Texas History
December 4, 2023
This 1879 Map Is Now the Priciest Map of Texas Ever Sold at Auction
It fetched $705,000, topping the list of about 165 items from Ted Lusher's Texana collection.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Texana
Being Texan
November 3, 2023
Texans Should Embrace the Time Change. It’s One of Few Seasonal Markers We Have.
In lieu of fall foliage and chilly weather, at least we get to turn back the clocks.
Texas History
October 11, 2023
The U.S.S. Texas, Once the World’s Most Formidable Battleship, Gets a Dramatic Makeover
The famously powerful dreadnought was hailed by Hemingway and played a key role in several famous battles.
By Michael Hall![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Being Texan
September 29, 2023
Sayin’ Howdy to Big Tex
The State Fair kicks off today. We celebrated by checking in with the big man himself.
Texas History
September 18, 2023
The Donkey Lady Has Haunted Generations of San Antonians. She Has Her Own Talk Show.
The legendary Donkey Lady is alive (sort of) and has a lot to say about San Antonio.
The Stand Up Desk
August 30, 2023
August 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn?
A Texas Monthly reader quiz, based on all the stories in our August 2023 issue.
Politics & Policy
August 29, 2023
He’s Been Single for Years. Now He’s Marrying His House.
In far West Texas, where loneliness abounds, one man is on a quest to redefine the meaning of love and companionship.
By Peter Holley![Peter Holley's Profile Photo]()
Food & Drink
August 8, 2023
My Week of Whataburger
When I first arrived in Texas, I didn’t get the fawning over Whataburger. I tried to understand by eating 21 straight meals there.
By Ben Rowen![Ben Rowen's Profile Photo]()
The Stand Up Desk
July 24, 2023
July 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn?
A Texas Monthly reader quiz, based on all the stories in our July 2023 issue.
Business
July 6, 2023
You May All Go to Hell, and I Will Go to the TexasLand Theme Park
“You don’t even need Disney or Universal. Texas itself is its own brand,” says Lizzy McGee, who is working to bring a Lone Star–centric amusement park to Houston.
Texas Country Reporter
May 26, 2023
The Niche Czech Radio Show That Still Reaches Listeners After Fifty Years
Radio DJ David Kolar hosts The American Czech Hour, which broadcasts from Hillsboro across a 25-mile radius.
The Texanist
April 7, 2023
The Texanist’s Texas Trivia Test #1
Are you ready to test your knowledge of all things Texan?
Being Texan
March 27, 2023
The Ultimate Texas Brand Bracket Crowns Its Champion
In the end, it could only ever have been H-E-B.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Being Texan
March 24, 2023
Presenting the Ultimate Texas Brand Bracket Final Four
H-E-B. Whataburger. Blue Bell. Southwest Airlines. Four iconic Texas brands remain, but only one can be crowned champion of them all.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Being Texan
March 23, 2023
The Ultimate Texas Brand Bracket Is Down to Its Elite Eight
Can anything stop H-E-B? Plus: a recap of the bracket's tightest matchup yet, between Schlitterbahn and Austin City Limits.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Being Texan
March 20, 2023
Ford or Chevy? There Are No Two Sides in Texas’s Fiery Truck Debate
Loyalty to your chosen brand of pickup runs deep in the Lone Star State.
Being Texan
March 9, 2023
At Brownsville’s Annual Grito Contest, It’s All About Yelling Your Heart Out
Every year, residents of the Texas border city compete to see who can give the best scream.
Being Texan
February 22, 2023
Finding Weird All Over Again in Rockport
I left homogenized Austin for the Texas Gulf Coast—and felt right at home amid the Speedo-wearing bikers and chicken feet–fed alligators.
Being Texan
February 14, 2023
San Antonio Seems to Be Going Through It This Valentine’s Day
. . . Y’all okay?
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The Stand Up Desk
November 28, 2022
The Writer Behind an Enduring Portrait of West Texas Life
Sterry Butcher on the path that led her to move to Marfa and find God “in the details” while writing about rural Texas.
Texas History
October 12, 2022
Luckenbach Is a Hill Country Treasure. Can It Be Saved?
A bitter feud is pitting Hondo Crouch’s descendants against longtime locals as well as encroaching developers.
Being Texan
October 8, 2022
This 1981 Photo Essay Captured Why Being an Aggie Is Not at All Funny
Will Van Overbeek's images, with words by Oscar-winning screenwriter and Texas A&M alum and proud Aggie Al Reinert, were "good bull."
Texana
September 20, 2022
The Legend of Old Rip Was Pretty Unbelievable
I’m not sure I ever bought the story of the Texas horned lizard that survived thirty years in a courthouse cornerstone, but it’s a tale that reminds me why I love storytelling.
Texana
July 21, 2022
This Quirky Hog-Callin’ Champ Was 100 Percent Herself
In 1998, Texas Country Reporter did an episode about Roxanne Ward, a champion hog caller who was quirky, kind, and so unapologetically herself we’ll never forget her.
Music
May 23, 2022
97-Year-Old Lucy Dean Record Is a Queen of Western Swing
The piano teacher turned touring musician from Lockney has been inducted into several halls of fame across the U.S.
Texas Country Reporter
May 20, 2022
You’ll Find Oodles of Noodles at the Wendish Fest in Serbin
The community 50 miles east of Austin celebrates its Slavic heritage each year with music, crafts, and lots of buttery, handmade noodles.
Texas Country Reporter
April 5, 2022
Forget the Trailer. Weldon Wilson Drove Cattle the Old-fashioned Way.
Across U.S. highways and country roads, Wilson was determined to move cattle in a way that honored the men that came before him.
Texas Country Reporter
March 28, 2022
Lessons Learned From the Chicken Lady
Mary Ann Fordyce is a straight-talking chicken farmer calling for a return to country roots.
Texas History
March 28, 2022
The Texas Monthly Writer Who Set Out to Find “Real” Texas—in Marfa
Over several years, Richard West spent two months in seven Texas locales. His reporting eventually won the National Magazine Award.
Art
March 22, 2022
Inside the Eclectic Home of Hill Country Sculptor Jonas Perkins
In Fredericksburg, Perkins’s creative approach to life can be seen in every inch of his one-of-a-kind retreat.
Texas Country Reporter
March 21, 2022
The Hardest-Working Man in Del Rio
For years, “Chito” Martiarena has devoted himself to mowing grass along public roadways.
Texas Country Reporter
March 18, 2022
Why Does the World Need Bottle Cap Art?
Years ago, I learned an important lesson from a family in West Texas—happiness can be found in the simplest places.
Texas Country Reporter
March 16, 2022
Meet the Mr. Rogers of East Texas
I’ll never forget Herman “Train” Gates, the man who collected junk on an empty lot in Carthage, helped fix bikes for neighborhood kids, and wrote poetry.
Texas Country Reporter
March 11, 2022
In Fayetteville, Step Into the Shelby Store and Step Back in Time
Founded in 1946, the Shelby Store is a relic of what retail once was for many small Texas communities.
Books
November 9, 2021
Announcing Our New Book, ‘Being Texan’
The book for anyone who has ever felt the lure of the Lone Star State, already loves it, or simply wants to make sense of the place.
Books
October 27, 2021
The Tall Tale of the Sabine River Goat Man and the Haunted Cemetery
Things unseen moved along the river bank, slithered or crawled or pranced between the thick growths of trees that ran for miles.
Being Texan
October 14, 2021
Rejoice in the Rockin’ Bods of the Nude Texas Cavers Calendar
What better way to mark the passage of time than with some tasteful spelunking nudity?
Being Texan
September 24, 2021
Big Tex on State Fair History, His Favorite Fried Foods, and His Size 96 Boots
A conversation with the big guy himself.
Being Texan
June 14, 2021
Texas First: The Night I Went Two-stepping With the Gilleyrats
One lucky night of dancing with the masters unlocked a new appreciation of the craft.
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
State of Mind
June 7, 2021
Announcing Our New Podcast, ‘State of Mind’
Executive editor Katy Vine presents stories about life in the Lone Star State, from new voices and ones you might recognize.
Texas History
May 19, 2021
The Next Battle of the Alamo!
Is Phil Collins’s legendary Texana collection everything it’s cracked up to be? An adapted excerpt from ‘Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth.’
Being Texan
June 24, 2020
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Master Auctioneer?
Eight days inside America’s Auction Academy, learning the secrets of “the dynamo from Dallas.”
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
Texas History
February 19, 2020
The Legend of John Holmes Jenkins
He was a notorious deal maker known for bringing priceless pieces of Texas history back to the state. He was also a suspected forger and arsonist. Thirty years ago, he was found dead in the Colorado River near Austin, and to this day a question remains: Could John Holmes Jenkins
Politics & Policy
February 14, 2020
20 Other Texas Sayings According to Mike Bloomberg
The presidential candidate thinks ”as scared as a cat at a dog pound” is a thing that Texans say. So we’ve got a few more for him.
Music
February 7, 2020
Join Us at SXSW for Texas Music: The Untold Stories
On March 17, we're taking over the Moody Theater for a night of storytelling from some of your favorite Texas artists.
By Michael Hall![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Music
October 31, 2019
How the Toadies Turned a Lovely Texas Lake Into a Ghostly Song
The Fort Worth band crafted a dark legend about Possum Kingdom Lake that many are still eager to believe 25 years later.
Music
August 21, 2019
Texas’s Greatest Honky-Tonk Hits
From Ernest Tubb to Bob Wills to Willie, Texas has produced a jukebox worth of classics. Here are the best.
Being Texan
August 20, 2019
The Best Honky-Tonks in Texas
We traveled 3,000 miles to find the state’s best little country joints. Welcome to neon nirvana.
Film & TV
July 9, 2019
The ‘Red Headed Stranger’ Rides Again: Here’s What We Learned
We watched the recently restored 1986 film with Willie Nelson and fans in Luck, where it all happened.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Texas History
June 5, 2019
Five Creative Proposals for the Battleship Texas’s Future
What should be done with the historic dreadnought once it’s relocated from its longtime home?