How Mermaids Could Save San Marcos
It's been decades since San Marcos's famed Aquamaids performed, but San Marcos is reviving the mermaid as a symbol of cultural identity and environmental protection.
In San Benito, Homecoming Mums Are an Over-the-top Texas Tradition
This South Texas community has embraced the extravagant corsage. Whether a mum is DIY or professionally made, it’s all about the sparkle.
Just Add Turquoise: How Round Top Inspired “Texas Boho” Style
Combine Dolly Parton with Stevie Nicks, and you get the idea.
43 Articles
Film & TV
March 12, 2024
A Rennie’s Guide to HBO’s Texas Renaissance Festival Documentary
‘Ren Faire,’ a three-part “docu-fantasia,” is ‘Succession’ meets Dungeons and Dragons.
Style & Design
February 28, 2024
The Best Looks From the Houston Rodeo’s Opening Day
A mix of traditional and more . . . avant-garde . . . cowboys turned out for H-Town’s biggest Western event of the year.
Sports
February 5, 2024
The Most Texan Things to Serve at Your Super Bowl Party
Snack recipes to fuel your cheers, jeers, and halftime dance party.
Food & Drink
January 17, 2024
It’s Slurp Season. Here Are 9 Essential Texas Soups to Keep You Warm and Full.
Steaming stews, beefy broths, and a bonus side of cornbread.
Libations
December 20, 2023
Need More Reasons to Celebrate This Season? Try These 7 Holiday Cocktails
Whether you prefer bourbon, gin, or Pimm’s, we’ve got seven cocktails for you to sip on this holiday season.
Style & Design
December 14, 2023
Come Let Us Adore This Woman’s Collection of Nearly 600 Nativity Sets
A Port Lavacan has traveled the state in search of baby Jesus and his menagerie, and her massive haul is now on view.
Libations
November 16, 2023
These Texas Thanksgiving Recipes Will Give You Something to Be Thankful For
From starters to desserts, we’ve got the Texas take on traditional Thanksgiving recipes that’re sure to leave your family and guests full and grateful.
Style & Design
October 25, 2023
Six Witchcraft Stores to Visit This Spooky Season
Curse the Lege, conjure a love spell, or learn more about the occult arts in these Texas shops.
Music
October 5, 2023
ACL Fest Boasts 50-Plus Food and Drink Vendors. These Are the Ones We Don’t Want to Miss.
We’ve curated a lineup of fantastic local meals to perfectly complement your weekend of music and good vibes at Zilker Park.
Style & Design
September 22, 2023
This Collector Has 49,000 Crayons—But Only One “Torch Red”
In Kerrville, a Crayola-obsessed collector has filled two rooms of his house with his prized boxes.
Style & Design
September 12, 2023
North Texans Are Rallying to Save a Marvel of Space-age Architecture—and a True Crime Landmark
The Como Motel, where Candy Montgomery famously met up with Allan Gore, has recently been sold. Locals are organizing to ensure it doesn’t end up as a parking lot.
Style & Design
August 10, 2023
13 Must-Visit Thrift and Vintage Shops in Texas
Trendsetters, bargain hunters, and folks who just love to dig through piles of clothes, we’ve got the list for you.
Style & Design
July 27, 2023
To Have and to Hold: Why Texans Love Their Koozies
It was 1979, a stifling hot day on a Texas construction site. A worker was consuming a cold one when he noticed that the nearby tubing installation material fit perfectly around his can. The makeshift sleeve helped to keep his drink crisp and his fingers dry. He named it “Koozie,”
Art
July 14, 2023
Meow Wolf Opens Its Maximalist, Multicolored Doors in Grapevine
For the latest iteration of the art empire’s otherworldly brand, Meow Wolf has chosen an exotic locale: a suburban Texas mall.
Style & Design
June 29, 2023
The Bad Boy Tattoo Guru of Wimberley
Inspired by Taylor Sheridan, celebrity tattoo artist Dillon Forte has brought his penchant for sacred geometry and all-black aesthetics to his exclusive ranch in the Hill Country.
Art
June 27, 2023
West Texas’s Baby Buc-ee’s Is Back, Baby
A Buc-ee’s representative tells Texas Monthly cleaning crews were promptly dispatched to the remote location.
Style & Design
April 27, 2023
15 Treasure-Filled Spots to Antique in Small-town Texas
Whether you’re hunting for vintage jewelry, midcentury furniture, or old-school cookware, these shops are worth a visit.
Style & Design
February 27, 2023
A Fashion Lover’s Guide to SXSW 2023
From 3D knitting to clean beauty, these panel discussions, keynote speeches, and day-long activations address current topics for the fashion-conscious.
Art
January 12, 2023
Texas’s Foremost Neon Artist Reflects on a Lit-Up Life
In a new book, Todd Sanders tells the stories of the custom neon works he’s created for the likes of Willie Nelson and Miranda Lambert.
Style & Design
December 2, 2022
This Merry Texan Keeps Hundreds of Santas in Her Safe Room
Kerville’s Lecia Hawkins has amassed enough mid-century Christmas decor to cover the North Pole.
White Hats
November 29, 2022
Delve Deeper Into the Violent, Complex History of the Texas Rangers With These Eleven Stories
The truth is more nuanced, and more instructive, than the myth.
Style & Design
November 10, 2022
Dripping Springs Was a One-Stoplight Town. Now It Hosts 1,000 Weddings Per Year.
The Hill Country destination’s economy has coalesced around the wedding industry, with a slew of new event spaces, vendors, and florists willing to work as many as six parties a weekend.
Style & Design
October 14, 2022
The World’s Foremost Collector of Barf Bags Spews It All
In his quest to become a titan of collectibles, Austinite Eli Cox has gathered 374 airsickness bags from all over the world.
Music
October 13, 2022
Kacey Musgraves Is Just Too Chill to Yell and Scream—Except at Ted Cruz
I went to ACL hoping to belt out songs about heartbreak with the Golden-born singer, but she kept things light and positive.
Politics & Policy
September 21, 2022
Texas Moms Champion Beto With a Giant Roadside Reminder of the Uvalde Shooting
Uvalde-based activist group Fierce Madres partnered with Moms Against Greg Abbott to erect the anti-Abbott signage.
Style & Design
July 6, 2022
For This Miniature-Obsessed Texas Crafter, No Detail Is Too Small
Sandi Manrig has spent over forty years designing teeny-tiny turtlenecks, minuscule marigolds, and all manner of small-scale scenes.
News & Politics
June 15, 2022
Seven Essential Reads to Understand the Erosion of Abortion Access in Texas
Founded in 1973, Texas Monthly has been reporting on abortion access in Texas since the Roe v. Wade ruling. Here’s what to know.
Music
June 14, 2022
Dairy Queen Gets an Updated Jingle, Courtesy of Josh Abbott
The Texas country star put his own spin on the fast-food tagline that’s sure to be stuck in your head for days.
Style & Design
May 19, 2022
The Force Is Arguably Too Strong With This Collector’s Massive Star Wars Empire
At its height, this Roanoke superfan’s treasure trove included 19,000 pieces of valuable memorabilia.
Art
April 14, 2022
Pam Francis, Who Photographed the Most Famous Texans, Gets Her Due
This April, the Blaffer Art Museum will display Francis’s portraits of Texans from Beyoncé to Ann Richards—some of which appeared in this magazine.
Art
April 6, 2022
The World’s Tiniest Buc-ee’s Has Appeared in West Texas
The anonymous artist calls the piece “a light-hearted jab . . . at America’s propensity for ever-expanding excess.”
Style & Design
April 5, 2022
If Aliens Arrive, They’ll Go Straight to the Museum of Measurement and Time
In Jefferson, a couple has spent a lifetime gathering clocks, telephones, maps, and other minutiae of the human race.
Style & Design
March 3, 2022
The 76-Year-Old Party Boy With 1,500 Cocktail Shakers
When not on display at the Dallas Museum of Art, Walter Erwin’s beloved collection lives in a custom-built addition to his home.
Being Texan
February 8, 2022
Just How Hard Is It to Draw the Shape of Texas? Pretty Hard, According to the “Ugly Texas” Instagram.
The account pokes fun at the many misshapen depictions of the state, from tattoos and murals to pies and furniture.
Film & TV
January 19, 2022
‘Cheer’ Season Two Is Almost Unrecognizable
The popular Netflix cheerleading docuseries, set in Corsicana and Athens, takes a nosedive from feel-good to deeply disturbing.
Best Thing in Texas
November 2, 2021
Mariah Carey Armors Up Against a Dallas Bar’s War on Christmas
A bar decreed “All I Want for Christmas Is You” non grata, and the queen of Christmas isn’t happy about it.
Style & Design
October 26, 2021
Just Add Turquoise: How Round Top Inspired “Texas Boho” Style
Combine Dolly Parton with Stevie Nicks, and you get the idea.
Style & Design
October 22, 2021
In San Benito, Homecoming Mums Are an Over-the-top Texas Tradition
This South Texas community has embraced the extravagant corsage. Whether a mum is DIY or professionally made, it’s all about the sparkle.
Meanwhile, in Texas
October 20, 2021
Bask in the Glory of This 78-Foot, 300-Pound Texas Homecoming Mum
It can be lifted only with a construction crane.
Style & Design
September 30, 2021
The Quick Guide to Texas Fest Fashion (Just Add a Mask!)
These homegrown brands and designers can help you rock your look at this fall’s events, from ACL to Astroworld.
Recipes
September 30, 2021
Yes, I Got Buzzed on the CBD Queso
I ate a quarter-pound of the mood-altering queso developed by Trudy’s and Earlybird CBD. For journalism!
Critters
July 13, 2021
The Pandemic Pups Are Not All Right
As dog owners return to offices, pets are struggling with separation anxiety. We asked Texas dog trainers for their best advice.
Texas History
October 27, 2016
How Mermaids Could Save San Marcos
It's been decades since San Marcos's famed Aquamaids performed, but San Marcos is reviving the mermaid as a symbol of cultural identity and environmental protection.