Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2015 i Texas Highways Magazine

If you’re on the island between April and August, you might catch Kemp’s ridley sea turtles nesting, one of nature’s most impressive spectacles. SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, on the southern tip of Texas, offers year-round fun. For details about accommodations, restaurants, and attractions on the island, call the South Padre Island Visitors Center, 800/767-2373; www.sopadre.com. IN A FAMILY_VACATION PHOTO TAKEN IN THE early 1900s, a family of seven poses at the edge of the surf at South Padre Island. The father wears a suit, tie, and hat; his wife and a friend pose cheerily in long dresses and hats. Only the teenage boy has taken o his shoes in anticipation of wading into the ocean. Much has changed since those early days on the island, but that wave of pleasure that…

Most people gather here simply to socialize and sample some of the eight year-round beers or seasonal varieties available on tap. FIND MORE ONLINE More Texas brewery tours at texashighways.com/webextra. LOCATED IN A WAREHOUSE DISTRICT JUST BEYOND the northern edge of downtown Houston, a 101-year-old brick building that once served as a storage warehouse now draws hundreds of visitors six days a week. Crowds convene at this artfully repurposed three-story structure to experience not only the _ first-rate beverages and food produced on-site but also the prevailing camaraderie at the oldest craft brewery in Texas, Saint Arnold Brewery. Once inside, guests ascend to the spacious second-floor Beer Hall, a haven for a afternoon tasting sessions, chef-prepared cuisine, and casual conviviality. Here, too, is the starting point for guided tours of…

WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR FUN? The DISTANCE to SOMERVILLE Houston 95 miles; 1.5 hours Austin 95 miles; 1.75 hours Dallas 190 miles; 3.25 hours San Antonio 155 miles; 2.5 hours Lubbock 430 miles; 6.5 hours ON A LATE SPRING DAY IN A QUIET corner in south-central Texas, wispy clouds saunter across a stark blue sky over Lake Somerville. The whisper of a light breeze blends with the percussive cadence of water lapping the hull of our aluminum canoe as we glide effortlessly along the surface of the dark emerald water. To my wife Beth and me, paddling in this aquatic respite, the hubbub of city life seems a world away. Yet, only 35 miles from Bryan/College Station and 95 miles from Houston and Austin, Lake Somerville beckons everyone from…

Antelope Lodge is at 2310 W. US 90 in Alpine. Call 432/837-2451; www.antelopelodge.com. Stone Village Tourist Camp and Market is at 509 N. State St. in Fort Davis. Call 432/426-3941; www.stonevillagetouristcamp.com. Oakdale Park is at 1019 NE Barnard St. in Glen Rose. Call 254/897-2321; www.oakdalepark.com. Rainbow Courts is at 915 E. Cameron Ave. in Rockdale. Call 512/446-2361; www.rainbowcourts.com.…

May’s travel spotlights: HILL COUNTRY _Austin: Spring Specialty “I’d like to be in Texas for the roundup in the spring.” So goes the old cowboy song, reflecting many a Texan’s longing for the most vibrant of seasons. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin celebrates spring with Wildflower Days, including The Spectacular Wow!, an exhibit of Texas Highways’ springtime photos from our annual April wildflower issue. The show runs April 25-May 31 at the center’s McDermott Learning Center. Also on April 25, TH Photo Editor Brandon Jakobeit will host a wildflowerphotography portfolio review from 1-4 p.m. www.wildflower.org. PRAIRIES AND LAKES _Ennis Let’s Polka! The Lone Star State’s Czechoslovakian heritage will be on full display as Ennis hosts its 49th annual National Polka Festival, May 22-24. Polka and dancing are…

My favorite time of the year: springtime in the Texas Hill Country with fields of blue and orange! HILDE HUTCHINSON, Austin Bluebonnet Beat My mother always loved the bluebonnets. When we would cross the bridge into Texas, she would start singing, “Oh, beautiful, beautiful Texas, where the beautiful bluebonnets grow!” JANE ANN ROBERTS MALAKOSKY Lawton, Oklahoma Big Bend Bonding My 15-year-old son and I just returned from an epic spring break road trip to Big Bend. We made memories that will last a lifetime, and we’ll cherish them always. We hiked in the Chisos Mountains, canoed the Rio Grande, saw Santa Elena Canyon, dined in the Terlingua ghost town, and drove the scenic highway 170 between Lajitas and Presidio. Thank you for inspiring this trip, past trips, and trips yet…

I’M STANDING WITH MY WIFE AND YOUNG son in front of Nostalgia Antiques/Soda Fountain in Bowie, a town some 47 miles west of Gainesville, when it hits me: Should we really take our eight-year-old into an antiques shop? My better judgment says no, but the lure of old-fashioned sodas and other edible delights is too much. We push through a pair of wood-and-beveled-glass doors and find ourselves in an 1890s time warp. To our left are shelves of antique pottery and knickknacks behind a dozen or so café tables with mismatched chairs; to our right is a timeworn pine countertop that stretches nearly 18 feet. Co-owner Lanny Hunt welcomes us and leads us to “The Coke Box Table,” named because it sits just behind a working 1960s Coke machine, which…

27º 48’ 47.33” N 97º 23’ 41.55” W A visit to Corpus Christi is a great way to kick off the summer. Destinations on both sides of the Harbor Bridge offer scenic views and boundless entertainment—from the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, the water gardens, and the Art Museum of South Texas to the Texas State Aquarium (pictured) and the USS Lexington. To find more information, visit the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau website, www.visitcorpuschristitx.org.…

ON A TYPICAL SATURDAY night in Meridian, a town of some 1,500 people about 50 miles northwest of Waco, the Cactus Grill’s shoebox-shaped dining room hums with conversation. Glasses of wine clink over candlelight, and friends wave at each other across tables. A block from the downtown square and the historic Bosque County Courthouse, the Cactus frequently draws diners from surrounding counties and beyond for a meal. A block from the downtown square and the historic Bosque County Courthouse, the Cactus frequently draws diners from surrounding counties and beyond. Why they come this far quickly becomes clear. Co-owner Veronica Contreras greets customers at the door with small-town friendliness, leads the way to their table, and hands them a menu that reflects the restaurant’s cross-cultural influences. Entrées such as Southwest chicken…

Tired from a long day of driving, we pulled up to the Antelope Lodge in Alpine and were transported into a 1940s-period postcard. White stucco cottages with covered porches and vintage metal lawn chairs framed a grassy courtyard studded with picnic tables. The foothills of the Davis Mountains loomed against a big blue sky behind the retro red-tile rooftops. My husband, Dan, and I had driven eight hours from our home near Glen Rose to Big Bend for a getaway from the 24/7 wired world. We wanted to unplug in a place where time seems suspended and immerse ourselves in Big Bend’s vintage vibe. We arrived at the lodge along US 90 road-weary, much like the travelers in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s who relied on motor courts and tourist…

REAL TEXAS ST ORIES BORN AND BRED The concert is all about preserving and growing regional accordion music in Texas by showcasing a range of accordion styles with deep roots in the state, played by both veterans and up-and-comers. RANDALL JACKSON PLANTED HIM self in the center of the dance _oor and focused on the stage. The 21-yearold watched closely as zydeco stalwart C.J. Chenier pumped his squeezebox through a searing set of bluesy zydeco classics. The melodies surged naturally from C.J., who honed his craft at the side of his late father Clifton Chenier, “The King of Zydeco.” Amid the churning swirl of dancers, there stood Jackson, taking it all in. “I like to watch other zydeco musicians, to see how their arms move, how they pump the accordion,”…