Best Thing In Texas
June 27, 2022
An Indiana Man Put a (Smoke) Ring on It at Franklin Barbecue
A road trip from the Midwest to Austin culminated in Matt McKinney on bended knee in the pit room of the most famous joint in Texas.
Austin
Sports
June 27, 2022
The Rise and Rise of Texas-Based BMX Superstar Brad Simms
When early pandemic lockdowns led to empty streets, Simms, a leader among Black BMX riders, catapulted himself to social media fame.
Sports
June 24, 2022
Arch Manning Might Be Good Enough to Save Texas Football From Itself
No team does less with more quite like the Longhorns do, but even UT shouldn’t be able to spoil the next great Manning quarterback.
The Texanist
June 21, 2022
The Texanist: How Much Should You Tip at a Barbecue Joint?
An Austin man wonders if the people who stand behind a counter and take our orders deserve the same remuneration as the waiters and waitresses of the world.
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.
Sports
June 21, 2022
Kayak Polo Is the Most Joyful, Adrenaline-Fueled, Raucous Sport You’ve Never Tried
Marco who? This is the ultimate water game.
Food & Drink
June 16, 2022
This Duo Prove a Chef and a Restaurant Investor Really Can Be Great Friends
Mashama Bailey and John O. Morisano, who opened two restaurants in Austin this year, defy industry norms with their dynamic friendship.
Pat’s Pick
June 16, 2022
Star Chef Mashama Bailey Alights in Austin
And the two-time James Beard Award winner has brought the same dynamic Southern fare that made the Grey, in Savannah, a destination restaurant.
Business
June 16, 2022
As Bitcoin Falls, Austin Hosts a Crypto Bacchanalia
Digital currencies are tanking, but that didn’t stop more than 20,000 blockchain enthusiasts from throwing a week-long party.
Film & TV
June 14, 2022
Deep in the Heart of Beavis & Butt-Head
Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head return for a new movie and series that find them older but far from wiser. Is Texas finally ready to claim them as our own?
Hunting & Fishing
June 13, 2022
How Alvin Dedeaux Went From Punk Rock to Redefining Texas Fly-fishing
The affable musician turned guide is the rare fly-fisherman to reach star status within the angling world.
Music
June 9, 2022
‘Sailing’ Was Supposed to Save Christopher Cross. It Drowned Him Instead.
San Antonio–born Christopher Cross defined a generation of yacht rock and made Grammys history with “Sailing.” But the song’s origins couldn’t be much further from its beatific sound.
Sports
June 8, 2022
Texas Softball Looks to Beat the Odds One More Time
Their coach’s obscene gesture helped turn around their season, and now the Longhorns are two wins away from NCAA softball glory.
Politics & Policy
June 8, 2022
Alex Jones’s Legal Meltdown
In a last-ditch bid to avoid paying massive damages to the Sandy Hook families he defamed, the Infowars host sought bankruptcy protection—and failed to win it.
Film & TV
June 1, 2022
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Is the Supersonic Schmaltz the Movies Need Right Now
Tom Cruise returns, with Austin’s Glen Powell in tow, for a crowd-pleasing sequel that just may pull embattled theaters out of the danger zone.
Texas Country Reporter
May 31, 2022
An Inside Look at Lee Miller’s Legendary Boot Shop in Austin
The bookmaker apprenticed under the famous Charlie Dunn and is now training a new generation of talented craftspeople.
Texas Country Reporter
May 31, 2022
He’s an Urban Birder, Photographing Birds of Prey in Downtown Austin
Chris DuCharme is self-taught, armed with a telephoto lens and words of encouragement from his late wife.
Travel & Outdoors
May 23, 2022
Texas’s Craziest Endurance Paddler Is Taking on His Biggest Challenge Yet
West Hansen and his Arctic Cowboys team hope to become the first kayakers to cross the Northwest Passage.
Business
May 20, 2022
Samsung Spills Toxic Water, Wins Texas Environmental Prize
As TCEQ investigates its Austin plant, the company was praised for “protecting our state’s natural resources.”
Style & Design
May 19, 2022
How a Fearless Austinite Wrote the Definitive Book on Anna Wintour
The compelling biography, by Amy Odell, tells the story of the ‘Vogue’ titan’s controversial decades at the helm of fashion.
Tacos
May 19, 2022
These Carne Guisada Tacos Have Brought Folks to Tears
Marcelino's has been in East Austin for 35 years, and the family who runs it serves multiple generations of adoring customers.
Politics & Policy
May 18, 2022
A Texas Cop’s Indictment Made Him a Right-wing Darling. Will It Get Him Elected?
Justin Berry was running a sleepy state House race against Ellen Troxclair before his policing at George Floyd protests came to the fore.
The Texanist
May 17, 2022
The Texanist: Will Fancy Italian Cowboy Boots Hurt My Texan Bona Fides?
An Austinite living in Washington, D.C., worries about the consequences of sporting pricey designer footwear.
Critters
May 16, 2022
It’s Easy to Buy a Snake in Texas. Maybe Too Easy.
Almost anyone can walk out of an exotic reptile and pet show with a snake, scorpion, or tarantula. But should you?
Politics & Policy
May 13, 2022
An Austin Attorney’s Supreme Court Brief Has Eerie Similarities to Justice Alito’s Leaked Draft Overturning Roe
Jonathan Mitchell, who cooked up the Texas “vigilante” law that effectively made abortion illegal in the state, argues the quiet parts of the majority opinion out loud.
Libations
May 12, 2022
Step Into the Wild, Wild World of Fermentation at This Festival
Taking place May 14–15, the Wild World Festival sets up in Austin to showcase natural wines, kombucha, and other “science fair” drinks.
Style & Design
May 12, 2022
How a Kid From San Antonio’s South Side Came to Run Hermès
For two decades, Robert Chavez has overseen the American operations of the luxury French fashion house, which just opened a boutique in Austin.
Style & Design
May 12, 2022
Prints Charming: Designers Create Texas-Themed Wallpapers
These inspired collections from three Austin-based brands include everything from bluebonnets to Prada Marfa.
Sports
May 10, 2022
Austin FC and Los Verdes Preserve Latinidad in the Gentrified Capital
In a city famous for its transplants, Austin’s Major League Soccer team has created a space where longtime residents can feel at home.
Business
May 9, 2022
Will Elon Musk Deliver on His Promise of an “Ecological Paradise” at the Tesla Factory in Austin?
The massive facility sits along two miles of the Colorado River. Environmentalists want a say in how the development might affect the waterway.
Politics & Policy
May 9, 2022
Texas Abortion Doctors Face a Difficult Choice: To Flee or Not to Flee
With an abortion ban looming as the Supreme Court prepares to overturn Roe, the heartbreak of trying to provide reproductive care is too much for some.
Politics & Policy
May 9, 2022
Rick Perry, Drug Pusher
How did the former governor become a leading advocate for psychedelics?
Sports
May 6, 2022
Why Are the Spurs Playing Footsie With Austin?
The team's request to play more "home" games away from the AT&T Center raised familiar fears that San Antonio could lose its NBA franchise.
Film & TV
May 5, 2022
The Ethanaissance—or Is It Hawkeaissance?—Comes to TV
With small-screen projects such as ‘Moon Knight’ and ‘The Good Lord Bird,’ Ethan Hawke’s righteous believers get more room to breathe.
Music
May 5, 2022
Remembering Willis Alan Ramsey’s Seminal (and Sole) Album
On the 50th anniversary of his eponymous 1972 record, five renowned singer-songwriters—including Jimmy Buffett and Lyle Lovett—celebrate Willis Alan Ramsey.
Texas Country Reporter
April 28, 2022
Calder Kamin’s Art Is Trashy, and That’s the Point
The Austin-based artist recycles discarded plastic into beautiful animal sculptures and hopes to inspire others to eliminate waste.
Arts & Entertainment
April 28, 2022
In Vogue: How the House of Lepore Is Bringing Ballroom to Central Texas
Ballroom—competitive drag shows—dates back to drag balls and masquerades in 1860s Harlem. Now it’s making headway in Texas.
Tex-Mexplainer
April 27, 2022
Tetelas Are the Tasty Triangles You Need to Try Right Now
The ancient snack has found new prominence on Texas menus, thanks to enterprising chefs stamping it with their own creativity.
Books
April 26, 2022
Rolando Hinojosa-Smith Was a Literary Chronicler of Texas’s Borderlands
The award-winning writer and professor, who died April 19 at 93, was often compared to William Faulkner, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Libations
April 25, 2022
For Beer That Tastes Like Texas, Go “Farm to Glass”
These six Hill Country breweries use sustainable practices and ingredients grown on-site (or very nearby) for brews and food that capture Texas’s terroir.
Texas History
April 21, 2022
The Wet, Wild History of Aqua Thrill Way, Austin’s 1970s Water Park
It may not have been safe, but it sure was fun.
Travel & Outdoors
April 20, 2022
The Dirt on Curbside Composting in Texas
If you’re among the vast majority of Texans without municipal compost pickup, never fear. We’ve got four alternatives.
Sports
April 19, 2022
Will the Longhorns “Chase Money” in 2022, or Will They Chase Wins?
Amid an otherwise stellar off-season for UT football, a team leader’s public criticism has raised familiar questions about the program.
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?
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.
Music
April 12, 2022
Sister Bobbie Grounded Willie Nelson in His Music—and His Life
Bobbie Nelson, pianist and older sister to Texas music icon Willie Nelson, died Thursday morning at 91.
Film & TV
April 11, 2022
The Most Authentically Texan Movie You’ve Never Heard Of
Eagle Pennell’s ‘The Whole Shootin’ Match’ sets the standard for showing Texans who they are instead of who they’re supposed to be.