There are any number of fun, adventurous, and unexpected things to do in the Big Bend region of far West Texas. Here are fifteen of my favorites, including scuba diving in Balmorhea, gliding over Marfa, drinking a microbrew in Alpine, horseback riding in Fort Davis, and floating through the Lower
From a boutique hotel in hip South Austin to a bed-and-breakfast across the Mexican border, from fly fishing on the Llano River to bathing in the Chinati Hot Springs, 33 getaways the guidebooks don’t tell you about, courtesy of our intrepid staff of weekend warriors.
With a little planning and these gardening tips, growing your own wildflower meadow will become second nature.
We Texans go bananas over peaches, buying them by the bushel, making pies and preserves, freezing them for the future. So what are you waiting for? Bite into summer and let the juice dribble down your chin.
The best beaches in Texas for—among other summertime pursuits—shelling, strolling, birding, fishing, treasure hunting, turtle herding, solitude, and surfing, dude.
West from Dripping Springs to Johnson City, south to Blanco, southeast to Fischer, east to Wimberley, and north to Dripping Springs.
Big, breezy porches in Port Aransas, the only heated pool for miles in Marathon: You’ll get more than just a bed and breakfast at these ten appealing places to stay.
San Angelo’s frontier chic.
How the West was fun.
Athens is all wet.
A canoe trip down the Colorado.
Summer vacation is right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean you should panic. We’ve rounded up 68 of our favorite things to do with your toddlers, teens, and every kid in between. Dance the hokey pokey. Rope a horse. Eat way too many hot dogs. Zip down a waterslide.
A natural antidote to San Antonio sprawl.
Llano rocks!
Houston by train.
Cibolo Creek RanchNeed your space but can’t afford to buy it? You can rent it by the night at Cibolo Creek Ranch, which clocks in with a whopping 35,000 acres of desert mountains, unexpected springs, and far-reaching history. The resort’s expansive nature extends to its rooms, big enough to
Austin Street Cafe, MarfaThis renovated adobe house, on a quiet corner a few blocks off Marfa’s main drags, is as dapper and welcoming as a fifties-era fantasy housewife in heels and starched apron holding a plate of warm cookies. The floors are glossy white, abundant windows open to the
Blanco is cooking. So am I.
My hometown sings a new song.
In with the old.
Forty Acres and a school.
Suzy Banks hits the roads less traveled.
How my lifelong dream of writing a novel turned into a nightmare.
What’s loony about the beach in winter?
A starry-eyed getaway.
Eighty-five incredibly fun things, from movies to museums, that won’t cost you a red cent.
How to zip across the Hill Country.
Suzy Banks goes out for a beer.
Sweaty socks, cat urine, dead skunks: Three cheers for having no sense of smell.
When people hear I’m a landlady, they tell me I should have my head examined. Yep.
Ten Texas hotels I can recommend without reservations, plus the state's best rooftop pool, outdoor bar, and more.
Every once in a while, when I come across something so outrageous, so over-the-toplike Grapevine's new Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention CenterI can't help myself. I just have to be snotty.
Delicate pine-needle baskets, rustic Italian tablewareand a $1,200 bottle of Pétrus.
Since I was a kid growing up on polluted Galveston Bay, I’ve held a grudge against the watery edge of Texas—but no more. Protected wetlands! Pelicans and turtles! Historic buildings! Edible oysters! And that’s not the half shell of it.
With more than 600,000 acres of state parks, historic sites, and natural areas, Texas can be a perfect playground for every type of outdoor adventurer—if you know where to go. We do.
When the San Antonio River’s downtown stretches are drained for a week each January, the crowds may ebb too. But it’s a perfect time to discover the waterway’s more natural side.
Writer-at-large Suzy Banks discusses what she likes best about Big D and how it compares with Houston.
Including my favorite movie theater, a wheely big bike trail, a hardware store with knowledgeable clerks (!), and the most sensuous pedicure a girl could ask for.
I THINK MY AIRLINE CONSPIRED TO heighten my appreciation of Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, a venerable resort between Taos and Santa Fe. After a roller-coaster flight through turbulence east of Albuquerque, the loss of my baggage, and the always-ego-boosting search for an emergency swimsuit, I was more than ready to
It's not easy, exactly, but it is possible to get from Texas to places like New Orleans and Chicago on a reasonably comfortable Amtrak train. Just don't expect to be on time.
A friendly bar in Johnson City, a grand old opry in Mason, a cabin with a view of the Sabinal Canyon, and 22 other things I love about the Hill Country.
Not sure where to stay when you go to the Hill Country? Don't worry. I've found the best places, from a historic hotel to a caboose.
Lured by the lucre of tourism, many small towns can't resist quainting themselves to deathwhich is why true-to-itself Fayetteville is such a pleasant place to visit.
I'm susceptible to seasickness and sun poisoning, and I hate being part of a herd. So, naturally, I took a cruise.
MY HUSBAND, RICHARD, AND I were sipping margaritas on the hillside patio at the Villa Montaña hotel. The sun was setting behind the mountains on our left and a midsummer thunderstorm, complete with rainbow, brewed over the mountains on our right. Spread out below us, in all its centuries-old charm,
EVERY SUNDAY THE FAITHFUL PACK Etta’s Lounge, south of the University of Houston, to worship with sax legend Grady Gaines and the Texas Upsetters. The longnecks, the coldest in the city, are served on ice in mop buckets; the decor runs to aged Christmas decorations; and everyone, from the nattily
The Bank of America Center and 24 other things I love about Houston.
I’D BEMOAN THE LOSS OF the Baytown Tunnel, an icon of my childhood (on the drive through it, my sister and I kept our eyes shut and our feet off the floorboards to avoid misfortune), if its replacement, the Fred Hartman Bridge, weren’t such a marvel of engineering. A cable-span
OVER AT THE HOUSTON ARBORETUM and Nature Center, in Memorial Park, I asked Ruth Milburn, the center’s executive director, what she liked best about the place. She looked at me indulgently and said, “Why, I’m here for the trees.” As I navigated the well-marked trails and boardwalks that weave through
THANKS TO A LIGHT-RAIL PROJECT scheduled for completion in 2004, much of downtown’s historic district appears to have been rooted up by a monster armadillo. Still, with its shady parks, outdoor sculptures, busy theater district, chic restaurants and clubs, and seven miles of air-conditioned tunnels (in essence, food courts for
