Everything’s bigger in the Lone Star State—one reason the “Big D” holds a special place in the hearts of Texans. The term’s no idle homily, though; the “Big D” really is. Surrounded by a Metroplex that covers 12 counties and spans nearly 9,000 square miles, Dallas lives up to its new tourism slogan: “Live Large. …
Bastrop, located southeast of Austin and near the city’s international airport, is best known for its unique vegetation. Unlike the juniper-dotted hills to the west or the rolling farmland to the east, the Bastrop area is surrounded by a pine forest called Lost Pines, the westernmost stand of loblolly pines in America. It is believed …
If there’s one big city in Texas that has “the look” that many out of state visitors expect to see, it’s probably Fort Worth. This city that calls itself “the place where the West begins” is home to the Fort Worth Stockyards, a National Historic District that’s still home to cowboys on horseback, as well …
With more than 70,000 residents, this city is the medical center for Central Texas and an important industrial producer. Temple was established by the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad and named for its chief construction engineer, B. B. M. Temple. Temple is also nicknamed “The Wildflower Capital of Texas.” Visitors lucky enough to arrive …
Smithville was once a riverboat ferry stop on the Colorado River. In the 1880s, the railroad replaced the ferries as the main mode of transportation, and tracks were laid across town. Today the railroad still plays an important part in Smithville’s economy. The city served as the proud setting for the 1997 “Hope Floats” movie …
This scenic little community east of La Grange dates back to Texas’s early days. It was settled by three families from Stephen F. Austin’s Old Three Hundred, the first colony settlers who received land grants. They were soon followed by Czech, German and other immigrants who through the years named and renamed the community many …
Abbott is an easy town to miss as you buzz up and down I-35–but, for music fans, it’s a fun place to stretch your legs with a quiet dog walk. This tiny burg, located south of Hillsboro, is home to only about 300 residents. But what makes this tiny town unique is that one of …