Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2025 i Texas Highways Magazine

SMALL TOWNS Avoid Labor Day weekend crowds at Texas beaches, lakes, and parks at small town destinations. texashighways.com/smalltowns FAIR BOUND Make plans to attend the State Fair of Texas, which runs Sept. 26 through Oct. 19. Some Dallas hotel rooms include tickets. bigtex.com SET IN STONE Register to hike Comstock’s Seminole Canyon to the White Shaman mural and cave paintings starting in September. wittemuseum.org ENCHANTED Schedule a rangerled 2-mile fall hike to the newly acquired section of Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. tpwd.texas.gov…

IS TEXAS A big-time sports state? Historically speaking, the blue bloods of the sports world have operated on the coasts: the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers; the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers; the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. Just don’t tell that to Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Tim Duncan, Sheryl Swoopes, Patrick Mahomes, Emmitt Smith, Nolan Ryan, or the hundreds of other world-class athletes who grew up in Texas, won multiple titles here, or both. Even the first professional sports team to dip its toes into Texas in 1952, the NFL’s Dallas Texans, were originally a failed squad called the New York Yanks. Though that team flopped, it was a proof of concept for pro sports in the state. By 1960, Dallas had…

STANDING 6 FEET, 6 INCHES TALL and wearing size 16 cowboy boots, Ray Benson is an undeniably big guy. And over the past five decades, he has cultivated a proportionally large legacy in Texas music with his band Asleep at the Wheel. The eight-time-Grammy-winning Western swing outfit was the first marquee act to take the stage at a renovated Gruene Hall in 1975, appeared on the inaugural episode of Austin City Limits in 1976, and has played every Austin City Limits Music Festival since its inception in 2002. The group’s 32nd album, Riding High in Texas, comes out Aug. 22. Benson embraced that well-worn adage about not being born in Texas but getting here as soon as he could. He entered the world in the suburbs of Philadelphia and began…

I’VE COME TO THE BUDA WIENER DOG RACES because of Zeus. Not the Greek god—my dog. A tricolor Cavalier King Charles spaniel with the attitude of a runaway aristocrat and the survival instincts of a moth in traffic, Zeus has never in his life completed a walk around the block without incident, much less a race. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he managed to get himself disqualified from today’s proceedings for reasons I’ll get into later. But that doesn’t stop me. I leave him behind in Austin and make my pilgrimage to a festival devoted entirely to short-legged misfits with overdeveloped egos. When the starting gates open it’s like each wiener dog in this preliminary heat of six racers is auditioning for a different dog food commercial. Not one dachs-hund stays in their grassy…

“I’M QUITE A LEGEND, as I’ve been told,” says Spring-based maker Elizabeth “The Mum Queen” Cleaver. If a high schooler wants a mega mum made with 75 yards of ribbon, diamond dust, boas, and bells, Cleaver will deliver—assuming you place your order ahead of time. Like many mum craftspeople in Texas, Cleaver starts booking up in January for the following fall’s homecoming, making as many as 500 custom mums each year. “It’s a Texas tradition, and people really believe in it,” she says. That tradition might’ve started in Missouri in 1911, but it’s since been usurped by Texans, who often “do go overboard,” according to Cleaver. At her studio, a mom once tasked her with creating an extravagant $2,000 version. “Unless you put actual diamonds on it, that’s hard to…

JUST NORTH OF SAN ANTONIO in Comal County, Bracken Cave is home to 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats, making it the site of the world’s biggest bat colony. From May through September, visitors flock to the area to see the nightly emergence of the nocturnal mammals, who fly up to 100 miles away for food. “Around 7:30, you’ll see this swirling vortex—we call it a ‘batnado,’” says Fran Hutchins, director of the Bracken Cave Preserve. “Once they get to treetop level, they start streaming away and it sounds like rain falling.” Of the 32 species of bats that can be found in Texas, the Mexican free-tailed is the most common, spending its winters caving in Mexico and flooding into the Lone Star State come February. Due to its high humidity levels…

SURE, IT MAY SEEM GLAMOROUS donning a white ascot and Shiner belt buckle and saying “Howdy” to every soul you see. But like the Willie Nelson tune goes: “Mommas, don’t let your babies grow up to be 55-foot-tall anima-tronic cowboys.” Because heavy is the head that wears the 95-gallon hat. Just ask Big Tex, the timeless face of the State Fair of Texas, who must diligently watch over his flock—for 24 consecutive days in September and October—weathering the elements as folks graze on fried delicacies he’ll never taste. Everyone looks up to this cowboy, yet how many are brave enough to stand in his size-96 Lucchese boots and wave at two-minute intervals with a smile on their face? Few know that Tex took up cowboying as a second career in…

LOOKING FOR A WAY to blow off steam after a grueling day, Amarillo cowhands in the 1960s gathered at the Big Texan Steak Ranch for beef-consuming showdowns. Ever vigilant, founder R.J. Lee watched these exhibitions of insatiable appetites and saw an opportunity as enormous as the restaurant’s 60-foot neon cowboy sign. “When Big Texan first opened, grandpa noticed a bunch of ranchers coming in after working in the field who would compete to see who could eat the most 1-pound steaks in an hour,” says third-generation owner Jordan Lee. Eight months after opening its doors, the steakhouse hosted its first 72-ounce steak challenge. Lee’s rules were simple: Customers had 60 minutes to devour a slab of beef—accompanied by a baked potato, a salad, shrimp cocktail, and a buttered roll—or pay…

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK The El Paso site features rock climbing and over 100 miles of trails, from 30-minute nature walks to 8-mile climbing excursions. tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/franklin-mountains GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK Camp at the base of the mountain trail or at the Wilderness Camp-ground 3.1 miles up the mountain and 1 mile from Guadalupe Peak to catch the sunrise. nps.gov/gumo DAVIS MOUNTAINS STATE PARK Hike or ride a horse to an eques-trian campsite at Limpia Canyon Primitive Area, or use the trail to view the two creeks that sustain the mountain ecosystem. tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/davis-mountains BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK The most popular national park in Texas boasts rewarding hikes to Emory Peak and scenic drives on River Road with a sweeping view of the Rio Grande. nps.gov/bibe BIG BEND RANCH STATE PARK…

MIRIAM FERGUSON was an unlikely candidate for Texas governor when she ran on the Democratic ticket in 1924. A shy homebody without political experience, she didn’t have “the slightest tendency toward diplomacy,” according to her daughter Ouida. She never joined any women’s clubs, which were the primary way women could advocate for legislation in the early 20th century. “Even if I had the right to vote, I do not think that I would care to use [it],” Miriam had said in 1914. This political bystander entered the race at the behest of her husband, James E. Ferguson, the 26th governor of Texas. In 1917, when he was partway through his second term, the Senate impeached him on 10 charges, including the misapplication of public funds. It prohibited him from holding office,…

THERE WAS TEXAS AS FAR AS THE EYE COULD SEE. Only at the edges could you glimpse anywhere else. And why would you want to? The view was so much better looking inward at this new dominion, oft conquered but never controlled. Before there was money, oil, barbecue, or the Dallas Cowboys, there was more space than anyone had ever imagined. The sheer scale of it has defined the people who decided to fill it ever since. Before “everything was bigger in Texas,” it was simply big. Since 1883, the “everything” has been applied to newspapers, budget deficits, failures, storms, and jackrabbit ears. One senses a mocking tone in the historical record. What was intended as boosterism in Texas must have seemed slightly ridiculous beyond our borders. Texans never got the…

THE ACTUAL BIGNESS of the Texas Capitol isn’t measured just by height. True, it surpasses the U.S. Capitol, but it is only the sixth tallest among other state capitols and, at 303 feet tall, is far shorter than the 450-foot-tall edifice next door in Louisiana. Our capitol building does capture the square footage crown at 360,000 square feet, but find me a Texan who feels like bragging about floor space, and I’ll show you someone who needs a hobby. What is undeniably big about the Texas version is the sheer achievement of its construction. The first cornerstone was laid on Texas Independence Day in 1885, and the building was eventually opened to the public on San Jacinto Day in 1888. It’s almost a miracle that the Italian Renaissance Revival structure overlooking…

LONG BEFORE BEYONCÉ was spotted wearing a bedazzled buffalo belt buckle at the 2024 Christmas Day NFL Halftime Show, these imposing accessories were the pride of vaqueros, Texas Rangers, and rodeo champions across the state. “You used to be able to tell where a man came from by the shape of his hat, and that can go for buckles too,” says Jason Maida, owner of Houston-based Maida’s Belts and Buckles. A fifth-generation leatherworker and antique buckle collector, Maida traces the designs of these pieces back to the engraved armor and swords used by Spanish conquistadors in Texas in the 16th century. Whether a dream piece is engraved with a family crest or serves as a gleaming barrel racing trophy, one thing’s for certain: Texas buckles are not known for their…

AT THE SAN ANTONIO ZOO, even the smallest of animals can make a splash on social media. Virtual zoo visitors can’t seem to get enough of the critters’ slithering, scampering, and sleeping: The charismatic creatures have racked up 9 billion online impressions and helped the zoo amass 6.2 million followers—only 5% of whom live in the greater San Antonio region. The internet sensations can thank Jacob Downing, the zoo’s social media coordinator, for their superstardom. He has a knack for using his camera to capture special moments with a wide spectrum of species; the critters are in turn ambassadors for their brethren in the wild that may face extinction or other conservation concerns. “We have fans from India, all over Europe, Australia,” Downing says. “At the end of the day,…

THE ZELLAGABETSKY AT KENNY & ZIGGY’S HOUSTON If Dagwood Bumstead’s comic sandwiches came to life, they might look like this 4-pound, eight-layer behe-moth. Those who conquer every tier of Swiss cheese, pastrami, corned beef, tongue, turkey, and salami, score a free slice of cheese-cake. At that point, what’s a few extra calories? CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK AT THE WAGON WHEEL EAGLE PASS Some chicken-fried steaks approach the edges of a dinner plate—owner Selena Buentello Price’s version encompasses a large pizza platter. The more than 2-pound stunner is breaded, fried crisp, and doused with a ladle full of white gravy. BIG LOU’S 62 AT BIG LOU’S PIZZA SAN ANTONIO This pizzeria’s 62-inch pie, available by special order, makes its other massive specimen (42 inches) look like something out of the pee-wee leagues. Topped…

THERE ISN’T MUCH commotion in Socorro, a dusty, quiet cove on the El Paso Mission Trail, 18 miles southeast of the city. Outside of a Vatican-authorized replica of Michelangelo’s Pietà and a sign lionizing the 2009 state high school baseball champions, the town of nearly 40,000 residents remains fairly quiet. But with only about a dozen restaurants, Socorro has reason to celebrate a striking newcomer. Located across the street from one of the oldest continuously operating missions in Texas, Café Piro functions as a different sort of sanctuary. Opened in 2023 by Gabe and Melissa Padilla, the restaurant inside a “fauxdobe” structure is helping to preserve Gabe’s Piro lineage, as well as the town’s Indigenous roots. A self-proclaimed “black sheep” for not speaking Spanish as a child in his hometown,…

I’M STANDING UNDER the classic red awnings that adorn the flag-ship Neiman Marcus, marveling at how this style icon has served Dallas for almost 120 years. It’s a beautiful March day, and the downtown window displays play on the spring theme: “Café Society – Fashion is Served.” In one, a mannequin is a baker clad in a ball gown while another sprawls across a kitchen counter in a white ensemble that evokes cake frosting. It’s all fun and vibrant, with no indication the curtain may soon fall. Last year, Saks Global acquired the Neiman Marcus enterprise, and after much debate on the fate of this location, Saks has agreed to keep it open through 2025. What comes next remains uncertain. Most Texans understand how the lavish splendor of Neiman Marcus…

ON MEMORIAL DAY weekend in 1994, Craig Woolheater was driving home to Dallas from New Orleans on US 71 in central Louisiana when he and his then-girlfriend saw a 7-foot-tall gray figure on the side of the road. He wanted to turn around. His girlfriend said no way. He’s been fascinated with the elusive bigfoot ever since. A few years later, Woolheater’s parents operated a bed-and-breakfast in Jefferson, a town with a long history of Sasquatch sightings. When he attended the Southeast Ohio Bigfoot Conference in the late ’90s and decided to bring the concept to Texas, Woolheater determined Jefferson was the perfect location. The inaugural event took place a few days after 9/11. “We had 130 people show up,” he says. “It was kind of nice to have something…

IT’S POSSIBLE TO LIVE a long and fulfilling life in Texas and never know its beauty. One could grow up against the backdrop of refineries, strip malls, and highways and accept the cover story that nature exists in Texas only to offer people something to pave over, drill under, or build upon—often at the same time. That impression does not survive a visit to Big Bend Ranch State Park, where Texas takes off its glasses, shakes out its hair, and dazzles you. The region spans more than a million acres on the southwestern tip of Texas, and only a small part of that, 300,000 acres or so, makes up the park. After a life in the city, it’s like finding out you’ve been set up with an heiress who has…

IT MIGHT BE HARD to imagine now, but it wasn’t that long ago that a quinceañera was a small, intimate affair—a simple family gathering meant to commemorate a young Latina’s transition into womanhood when she turned 15. Though the tradition dates to pre-Columbian times and is celebrated in various ways across Latin America, the modern-day quince in the U.S. first rose to popularity along the Texas-Mexico borderlands in the 1930s and ’40s. Many quinceañeras have become something closer to a wedding—an over-the-top affair that often includes a theme, hundreds of guests, a court of honor, professional dancers, party buses, photo booths, balloon arches, and live performers—altogether averaging around $20,000, according to a 2019 study by Quinceañera Report. Everything about the event has ballooned in size and cost, including one of…

DOZENS OF APPLE PIES draped with flaky handmade crusts, lemon versions crowned with swirled whipped topping, and cocoa-dusted chocolate pies are stacked on steel racks behind the refrigerated case at Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls. Rows of others—fudge, peanut butter cream, and coconut meringue—sit on white stoneware plates, just waiting to dazzle their many fans. These impressive pastries won’t have to wait long because, like clockwork, they’ll be wiped out before the almost-century-old café closes its glass doors at 8 p.m. Co-owner Lindsay Plante proudly boasts of her family’s legacy with a sign outside that says: “Pie Until I Die.” In the last year alone, her café’s six dedicated bakers produced an astonishing 58,000 to keep up with demand. Each has acolytes, but the bestselling coconut, chocolate, and banana…

WHEN SAN ANTONIO SPURS all-star Victor Wembanyama stretches out to block a shot, it recalls the arm of God in Michelangelo’s classic painting, The Creation of Adam. With his awe-inspiring physique, Wemby as savior isn’t that far-fetched. “He just gives people a sense of hope that their team is represented and has potential to get back to the pinnacle of basketball,” says Spurs CEO R.C. Buford. The 21-year-old phenom has breathed new life into the city of San Antonio while becoming the next face of the NBA. On his way to winning Rookie of the Year by a unanimous vote in 2024, Wemby led the league in blocks and posted 21.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. His arrival propelled the Spurs’ average home game attendance from 27th in the…