Travel & Outdoors
April 26, 2023
I Biked the I-35 “Hell Route” From Austin to San Antonio So You Don’t Have To
Cycling for eighty miles along a busy highway frontage road isn’t exactly a wise idea, but I found a perverse enjoyment in it.
Travel
The best of Texas travel including news, trip guides and destinations.
Books
October 25, 2022
Meet the Next Great American Travel Brand
Wildsam field guides have more in common with indie zines than with Fodor’s or Lonely Planet. Ten years in, the road less traveled is paying off.
Art
September 8, 2022
Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Is Now a Glowing Work of Art
Volunteers spent weeks installing 28,000 solar-powered bulbs for Bruce Munro’s ‘Field of Light,’ which runs through December.
Travel & Outdoors
June 21, 2022
Welcome to Party Island on Lady Bird Lake
At Austin’s weekend-long floating bacchanal, it’s BYOP (as in “paddleboard”).
Travel & Outdoors
June 21, 2022
Barton Springs Pool in the Dark Is Its Own World
Swimming before sunrise became a necessary ritual for novelist Elizabeth McCracken during an uncertain time. And then came the strangers.
Style & Design
April 14, 2022
Marital Bliss-out: Indulging in a Weekday Couple’s Massage
If a husband and wife can quarantine together, they can get manicures together.
By Katy Vine![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
Travel & Outdoors
April 14, 2022
A Massage Addict Embraces Touchless Treatments
Look, spa, no hands! Looking for stress relief via a salt cave, "a wellness tube," and an infrared sauna pod.
Travel & Outdoors
April 14, 2022
Forget the Facial—I’ll Take the Hypnosis Session
A session with the Traveling Hypnotist felt like a massage for the mind.
Style & Design
April 14, 2022
These Destination Spas Are Even Better With a Plus-one
La Cantera and Lake Austin Spa offer many options for couples and friends. Massage table for two, anyone?
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
![Kathy Blackwell's Profile Photo]()
Travel & Outdoors
March 14, 2022
Change Is the Only Constant for Austin’s South Congress
Our guide to the ever-evolving neighborhood, where a few old-school favorites endure alongside the trendy newcomers.
Sports
October 14, 2021
The Best Public Golf Courses in Texas
These courses are beautiful, fun for all skill levels, and are available to play at a great value. Fairways and greens!
Travel & Outdoors
September 13, 2021
A Guide to Texas’s Best Botanical Gardens
Desert cacti, tropical orchids, towering live oaks—these tranquil spots teem with ever-changing flora. It’s time to plan a trip.
Business
July 15, 2021
The Return of Liz Lambert
She was born into West Texas ranching royalty and found fame by building a hotel empire. Then she was ousted from her company. Now, for her next act . . .
Where To Stay Now
May 21, 2021
Texas Monthly Recommends: A Rustic Retreat in Wimberley
Plus, a psych-rock album and the pleasures of homegrown tomatoes.
Where To Stay Now
May 4, 2021
7 Nostalgic Texas Hotels With Vinyl Record Collections
With in-room record players, album lending libraries, and, in one case, a vinyl concierge, hotels around the state are embracing the record renaissance.
Travel & Outdoors
April 30, 2021
“Chubby Diaries” Documents the Realities of Vacationing While Fat and Black
With contagious positivity, Austinite Jeff Jenkins uses his popular platform to advocate for plus-sized travelers.
Travel & Outdoors
December 1, 2020
Where to See Holiday Lights and Meet Santa (Safely) This Year
Across Texas, Santa is staying jolly this year with contact-free visits, drive-through light displays, and more pandemic-proof festivities.
Where To Stay Now
October 16, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: A Cozy, Retro Stay in Terlingua
Plus, a new art exhibit about the borderlands, a music compilation by many Texas artists, and Casa Colombia.
Where To Stay Now
June 29, 2020
First Look: Austin’s Most Anticipated Grand Hotel
The 1928 Commodore Perry mansion has been restored to its former glory and turned into an upscale resort unlike anything in the city. Join us on a virtual tour.
Music
March 12, 2020
So You Were Going to SXSW. Should You Come to Austin? What Should You Do When You Arrive?
These are tough questions to answer right now.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Where To Stay Now
April 24, 2019
Three Texas Hostels Worth Checking Into
You don’t need to spend big bucks when you’re exploring Dallas, Austin, and Houston.
By Cat Cardenas![Cat Cardenas's Profile Photo]()
Travel & Outdoors
March 6, 2019
The Texas Monthly Visitors Guide to Austin During SXSW
It’s not like this the rest of the year.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Business
January 3, 2019
Bachelorette Parties Have Overtaken Austin. What Does It Mean for the City?
Every weekend, scores of bachelorette parties flock to the Texas capital in search of cute murals, dressed-up cocktails, and the perfect Instagram. But the new tourism also reveals something deeper about the city's socioeconomic reality.
Travel & Outdoors
November 13, 2018
Go Inside Austin’s New Carpenter Hotel and Restaurant
Even though Austin’s newest boutique hotel, the Carpenter, had only been open for a week (official date was November 2), the lobby was already filled with locals who looked like regulars—one group sat hovered around the community table having a work meeting over kolaches, while others reclined
Travel & Outdoors
October 19, 2017
Next Time You Travel in Texas, Stay in a Hostel
For an affordable stay in a new city, with built-in friends.
Travel & Outdoors
April 27, 2017
Spring Forward
Summer will be here before you know it. Ten things to get out and do ahead of those 100-degree days.
Travel & Outdoors
April 21, 2017
Held for Ransom
One of the world’s leading collectors of creative output showcases ten of its greatest assets.
Travel & Outdoors
April 13, 2017
There’s No Place Like Home
Mobile Loaves and Fishes co-founder Alan Graham has published a book about his relationships with Austin’s homeless.
Travel & Outdoors
April 7, 2017
Fairy Tale Gone Wild
Donald Barthelme’s postmodern novel based on Snow White has its theatrical debut.
Travel & Outdoors
March 31, 2017
A Bone to Pick
A new book on the legendary producer reveals a performer with chops of his own.
Travel & Outdoors
March 23, 2017
The Art of Architecture
Louis Kahn’s life and work on exhibit in the greatest building in Texas.
Travel & Outdoors
March 20, 2017
The Austin Motel’s New Look
Liz Lambert on sprucing up another iconic South Congress hideout.
Travel & Outdoors
March 2, 2017
Music to our Ears
Austin celebrates its beloved Eklektikos deejay for his fifty years on air.
Travel & Outdoors
February 23, 2017
Avedon’s Texas
Images that have become as iconic as the state itself.
Travel & Outdoors
February 16, 2017
Accordion to Eva
Eva Ybarra is still the queen of the accordion, and she’ll prove it with a mix of conjunto and country at the Briscoe Western Art Museum.
Travel & Outdoors
February 3, 2017
Think Big
A grand era of large-scale, site-specific installation art at Rice Gallery comes to an end. But does a new beginning await?
Travel & Outdoors
January 27, 2017
Mysteries of Musicians Past
Uncovering the story of a long-lost gospel pioneer who influenced the shape of music to come.
Travel & Outdoors
January 20, 2017
Don’t Worry, Be Pappy
Enjoy one of the rarest—and tastiest—whiskeys known to man.
Travel & Outdoors
January 13, 2017
To Bee or Not to Bee
The loss of the honeybee would be catastrophic to our planet. Here's what you can do to help.
Travel & Outdoors
January 10, 2017
2017 Travel Inspiration
Looking back on last year's best stories to plan this year's wanderings.
Travel & Outdoors
January 5, 2017
Keeping Up With the Joneses
The Dallas Cowboys’ new headquarters and training facility, dubbed the Star, is open for business.
Travel & Outdoors
December 29, 2016
Rock Around the Clock
Ten concerts to ring in your new year.
Travel & Outdoors
December 27, 2016
15 Highlights From My 2016 Texas Wanderings
The best sights, bites, and experiences from my travels around the state this year.
Travel & Outdoors
December 22, 2016
These Boots Are Made for Gawkin’
Bob "Daddy-O" Wade has been putting out his iconic artwork for forty years.
Travel & Outdoors
December 16, 2016
Have Yourself “A Very Kacey Christmas”
A yuletide album that's actually worth listening to this holiday season.
Travel & Outdoors
December 9, 2016
Bird’s-Eye View
The holiday season is the best time to scope out the majestic sandhill cranes that call Galveston their winter home.
Travel & Outdoors
December 2, 2016
The Song Remains the Same
The director of "Tower" brings us another iconic documentary, this one reveling in 40 years of the beloved Austin City Limits show.
Travel & Outdoors
November 22, 2016
Saving Grace
Eleven ideas for holiday fun after the turkey sandwiches are gone and Uncle Al wants to talk about politics.
Travel & Outdoors
November 21, 2016
The Gift Shops That Keep On Giving
A visit to these indie gift shops, which feature impeccably curated stock from makers around the world, is a gift in itself.
Travel & Outdoors
November 17, 2016
When Craft Beer Goes Corporate
Is a brand a sell-out if it's owned by a large corporation?
More Texas to Explore
- Austin
- Bandera
- Beaumont
- Big Bend
- Comfort
- East Texas
- Fredericksburg
- Frisco
- Galveston
- Hico
- Hill Country
- Houston
- Hutto
- Irving
- Jasper
- Jefferson
- Johnson City
- Karnack
- Kerrville
- Kyle
- Laguna Madre
- Laredo
- Lindale
- Llano
- Longview
- McKinney
- Mexico
- Mineola
- Mineral Wells
- New Braunfels
- Oakwood
- Odessa
- Palestine
- Plano
- Port Aransas
- San Antonio
- Spade
- Taylor
- Tyler
- Utopia
- Waco
- West Texas
- Wichita Falls