Wandering Around Alpine

I’ve rounded up a few snapshots from my most recent trip to Alpine, the charming small town that anchors Texas’s largest county For more tips on what to do, where to eat, and where to stay, consult our Alpine trip guide to help plan your own Trans-Pecos adventure.

#TXTripGuides | For the July Wanderer column, I headed to Alpine, the tight-knit West Texas community of cowboys and academics and artists nestled in the foothills of the Davis Mountains. A good place to start your trip is in front of Stylle Read's "Big Brewster" mural (one of several around town), which features many of the notable stories and characters from the state's largest county. -@jordanbreal #Texastravel #WestTexas #Alpine #BrewsterCounty

A photo posted by Texas Monthly (@texasmonthly) on Jul 11, 2016 at 10:10am PDT

#TXTripGuides | Garland Weeks' bronze sculpture, "Between Broncs," welcomes you to the Museum of the Big Bend, built on Alpine's @sulrossstateuniversity campus in 1936. A visit won't burn up your whole day but will leave you abuzz with factoids about everything from mercury mining to buffalo soldiers. – @jordanbreal #WestTexas #Texastravel #theWanderer #AlpineTX

A photo posted by Texas Monthly (@texasmonthly) on Jul 11, 2016 at 5:05pm PDT

#TXTripGuides | I dare you to visit Alpine and not come home with something arty, hand-crafted, and/or in the shape of a cactus! So many great shops and galleries in town, like Kiowa Gallery, which has one-of-a-kind creations by artists inspired by the flora and fauna and general splendor of #BigBend. For a full list, check out our Trip Guide at texasmonthly.com/travel-home. -@jordanbreal #Texastravel #theWanderer #WestTexas #AlpineTX

A photo posted by Texas Monthly (@texasmonthly) on Jul 12, 2016 at 8:48am PDT

#TXTripGuides | Who's thirsty?! The pours are generous during the hour-long tours (held on Saturdays) at Alpine's @BigBendBrewing Co., the most remote brewery in the country. Founded in 2012 by the late brewmaster Steve Anderson, the small-batch operation just earned two gold medals, a silver, and a bronze at the 2016 Denver International Beer Competition. We'll drink to that! – @jordanbreal #Texastravel #theWanderer #AlpineTX #WestTexas #Texasbeer

A photo posted by Texas Monthly (@texasmonthly) on Jul 12, 2016 at 4:12pm PDT

#TXTripGuides | Evolution, animal husbandry, and frontier women are just a few of the very specific sections at Alpine's Front Street Books, which stocks hot-off-the-press best-sellers, gently used selections, and fragile first editions–and which politely asks that you keep your cell phone holstered. Be sure to browse the drawers filled with regional topographic maps and pour yourself a cup of "great coffee, suggested donation 50 cents." – @jordanbreal #Texastravel #theWanderer #WestTexas #AlpineTX

A photo posted by Texas Monthly (@texasmonthly) on Jul 13, 2016 at 8:01am PDT

#TXTripGuides | Opened in 1928 (and reopened in 1985), the @HollandHotel has long been Alpine's social nexus. Its grand lobby and 25 warm-hued rooms (including a penthouse in a converted elevator shaft) exude Old West charm. If the weather cooperates, enjoy your supper of slow-braised duck gratiné or roasted rack of lamb out in the courtyard of the hotel's Century Bar & Grill. For a list of other places around town to dine and wine, consult our full Trip Guide over at texasmonthly.com/travel-home. Happy travels! -@jordanbreal #Texastravel #WestTexas #AlpineTX #theWanderer

A photo posted by Texas Monthly (@texasmonthly) on Jul 13, 2016 at 3:12pm PDT

Carpets and key chains…two of the little details that Alpine's historic @HollandHotel does so well. (See also, its grand Old West lobby, posted over at @texasmonthly.) #Texastravel #hotellife

A photo posted by Jordan Breal (@jordanbreal) on Jul 13, 2016 at 3:18pm PDT

#TXTripGuides | Sharing some of my favorite things about Alpine, the jewel of Texas's largest county & subject of my latest column, over on the @texasmonthly account this week. (Yes, you too could be sipping a matcha latte from @cedar_coffee_supply as you watch the trains roll by outside your room at the historic @HollandHotel!) #wishyouwerehere #wishiwasstillheretoo #latergram #WestTexas

A photo posted by Jordan Breal (@jordanbreal) on Jul 11, 2016 at 10:27am PDT