Film & TV
April 22, 2024
What ‘Cheer’ Led To: How Viral Fame Upended Monica Aldama’s Life
Inside the Netflix star and competitive cheerleading coach’s fight against the fallout of instant stardom.
Cover Story
Film & TV
March 14, 2024
How Jesse Plemons Came to Star in, Well, Pretty Much Everything
Turns out the most powerfully restrained actor of his generation is an open book. He and his wife, Kirsten (Dunst—you may have heard of her), welcomed us into their L.A. home and then had us down to Mart, Texas (population 1,748), to meet his folks, who thought he had promise,
Film & TV
March 14, 2024
Jesse Plemons’s 13 Most Unforgettable Roles
Martin Scorsese, Kirsten Dunst, and other collaborators on what makes the Texas-born actor so in demand.
Politics & Policy
February 12, 2024
The Billionaire Bully Who Wants to Turn Texas Into a Christian Theocracy
The state’s most powerful figure, Tim Dunn, isn’t an elected official. But behind the scenes, the West Texas oilman and lay preacher is lavishly financing what he regards as a holy war against public education, renewable energy, and non-Christians.
Travel & Outdoors
January 22, 2024
Rock On, Texas!
No longer a niche subculture, climbing has attracted converts across the state. Senior editor Forrest Wilder explores the sport—from El Paso’s Hueco Tanks to the cliffs over Lake Marble Falls—and tries to tackle his own white whale.
Bum Steers
December 11, 2023
Bum Steers of the Year, 2024
The dopes, villains, and terrible ideas that bedeviled our beloved state over the past twelve months.
Giving Back
November 13, 2023
Heroes Among Us
With governments increasingly incapable of addressing everything from homelessness to veterans’ needs, ordinary Texans are stepping into the breach.
Food & Drink
October 17, 2023
The Good Place
The food is from scratch, the decor is from another time, and the welcome is straight from the heart. Here are 31 Texas restaurants we return to again and again.
Music
September 11, 2023
Tanya Tucker, Outlaw
Decades after the Nashville establishment turned its back on Tanya Tucker, the spitfire from Seminole is finally getting the recognition she deserves. But maybe Music Row needs her more than she needs Music Row.
News & Politics
August 14, 2023
We’re Number One!
. . . When it comes to producing renewable energy, winning golf tournaments, banning books, and closing rural hospitals. Why is Texas so darn great . . . and so darn awful?
Sports
July 17, 2023
Wacowabunga! Why California Surfers Are Descending on Central Texas
Some of the best waves in the world are found at the Waco Surf water park, far away from any ocean.
True Crime
June 20, 2023
Everyone in Stephenville Thought They Knew Who Killed Susan Woods
That left the real culprit free to prey on others, including one victim who was ignored for two decades.
Music
May 15, 2023
The Long Ride of Charley Crockett
After years of struggle, Charley Crockett is on the verge of stardom. The story of how he got here would be unbelievable if it weren’t true.
Critters
April 10, 2023
Apocalypse Sow: Can Anything Stop the Feral Hog Invasion?
They’ve overrun nearly the entire state, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage annually in spite of widespread attempts at eradication—including traps, contraceptives, and a heavily armed Ted Nugent.
Business
March 13, 2023
Elon Musk Came to Texas to End the Oil Age
It took him a while to get here, but now he’s out to transform our state with new technologies—if our leaders’ hostility toward renewable energy (and his Twitter misadventures) don’t get in the way.
News & Politics
February 13, 2023
The Campaign to Sabotage Texas’s Public Schools
What seems like an outbreak of local skirmishes is part of a decades-long push to privatize the education system.
Bum Steers
December 12, 2022
The 2023 Bum Steer Awards
The dopes, villains, and terrible ideas that bedeviled our beloved state over the past twelve months. (This time, with slightly less Ted Cruz!)
Music
November 14, 2022
Bus Fires, Voodoo Candles, and Rodeo Legends: Inside Robert Earl Keen’s Epic Final Tour
The Texas troubadour’s farewell lap was full of misadventures and unforgettable moments. Kind of like a classic REK song.
Politics & Policy
October 17, 2022
Minority Rule: How 3 Percent of Texans Call the Shots for the Rest of Us
Low primary-election turnout and an anemic Democratic party means statewide officials and legislators are far to the right of most Texans.
Art
September 12, 2022
Texas’s Biggest, Strangest, and, Yes, Most Venomous Roadside Attractions
Fancy a selfie with state icon Tex Randall? Perhaps a date with a llama? Pull over and stretch your legs at these can’t-miss pit stops.
Sports
August 15, 2022
Sex, Scandal, and Sisterhood: Fifty Years of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
They’re global icons who have left a lasting imprint on American culture. But do recent controversies threaten the squad’s future?
True Crime
July 18, 2022
Glen McCurley Strangled Carla Walker in 1974. Was She His Only Victim?
McCurley was living a quiet life in Fort Worth when new DNA evidence linked him to the notorious crime. Police suspect it wasn’t his first murder—or his last.
Travel & Outdoors
June 21, 2022
Wet Hot Texas Summer
38 ways to cool off in our state's springs, lakes, and more.
Critters
May 18, 2022
A South Texan’s Wild, Life-affirming Quest to Break a National Birding Record
When she began her year-long bird-spotting adventure, Tiffany Kersten was lost and lonely. She ended up achieving a major milestone—and finding her way.
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2022
Who Is Greg Abbott?
After a quarter century in statewide office, Texas’s most popular politician remains an enigma—even to the folks who keep electing him. But the truth about the governor is hiding in plain sight.
Being Texan
March 14, 2022
Me and My Truck: A Love Story
For fifteen years, my 2005 GMC Sierra has, through good times and bad weather, taken me to every corner of Texas. It might be time to say goodbye, but it won’t be easy.
Food & Drink
February 14, 2022
The Best New Texas Restaurants in 2022
Restaurants are still struggling, yet new places keep stepping up to the plate. Here are our favorite dishes from the most impressive rookie establishments.
Energy
January 18, 2022
The Texas Electric Grid Failure Was a Warm-up
One year after the deadly blackout, Texas officials have done little to prevent the next one—which could be far worse.
Politics & Policy
December 14, 2021
The 2022 Bum Steer Awards
A year ago, in this very space, we referred to 2020 as “perhaps the craziest, stupidest, Bum Steeriest year in Texas Monthly’s history.” The unspoken assumption—or perhaps it was a desperate wish—was that 2021 would prove to be at least marginally saner than that misbegotten election year. And how
News & Politics
November 15, 2021
The Newest Texans Are Not Who You Think They Are
The record influx of recent arrivals from all over might be exactly what the state needs. That includes Californians. (And no, they’re not turning Texas blue.)
BBQ
October 18, 2021
The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition
There's a new generation of pitmasters in Texas, and many of them aren't satisfied with simply doing things the same old way. (Though fear not, staunch traditionalists: plenty of them are.)
Politics & Policy
September 13, 2021
Why Democrats Are Losing Texas Latinos
The party assumes people of color will turn the state blue. But most Tejanos consider themselves white. And more are voting Republican.
Travel & Outdoors
August 16, 2021
Behind the Fight to Save the Gulf’s Spectacular Coral Reefs
Some of the healthiest coral communities in the world beckon off the Texas coast. Can unlikely allies save this undersea paradise?
Music
July 19, 2021
How Going Home Helped Inspire Leon Bridges’s New Album—And Saved His Life
“ ... I’m not handsome enough to be here, I’m not a good enough songwriter. Just feeling like I didn’t deserve to be in the position that was handed to me.”
Texas History
June 22, 2021
The Resurrection of Bass Reeves
His almost superhuman exploits made him one of the West's most feared lawmen. Today, the legendary deputy U.S. marshal is widely believed to be the real Lone Ranger. But his true legacy is even greater.
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.’
Travel & Outdoors
April 15, 2021
On the Road Again!
Call it a collective case of cabin fever. Over a year into the coronavirus pandemic, with more and more of us vaccinated, we Texans are ready to get out—out of our homes and, yes, even out of our beloved state. The open highway beckons with the promise of socially distant
Music
March 19, 2021
Selena at 50: Celebrating the Life, Art, and Influence of a Tejano Legend
As her fiftieth birthday approaches, the writers we’ve gathered to celebrate her are part of a generation of Latinos who came of age after her heyday.
Arts & Entertainment
March 19, 2021
Celebrating Selena
Selena Quintanilla was a Texas icon—a beloved, Grammy-winning artist who touched millions in life and continues to inspire people around the world. As her fiftieth birthday approaches, the writers we’ve gathered to celebrate her are part of a generation of Latinos who came of age after her heyday.
Music
March 14, 2021
Why Selena Is Still the Queen of Tejano (and Punk Rock!)
Four Latina musicians chat about code-switching, role models, Freddy Fender, and the importance of growling.
Books
March 2, 2021
How Hank the Cowdog Made John R. Erickson the King of the Canine Canon
He wanted to become a serious literary novelist, like Faulkner or Hemingway. Fortunately for millions of Hank the Cowdog fans, he failed.
Hunting & Fishing
January 20, 2021
Where to Hunt, or Photograph, Exotic Animals in Texas
From the Big Bend to East Texas, the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley, Texas ranches have been transformed in recent decades by the proliferation of exotic game animals, many of them rare and endangered in their native habitats. With the rise of “Texotics” has come an army of
Recipes
January 20, 2021
Wild Boar Picadillo
Jesse Griffiths goes hog wild to reinvent a favorite childhood meal.
Wildlife
January 20, 2021
How Texas Hunting Went Exotic
Sprawling ranches. Rare animals. Rich folks with guns. Welcome to the state’s booming business of stalking wildlife from around the globe.
Politics & Policy
December 16, 2020
The 2021 Bum Steer Awards
Let’s face it: this was no one’s favorite year. Here are a few dozen reasons why.
Food
November 18, 2020
The Ultimate Texas Tacopedia
Your guide to the many types of tacos around the state, where to find them, and how to enjoy them!
Tom Brown’s Body
September 29, 2020
Tom Brown’s Body, Chapter 1: A Pretty Little Place
In 2016 a popular teenager disappeared in the tiny Panhandle community of Canadian. Two years later, his remains were discovered beneath a tree outside of town. But to this day, no arrests have been made, and it seems that nearly everyone involved in the case has fallen under suspicion.
Food & Drink
August 12, 2020
The Quest for Better Beef
Vegans want to end the killing of animals. Scientists say livestock are accelerating climate change. COVID-19 is ravaging meat-packers. Texas beef is under fire—but all across the industry, from the pasture to the butcher case, a vision of more sustainable burgers and briskets is beginning to come into focus.
Travel & Outdoors
July 22, 2020
A Four-Day, 65-Mile Walk Along the Texas Coast
As the state started shutting down, one man took to the coast in search of a different kind of solitude. And seashells.
Health
May 18, 2020
How the Pandemic Turned Brené Brown Into America’s Therapist
But for heaven’s sake, the best-selling author, unapologetic cusser, and fifth-generation Texan would rather not be called that.