Kudus—I mean kudos—to the landscapers and horticulturists at the El Paso Zoo. Their careful plantings, which manage to block sun but not wind, helped make a midsummer visit almost cool. Still, baking visitors gratefully entered the indoor displays: In the nocturnal exhibit, my friend Isela gazed for a long time
“Wow, this looks like a great place,” exclaimed my six-year-old daughter, Rayna, before we’d even gotten out of the car at the Dallas Zoo. The towering giraffe statue out front was all it took. Her enthusiasm propelled us through the entrance and up the bamboo-lined ramp that leads to the
Luis Foncerrada, age ten, burst through the gates first, grabbing a zoo map on the way; his brother Sebastian, five, was a half step behind, followed by me. Veteran zoo-goers, the boys barely glanced at the flamingos, paused briefly for the jaguars, and then settled in to observe the spider
The fledgling Austin Zoo is basically a big, no-frills barnyard full of exotic jungle beasts as well as miscellaneous domestic breeds. Situated on the city’s southwestern edge, it started out in 1992 as a petting zoo for small fry and has since expanded to include 106 species, from Shetland ponies
Booking a hotel reservation online? Before you check in, check out what John Davis III has done to make it possible.
This much is plain: the Texas Panhandle is part of the High Plains. But what, exactly, is the Texas Panhandle? Folks have debated the issue for years. Historian Frederick Rathjen says the Panhandle is the state’s 26 northernmost counties. Others, such as author A. C. Greene, deem it rectangular,
No one captures the majesty and mystique of wide-open spaces like photographer Peter Brown.
How to get your kicks on Route 66 and other less celebrated roads: three leisurely drives through a part of the state where the sights are cool and the nights are cooler.
Hot springs, steep cliffs, death-defying trails: My six-day trek through Mexico’s Copper Canyon was the adventure of a lifetime.
La Grange’s Mr. Barbecue, the police chief of Athens: fifteen local characters with, er, character.
The airlines are locked in a fiercely competitive war. Should you try to benefit? Discount-travel guru Tom Parsons says: All’s fare.
Don’t think of the Hill Country Hyatt as just another chain hotel. Think of it as your salvation—especially if you have kids.
Houston’s J.P. Bryan is remaking a West Texas town into what could be the next Taos—and for some locals, that’s a mixed blessing.
The birds of High Island. The wilderness of Matagorda Island. The untamed beach of Boca Chica. These and other hidden treasures await you-if you know where to look.
I wanted to see lightning strike the steel rods that artist Walter De Maria installed in a New Mexico field. I didn’t, but the trip was still illuminating.
The remaking of a South Texas town.
At the entrance to Las Pozas, the logical, the predictable, and the commonplace evaporate, giving way to one of the most enchanting places on earth.
HUMBLE Mercer Arboretum, 22306 Aldine Westfield (281-443-8731). A staffer says the arboretum’s three-year-old plantings of dozens of old roses have generated a lot of interest because they’re “ten feet tall and bulletproof.” But not deerproof, which is why you’ll find the roses protected behind fences. Open daily 8 to 5
After Liz and Dick put it on the map, Puerto Vallarta went glitzy. But the old romantic allure is still there—if you know where to find it.
Acapulco used to be a favorite destination of beautiful people from Texas and elsewhere. It still should be.
Stanley Marsh 3’s mobile autos.
Senior editor Joe Nick Patoski provides readers with what you used to get at your local gas station: full service. Writing so-called service pieces—mini-guidebooks that offer readers do-it-yourself instructions and suggestions for trips and other leisure activities—has taken the 46-year-old resident of Wimberley all over Texas. Says Patoski: “I’ve
It’s still the best little town in Texas.
High peaks, scant rain, and hardpan soil—but also high art, hip hotels, and a new telescope that’s a star in its own right: Snapshots from a remote region of our state unlike anyplace else on earth.
How I survived a course in desert survival.
The secrets of Big Bend Ranch State Park.
A swimming swine’s squeally big show comes to an end.
Did a flying saucer really crash-land in a field outside Roswell fifty years ago this month? The truth is out there; find out for yourself.
Why do reviewers from Condé Nast Traveler to the Zagat and Mobil guides swoon over Dallas’ Mansion on Turtle Creek? I wanted to find out, so I checked in.
High in the Mexican mountains and only a day’s drive from Texas lies El Cielo, a stunning cloud forest where exotic birds soar but the temperature doesn’t.
If U.S. officials put an end to illegal trips across the Rio Grande at Boquillas, the enchanting border town will find itself caught between countries and cultures. Of course, that’s where it has always been.
summary: What’s the best hotel in Texas? (Hint: It’s not the Mansion on Turtle Creek).
While U.S. citizens can take an unlimited amount of money into Mexico—you will have to fill out an IRS form at U.S. Customs if it’s more than $10,000—you’re allowed to bring back only $400 worth of merchandise every thirty days duty free. (If there are four people in the car,
We’ve found thirty shops just across the Rio Grande where you can buy everything from hand-carved furniture to whimsical walking sticks. The quality is high, the prices are right, and you don't have to pay in pesos.
Around the State Edited by Quita McMath, Josh Daniel, Erin Gromen, and Cheri Ballew summary: The Smithsonian Institution takes its show on the road (Houston). Plus: Yuletide celebrations that hold a candle (San Antonio); the Tokyo String Quartet gets caught in the fiddle (Fort Worth and Houston); where to meet
This month, a ragtag group of wanderers will descend on Hueco Tanks state park in West Texas, where they’ll spend their nights hanging out and their days hanging on to the most challenging boulders around.
The time is ripe, and so are the chiles: This tiny, homey town in New Mexico is the ideal spot for a fall weekend getaway.
There are no showgirls or musical revues, but the four casinos in and around Lake Charles, Louisiana, do a nice job approximating the Vegas experience. Deal yourself in.
For breathtaking snorkeling in subterranean rivers and caverns, take the road out of Cancún and head for the Yucatán rain forest.
If you think there are bargains on the border, you won’t believe what you’ll find seven hundred miles south in three tiny Mexican towns.
Feeling stressed? Soothe the strain of the daily grind at these terrific Texas retreats.
Before my tortuous trek through the Peruvian Andes to Machu Picchu, I was told I’d be changed by the experience. And, indeed, the spirits moved me.
Spend a long weekend this spring meandering through Texas’ fabled heartland, where you can stop and smell the wildflowers, taste country cooking, and take home a trunkful of fine antiques.
Coming Soon: Groacho MarxThe Cockroach Hall of Fame Museum, Plano. Michael Bohdan, who calls himself Cockroach Dundee, runs the museum at his pest-control business, featuring such exhibits as H. Ross Peroach and Liberoche, a dead roach covered with sequins sitting at a miniature piano topped by a candelabra.If It’s Closed,
In a remote Mexican bay, you can touch a forty-ton gray, watch her lovely, enormous baby rub playfully against your boat, and ponder the mysteries of the natural world.
. . . but can it last? That’s what Galveston officials are wondering as they put the finishing touches on a nearly $6 million renourishment project—just in time for hurricane season.
Travel InfoBefore you go, write or call the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau (Box 3500, South Padre Island 78597; 800-343-2368) and load up on the helpful brochures; or on your way in, stop at the Visitors Center at 600 Padre Boulevard.When to GoDepending on the time of year,
Our complete guide to a great vacation on South Padre Island: the best spot for tanning, who serves the freshest seafood, how to rent scuba gear, where to see the prettiest sunset, and more.
Want to golf this summer on three of the best-designed, least expensive courses in the world? Swing on down to los cabos, mexico.
Now is the time to visit New Mexico, where the A-bomb exploded on the scene half a century ago.
