State of Mind
August 4, 2021
State of Mind, Episode 8: Useful Wild Plants
Two Austinites have made it their life’s work to document uses for every wild plant in Texas—a project they say could save humanity.
Outdoors
State of Mind
July 21, 2021
State of Mind, Episode 6: Planting Wildflowers in a Pandemic
The poet and performer Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton on risking new connections with nature during a year of tragedy.
Travel & Outdoors
June 17, 2021
Seven Outstanding Parks for Riding or Renting Horses
Hoof it to these parks with your steed (or someone else's).
Travel & Outdoors
June 17, 2021
Holy Smoke! Texas Has Actual Volcanoes. Here’s Where to See Ten of Them.
They’ve been extinct for millions of years, so you'll just need a little imagination—and this handy guide.
Travel & Outdoors
June 17, 2021
Texas Parks by Horseback Offer a Whole Other View
Equestrians can ride their own steeds, or in a few cases rent them, on public lands across the state.
Travel & Outdoors
June 1, 2021
Meet a Texas Plant Hunter Who’s Combing Forests and Fields to Save Rare Flowers
Conservationist Adam Black roams the state looking for endangered flora, which he shares with researchers around the world.
Travel & Outdoors
April 28, 2021
The Implausible Experience of Kayaking the Trinity River in Downtown Dallas
Since moving to Dallas a few years ago, I've wanted to paddle the glittering water I'd pass while driving.
Food & Drink
April 27, 2021
It’s Berry Season in Texas. Here’s Where to Pick Your Own.
Kid-friendly, socially distanced, and just a darn good way to spend a Saturday, the state's berry farms are open for visitors.
Hunting & Fishing
April 26, 2021
Hunting Exotics at Ox Ranch
Ranch CEO Jason Molitor always loved hunting. Now he runs an 18,000-acre operation with more than 60 species on offer.
Travel & Outdoors
April 15, 2021
Bentonville Is a Mountain Biking Paradise
With more than three hundred miles of dirt trails, the city has a wonderful arts scene to boot.
Business
April 6, 2021
The Off-Grid Business Has Never Been Better
When demand surged for pandemic-friendly RVs and camper vans, Austin-based rental company Outdoorsy was ready to capitalize on the trend.
Travel & Outdoors
April 2, 2021
Texas Monthly Recommends: A Wildflower Drive
It’s one of the great rites of spring in Texas.
Travel & Outdoors
March 16, 2021
Sometimes It’s Hard to Be a Garden
Houston’s newborn Eden survives its first major weather event.
Travel & Outdoors
March 3, 2021
How to Care for Plants Damaged by the Texas Freeze—and Prep for Spring
Patience is key, but go ahead and trim those mushy bits.
Travel & Outdoors
March 3, 2021
Inside the Ambitious Plan to Redesign Houston’s Biggest Park
A ten-year, $205 million renovation is transforming Houston’s Memorial Park from a dense and dying thicket into a lush oasis. But is this restoring nature or replacing it?
Parks & Recs
February 12, 2021
Finding Respite at Davis Mountains State Park and Its Historic Indian Lodge
In the heart of hard desert country, this welcome refuge features hiking, breathtaking vistas, and proximity to must-visit West Texas attractions.
Travel & Outdoors
January 26, 2021
As More Novices Head to the Wilderness, Rescues Are Spiking at Some Texas State Parks
Big Bend Ranch State Park and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area both saw a 50 percent surge in backcountry rescues last year.
Hunting & Fishing
January 21, 2021
In Search of the Chachalaca, the Least-Hunted Game Bird in Texas
With its distinctive, raucous call, the chachalaca is often heard in South Texas—but good luck spotting one.
Hunting & Fishing
January 20, 2021
Where to Hunt, or Photograph, Exotic Animals in Texas
From the Big Bend to East Texas, the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley, Texas ranches have been transformed in recent decades by the proliferation of exotic game animals, many of them rare and endangered in their native habitats. With the rise of “Texotics” has come an army of
Recipes
January 20, 2021
Recipe: Wild Boar Picadillo
Jesse Griffiths goes hog wild to reinvent a favorite childhood meal.
Wildlife
January 20, 2021
How Texas Hunting Went Exotic
Sprawling ranches. Rare animals. Rich folks with guns. Welcome to the state’s booming business of stalking wildlife from around the globe.
Being Texan
January 15, 2021
Why Droves of Pilgrims Trek to This Tree in South Texas Every Year
Two decades ago, a woman bought a cutting from a nursery in the Rio Grande Valley. What grew was much bigger than a tree.
Travel & Outdoors
December 30, 2020
Houston Shut Down Its Biggest Biking Event for Pandemic Safety. The Indie Bike Scene Is Less Concerned.
Social cycling clubs have resumed their group rides, with tricked-out bikes and spotty mask-wearing.
Travel & Outdoors
December 17, 2020
It Snowed Across America, and We’re Not Jealous. We Swear.
It’s beautiful! Enjoy shoveling all of that.
Politics & Policy
December 17, 2020
2020 Has Been Awful, but It Was a Good Year for State and National Parks
Two major conservation funding victories could create a brighter future for Texas's public lands.
Travel & Outdoors
December 10, 2020
Cold-Water Paddling Is for the Brrrave
Winter kayaking and canoeing are catching on, even among heat-loving Texans.
Travel & Outdoors
December 8, 2020
Jupiter and Saturn Will Soon Align in a Rare Astronomical Marvel, and You Can Start Watching Now
With help from the McDonald Observatory in West Texas, we share seven beginner stargazing tips.
Travel & Outdoors
November 17, 2020
What’s Growing in My Garden Now: Images From Backyards Across the State
Texas gardeners share photos of their fall crops, plus tips for preparing for the winter season.
Travel & Outdoors
November 5, 2020
Meet an Intrepid Texan Who Spends Winters at the South Pole
Rockport resident Wayne White has worked for much of the last three years in Antarctica, where temperatures of minus 100 degrees don’t keep him from taking his daily walk or jog.
Travel & Outdoors
November 5, 2020
Now Is the Time to Plant Wildflowers in Texas. Here’s How to Do It Right.
Eight tips from expert gardeners.
Travel & Outdoors
September 10, 2020
Nine Fall Gardening Tips From a Texas Landscape Architect
David Hocker is busier than ever this time of year. He says that at home, you should be too. Here’s what to do.
Travel & Outdoors
June 8, 2020
In Praise of Pandemic Gardening
Thousands of Texans are finding much-needed stress relief by digging in the dirt. Plus: four tips for novice gardeners.
Travel & Outdoors
May 15, 2020
Priya Krishna’s Quarantine Journal, Entry No. 10: No Longer Taking the Backyard for Granted
Nothing breaks up the monotony like dining alfresco, drinking cocktails by the creek, and just breathing in the fresh air.
Travel & Outdoors
April 25, 2020
I Visited a State Park This Week. Here’s What I Found.
The reopening of state parks has not come without critics, from those who say the new rules are impossible to enforce to those who think they are too restrictive.
Being Texan
April 20, 2020
Meet the South Texas Couple Who Kill Feral Hogs As a Public Service
Robert and Vickie Lyle’s lives revolve around hunting and trapping hogs. Wildlife refuge managers count on them to keep the destructive pigs in check.
Hunting & Fishing
April 15, 2020
Fishing Lures We Love
These Lone Star lures catch the eye as much as they catch fish.
Hunting & Fishing
April 15, 2020
How a Battle Between Recreational and Commercial Fishermen Spawned a Conservation Movement
The Redfish Wars changed Texas fishing. A fight over flounder could be next.
Travel & Outdoors
April 15, 2020
Fishin’ Across Texas
We’re calling it: Texas has the best fishing in the United States. Alaska and Florida are right up there. California is too, we guess. But what many Texans may not appreciate—even those of us who grew up casting lines—is the impressive diversity of fishing in the Lone Star State. Most
Hunting & Fishing
April 15, 2020
The Great Texas Fishing Safari
Texas offers some of the most-diverse fishing in the country—from stalking monster sharks on Padre Island to fly-fishing from a kayak on the remote Pecos River. And for three months, I got to try it all.
Hunting & Fishing
April 15, 2020
Kayak Fishing 101: What You’ll Need
Here are four essential items to get off dry land and into a kayak.
Hunting & Fishing
April 15, 2020
How Fishing in Texas Got So Good—and Kind of Weird
The state has spent more than a century building up a world-class fishery, with some unintended consequences.
Travel & Outdoors
April 15, 2020
Keith Combs Is the Best Bass Fisherman in Texas Waters—But He Has His Eyes Set on More
For all his success, Combs obsesses over the ones that got away—especially on the biggest stages.
Being Texan
April 14, 2020
“We’re Prepared for Just About Anything That Comes”
On a remote property near Terlingua, a prepper community is thriving.
Travel & Outdoors
April 3, 2020
Why I’m Not Going to South Padre Island
Even though it's legal for property owners like me to be there, it's not the right thing to do.
Travel & Outdoors
March 31, 2020
Planting Wildflowers in a Pandemic
A Houston poet laureate on the hopeful defiance of her bluebonnets.
Books
March 20, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: ‘Copper Stain: ASARCO’s Legacy in El Paso’
Plus, the cheesiest small business in Austin, a nature preserve on the outskirts of Dallas County, and a viral dance challenge.
Being Texan
October 3, 2019
The Summer That Wouldn’t Die
I left Texas after the brutal summer of 2011, only to return in time for the hottest September on record.
Being Texan
September 13, 2019
Legends of the Fall
Those wistful end-of-summer photos on Instagram have us deeply envious.
Parks & Recs
June 20, 2019
Sea Rim State Park’s Fragile Magic
The park offers quiet coastland and abundant wildlife, and feels like a defiant bulwark against some very particular cares of urban life.
Politics & Policy
June 10, 2019
Texas Parks Are Broke. But There’s Good News: Voters Can Rescue Them.
A constitutional amendment on the ballot in November aims to shore up funding for Texas’s system of state parks and historic sites.