Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Texas Highways Magazine

Finding the entrances to Texas’ four national forests was the hardest part of Christopher Collins’ trip to East Texas to report “Into the Woods” (Page 46). “They cover a large area of land—multiple towns and counties—and are discontiguous, mixing in with private land,” the Abilene-based writer says. But once he and his wife got out of their camper, the five-day trip was full of unexpected adventure. One day, on Angelina National Forest’s Sawmill Hiking Trail, the pair had just completed a hike when a rainstorm hit, causing them to run back to their truck parked at the trailhead. “We laughed about it because after a 5-mile walk in the woods, an impromptu outdoor shower feels pretty nice,” he says. FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS LAURA MALLONEE The Austin-based writer spoke with volunteers at…

IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL—and stressful—time of the year. Between the holiday parties, family obligations, frenzied shopping, wrapping, decorating, and baking, it’s easy to get burned out. Luckily, Texas hotels and resorts have rolled out the wellness wagon to weary travelers in search of some sanctuary. The highly anticipated 105-room Albert Hotel opened just off Fredericksburg’s Main Street in January and is home to a luxe spa. Inspired by the Hill Country landscape and its vibrant springtime flora, the space features seven treatment rooms and a relaxation lounge filled with housemade snacks. “Our spa was designed to keep the integrity of the Texas Hill Country in mind, from the treatment room names to the stone wall in our retail area that dates to the 1800s, tying in the Albert Keidel family…

TO HEAR RESEARCH PROFESSOR, podcaster, T and bestselling author Brené Brown describe her home state of Texas, she could easily be describing herself. “Paradoxical.” “Tough and tender.” “Simple yet complex.” Her books and podcasts are filled with similar contradictions—easy humor riding shotgun with sophisticated research; nuanced findings explained through down-to-earth stories and a few choice expletives. Perhaps best known for her research on shame, courage, empathy, and vulnerability—her TEDx talk “The Power of Vulnerability” is the fourth-most-watched of all time—Brown is a sought-after speaker worldwide, but she’s happily spent her entire adult life in the Lone Star State. Growing up here, with intermittent moves to New Orleans and Washington, D.C., the fifth-generation Texan is well-versed in fishing, hunting, and the art of sports metaphors—she’s a huge fan of the Spurs,…

I HAD LONG THOUGHT Mount Bonnell, Austin’s storied overlook, was the highest point in the city. But this summer, after 17 years of living here, I learned that distinction likely goes to Davis Hill, an 873-foot peak near Brodie and Davis lanes. For a long time, I’ve driven past this spot in Southwest Austin unaware of its status. That’s because I have only known this area as the deepest, not the highest. Hidden just beyond the sidewalks, on both sides of Davis Lane, is a network of caves, one of which reaches all the way down to the water table. Consider the caves a back entrance to Barton Springs Pool—the “soul of our city,” as author James A. Michener once wrote. The 1,000-by-145-foot spring-fed pool draws more than 800,000 people…

BIG BEND COUNTRY AL PINE Artwalk Nov. 21-22 Alpine’s largest arts festival showcases a variety of art exhibitions, live music, and other festivities. Downtown, 204 E. Holland Ave. 432-837-2326; artwalkalpine.com DEL RIO Border Bass Battle Fishing Tournament Nov. 1 Held semiannually, this fishing tournament has a $25,000 payout and attracts 300 participants. Lake Amistad, 10477 US 90 West. 830-775-3551; drchamber.com EL PASO Missions of the Borderland Tour Nov. 21 Experience the rich history of the El Paso Mission Trail, where centuries of Indigenous, Mexican, and American heritage converge. Explore the missions of Ysleta and Socorro and the presidio chapel of San Elizario. The Ysleta Mission, 131 S. Zaragoza Road. 915-533-0048; tomlea.com/events/celebration MIDLAND Home for the Holidays Gift Market Nov. 14-16 More than 100 merchants participate in this market that features…

On Air Live from Austin, it’s Saturday night! In January, the Harry Ransom Center announced that SNL creator Lorne Michaels donated his personal archives—which date to his childhood and cover the five-decade history of the comedy show—to the permanent collection within the center’s library. A temporary exhibition in the center’s gallery is on display through March. Miniature Giants Artist Erika Nelson created the 60-by-60-foot Texas-Sized Roadtrip Diorama of Wonder for the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art in Houston. The installation merges iconic highways like Interstate 45, quirky roadside attractions like Tex Randall, and landscapes from Big Bend to the Gulf Coast at the center’s headquarters. The diorama is on view to the public through Nov. 9. New Chapter After author Larry McMurtry’s death in 2021, his famous Archer City…

ON A FAMILY trip to El Paso this summer, we stumbled upon La Nube Children’s Museum, which opened downtown in August 2024. My kids, 12 and 10, have been to more than a few children’s museums over the years, but they declared this one their favorite. Among their highlights were making paper airplanes at Fly High, an airspace testing facility over a model of the Franklin Mountains, and racing rubber ducks at Aqua Beta Terrace, part of the play-based Flow exhibit that teaches about conservation and water power. (Pro tip: Bring a change of clothes, which we neglected to do.) They spent most of their time exploring the four-story indoor playscape called the Anything’s Possible Climber. The 50-foot structure is the tallest inclusive indoor climber in the state and features…

SIXTY MILES NORTH of Corpus Christi, Beeville hums with South Texas charm. Bee sculptures dot a restored historical square, while late 19th- and early 20th‑century homes and civic architecture designed by William C. Stephenson—including a stately threestory brick courthouse built in 1912—whisper tales of another era. Founded in 1859 on land donated by early settlers and later named for Republic of Texas official Barnard E. Bee, Beeville has grown into a creative haven where art and heritage commingle. Artisans breathe life into forgotten treasures and locally owned shops sell handcrafted keepsakes. After retail therapy, visitors can choose from a variety of downtown restaurants that serve everything from barbecue to doughnuts to seafood. The community of about 13,000 residents beckons travelers to shop, sip, and linger under its honey-hued skies. STAY…

ABANDERA MIDDLE SCHOOL’S cafeteria provides an unlikely backdrop for a trip through time one Saturday afternoon in June. Residents crowd into rows of seats to watch a film presentation by the Texas Archive of the Moving Image, an independent nonprofit founded in 2003 that preserves the history of film production, commercials, and home videos. The projector fills the screen with grainy images of the Bandera region in the 20th century. Clip after clip plays without clear order or direction. One video shows the “Special Senior Olympics” at the Medina County Livestock Association Barn from an old TV news broadcast in 1982, featuring a wheelchair obstacle race for local nursing home residents. In another, Patrick Swayze flaunts his handsome Arabian horse to onlookers in Kerrville circa 1996. The cafeteria crowd murmurs…

AFTER SIX MONTHS of summer weather, there’s nothing like that first fall breeze. November is an ideal month to get outdoors, and this issue offers a variety of recommendations for exploring the state’s natural marvels, including the East Texas national forest gracing the cover, popular state parks like Caprock Canyons and Garner, and a hike tracing the source of Austin’s beloved Barton Springs. I asked a few of our staff members to share some of their favorite fall destinations as well. Ian Dille, Senior Writer: With fall’s cooler temps, the tall grasses at Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park in Austin recede and the overgrown, riverside trails become usable again. All summer, I look forward to walking those seasonal trails with my family on a crisp fall morning. Chris Hughes, Features Editor:…

WHEN THE BERDOLL family gets together, there’s one topic that’s always on their minds. “Of course, we’re talking about pecans,” says Jennifer Wammack, co-owner of Berdoll Pecan Candy and Gift Company in Cedar Creek. So, it’s no surprise that in 2010, while on a family trip to Port Aransas, Jennifer and her husband, Jared, were discussing ways to draw passersby to the now-45-year-old store known for its pecan pies and candies. From that conversation grew a 14-foot-tall Styrofoam roadside attraction that is essential to the Berdoll brand. Known as Ms. Pearl the Squirrel, the largest squirrel statue in the world greets travelers on State Highway 71. The Wammacks, who bought the company in 2008 from Jennifer’s parents, Hal and Lisa Berdoll, commissioned Ms. Pearl from Austin-based design firm Blue Genie…

BEFORE SUBMARINE-SIZE SMOKers stacked with prime briskets and dino ribs became synonymous with Texas cuisine, there was barbacoa. An Indigenous cooking technique for smoking whole animals in underground pits, barbacoa dates back to pre-Columbian times in the Caribbean. After eventually making its way to the rodeos and cattle-branding picnics of Hidalgo, Mexico, by 1840, vaqueros carried the tradition to Texas. There, discarded cuts such as cows’ heads wrapped in maguey leaves were transformed into a delicacy of moist chopped meat. Today, pitmasters like Brandon Hurtado of Arlington’s Hurtado Barbecue are further preserving the custom by acclimating to the times—and much more stringent regulatory oversight—giving the Sunday specialty a platform for a new generation of Texans. Like at his eponymous restaurant, Hurtado has made the dish the focal point of his…

DESPITE ITS NAME, The Hotel Ritchey is not in fact a hotel. There is no neon, no grand lobby, no concierge—just a modest wooden sign and a rumbling bass line spilling into the street. Gravel crunches underfoot as you approach, and the porch steps creak like they have for over a hundred years. Step through the weathered doors, and you might find a bartender chatting up a regular while pouring a margarita, the gentle hum of a guitar being tuned in the corner, or a group of friends playing cards. It’s an unlikely centerpiece for Alpine, the largest town in the tricounty region—albeit one considered a tourist afterthought when compared to Marfa or Big Bend National Park. Despite Sul Ross State University’s presence, Alpine has struggled to establish itself as a…