • Shop Newsstand
  • Podcasts
    • America's Girls
    • State of Mind
    • One by Willie
    • Tom Brown's Body
    • Boomtown
    • Underdog
  • Video

Best Thing In Texas

Reminders of why we love our state so much

best thing in tx sfa duke
Best Thing In Texas |
November 27, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: The Unranked Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks Dramatically Defeat Duke’s Basketball Team

The underdogs beat college ball's powerhouse with an astonishing buzzer beater.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
October 31, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: Megan Thee Stallion’s Web Crime Series ‘Hottieween’

Vampires and private investigators loom large in the Houston rapper's spooky new show.

By Emily McCullar

Best Thing In Texas |
October 16, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: Trae tha Truth, Houston Hero

The rapper continues to lift up those in need in his hometown.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
October 11, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: It’s Cold

After the longest summer we can remember, the seasons are finally changing.

By Dan Solomon

Best_Thing_TX_Tony_Romo_Golf
Best Thing In Texas |
September 27, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: Tony Romo Is a Legit Professional Golfer

He’s good at everything!*

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
September 20, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: Imelda Edition

The storm’s consequences have been serious, but people affected by it have found ways to be joyful nonetheless.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
August 12, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: Once Again, Simone Biles Shows Why She’s the Greatest of All Time

Over the weekend, she became the first person ever to perform two gymnastics moves.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
August 7, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: This 11-Year-Old Is Showing the World What  El Pasoans Are Made Of

After last weekend's mass shooting, Ruben Martinez created the viral #ElPasoChallenge to inspire random acts of kindness.

By Cat Cardenas

tim duncan spurs
Best Thing In Texas |
July 24, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: Tim Duncan Is a Spur Once More

“Coach Tim” has a nice ring to it. 

By Cat Cardenas

Best Thing In Texas |
June 21, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: Willie Nelson Performs a Guy Clark Tune on the ‘Tonight Show’

The Red Headed Stranger honors his fellow Texas troubadour with two tracks on his new album.

By John Nova Lomax

Best Thing In Texas |
May 28, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: A Fallen Soldier Returns Home Almost 70 Years Later

Texas GI Hershell Riggs went missing in 1950, but his family never gave up hope he’d come back home.

By Cat Cardenas

Best Thing In Texas |
May 21, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: Austin Billionaire Robert Smith Pays Off Morehouse College Student Loans

The richest black man in America made a big announcement during his commencement speech to the graduating class of 2019.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
May 7, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: A San Antonio Native Stopped the San Diego Synagogue Shooting

“Armed only with a mean face,” former sailor and soldier Oscar Stewart became a hero.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
April 25, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: An Escaped Kangaroo Takes a Wimberley Walkabout

This marsupial on the lam from an exotic wildlife ranch has become the talk of the Hill Country.

By Dan Solomon

longhorn at Petco
Best Thing In Texas |
March 21, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: This Fella Brought a Dang Longhorn to a Petco

It's the opposite of a bum steer.

By Dan Solomon

donuts
Best Thing In Texas |
March 12, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: A Missouri City Donut Shop Finds Sweet Victory, Thanks to the Internet

The power of social media. And donuts.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
March 6, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: This Beaumont Principal’s “Tucked In Tuesdays” Bedtime Reading Warms Our Hearts

Belinda George makes sure that every student at her elementary school gets read to at night.

By Dan Solomon

Dirk Nowitzki acknowledges an ovation from the crowd in his final game against the LA Clippers on February 25, 2019 in Los Angeles.
Best Thing In Texas |
February 26, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: The Clippers Gave Dirk Nowitzki a Standing Ovation

The giant of Texas basketball got the classiest of send-offs.

By Dan Solomon

message in a bottle against a water background
Best Thing In Texas |
February 21, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: A Message in a Bottle Washed Up on Padre Island—57 Years Later

The missive was part of a 1962 study that attempted to track the flow of ocean currents.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
February 14, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: A Baker Made Valentines Out of a Canceled Order

When life handed Mary Lee of Magnolia Lee Baking dinosaurs, she made dino-valentines.

By Dan Solomon

Scottish Highlands
Best Thing In Texas |
February 7, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: A Scottish Mountain Man Was Rescued—After His Distress Signal Was Picked Up in Houston

70-year-old Ken had been living off the grid for 25 years when he fell ill.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
January 29, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: Thousands Showed Up for Burial of Unaccompanied Veteran

When no next of kin could be located, Texans showed up en masse to make sure this veteran’s service was honored at his burial.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
January 24, 2019

The Best Thing in Texas: A Cancer Patient Found Out He Won $100,000 While He Was in the Hospital

Cancer sucks, but the timing couldn’t have been more fortuitous.

By Dan Solomon

Jadeveon Clowney
Best Thing In Texas |
November 21, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: Jadeveon Clowney and the Texans Cheerleaders Took Kids Shopping After Their House Burned Down

The Texans’ pass rusher, five cheerleaders, and Toro teamed up to make the Harris family’s day.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
November 12, 2018

The Bessssssst Thing in Texasssss: A Pet Boa Constrictor That Ended Up in a Fort Worth Goodwill Is Back Home

The snake’s owner was terrified that someone was going to steal his pet.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
November 9, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: A Woman Called off Her Wedding and Donated It to Another Couple

It’s a bittersweet tale, but it ended with a happy couple.

By Dan Solomon

Cheri Horner and Nicole Jensen turned their home into a Whataburger restaurant for their Halloween party.
Best Thing In Texas |
October 30, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: An Austin Couple Transform Their House Into a Whataburger for Halloween

We guess our Whataween invite got lost in the mail.

By Julia Jones

A bronze elephant statue adorns the front yard of a house on Mockingbird Lane in Dallas.
Best Thing In Texas |
October 18, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: Dallas Yard Art Helped a Sick Little Girl Get Better

Mockingbird Lane’s "Elephant House" was a bright spot during a tough time.

By Dan Solomon

Army Spec. Alec Alcoser pins the Purple Heart on a bomb-sniffer dog named Alex
Best Thing In Texas |
September 18, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: A Purple Heart Recipient and the Dog Who Served Alongside Him Were Reunited in San Antonio

The two wounded warriors—both Purple Heart recipients—had an emotional reunion.

By Dan Solomon

The Culture |
September 5, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: Meet Emotional Support Alpacas Willie, Waylon, and Tex

The cowboy hat-wearing trio warmed hearts at the Texas Rural Health Services center in La Grange.

By Dan Solomon

A&M
Best Thing In Texas |
July 31, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: A Homeless A&M Grad Handed Out Resumes in Silicon Valley and Got Hundreds of Job Offers

Technically, a Texan does the best thing in California.

By Dan Solomon

Limestone County AC
Best Thing In Texas |
July 23, 2018

The Best Thing In Texas: Limestone County Deputies Installed a New AC Unit for an Elderly Couple

Truly refreshing news.

By Dan Solomon

H-E-B Birthday Thomas
Best Thing In Texas |
July 13, 2018

The Best Thing In Texas: A Five-Year-Old Celebrated His Birthday at H-E-B

”Here, everything’s birthday,” indeed.

By Dan Solomon

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (11) is seen on the sideline during an NFL preseason football game against the Denver Broncos, Aug. 19, 2017, in Santa Clara, Calif.
Best Thing In Texas |
July 6, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: Former Longhorns Receiver Marquise Goodwin Surprised His Mom With a Dang House

We’re not crying, you’re crying.

By Dan Solomon

Immigration Pizza
Best Thing In Texas |
June 18, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: A San Antonio Man Bought Pizza for 54 Immigrants Found in the Back of a Semi Truck

“No I didn’t have to,” he told reporters, ”But they’re my people.”

By Dan Solomon

Barton Springs
Best Thing In Texas |
June 4, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: Watch Barton Springs Pool Cheer on a Little Girl as She Jumps In

She’s so brave!

By Dan Solomon

Karthik Nemmani
Best Thing In Texas |
June 1, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: A Texan Wins the National Spelling Bee

What: The 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee.Who: Karthik Nemmani, a fourteen-year-old from McKinney.Why It’s So Great: On Thursday night, a Texan took home the championship title from the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Karthick Nemmani, an eighth grader at Scoggins Middle School, knew he had it

By Doyin Oyeniyi

horse rescue saved highway
The Culture |
May 23, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: Drivers Rescue a Horse on the Highway

No horses were harmed in the filming of this video. In fact, one was saved.

By Doyin Oyeniyi

Houston sports
Best Thing In Texas |
May 17, 2018

The Best Thing In Texas: Houston Sports Teams Sure Do Love Each Other

It’s hard not to like these guys.

By Dan Solomon

Texas music
Music |
May 4, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: What a Week For Texas Music

Willie Nelson, Leon Bridges, Post Malone, Shakey Graves, and Okkervil River all put out new records in an eight-day span.

By Dan Solomon

Mount Kilimanjaro, which seven-year-old Austinite Montannah Kenney climbed.
Best Thing In Texas |
April 13, 2018

The Best Thing In Texas: Meet the Seven-Year-Old Who Climbed Mount Kilimanjaro

Montannah Kenney became the youngest girl to climb the mountain two months before her eighth birthday.

By Dan Solomon

Micheal Brown Top Colleges
Best Thing In Texas |
April 9, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: Micheal Brown Gets Into Twenty Top Universities

The Lamar High School senior gets his pick of Stanford, Harvard, Yale, and seventeen other universities.

By Doyin Oyeniyi

Shea Serrano
Best Thing In Texas |
January 12, 2018

The Best Thing in Texas: Shea Serrano Fans Are Sending a Whole Bunch of Copies of His Basketball Book to Soldiers Deployed Overseas

The generous spirit of the Houston-based writer—and his online army of fans—continues to impress.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
December 22, 2017

The Best Thing in Texas: Erykah Badu Kills It on ‘The Tonight Show’

A reminder of why she’s not just an inspiration to superstars, but a vital talent of her own.

By Dan Solomon

Amarillo
Best Thing In Texas |
December 14, 2017

The Best Thing In Texas: A Woman at an Amarillo Burger King Saved a Lady’s Life With Ice Cream

Helping your neighbor can be delicious.

By Dan Solomon

holiday
Best Thing In Texas |
December 8, 2017

The Best Thing In Texas: This Lady Goes Around Handing Out Christmas Cards to Everybody

Spreading a little holiday cheer.

By Dan Solomon

Best Thing In Texas |
November 23, 2017

Best Things in Texas: Why We’re Thankful for Texans

There were so many times that we could have broken this year. But not Texans. We’re not made that way.

By Abby Johnston

Sports |
November 11, 2017

The Best Thing In Texas: José Altuve’s Letter To J.J. Watt

A mashup of Houston sports icons to warm your heart.

By Dan Solomon

Beyoncé
Best Thing In Texas |
November 3, 2017

The Best Thing in Texas: Beyoncé as Nala in ‘The Lion King’ Remake

She just can’t wait to be queen.

By Doyin Oyeniyi

Best Thing In Texas |
October 15, 2017

The Best Thing In Texas: St. Vincent’s ‘Masseduction’

The Dallas guitar hero’s expansive sixth release is a strong album of the year contender.

By Dan Solomon

  • 1
  • 3

We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations.

Subscribe Now

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Join TM BBQ Club
  • TM BBQ Fest
  • Manage Subscription
  • Subscription Help
  • Renew
  • Give a Gift
  • Back Issues
  • Buy Merch

Sections

  • News & Politics
  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Being Texan
  • Food & Drink
  • BBQ
  • Travel & Outdoors
  • Magazine
  • Podcasts
  • Video

About

  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Advertise
  • Texas Monthly Studio
  • FAQs
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Do Not Sell My Data
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved.