Texas State

Columbus, OH

TexasHighways

This time of year you’ve got to find a way to beat the heat. Sure, you could stay inside for the season, soaking up air conditioning in front of the TV. But it’d be a shame to miss Texas’ best bodies of water: Try taking a dip at Boykin Springs Lake, a 9-acre water hole tucked inside Angelina National Forest, where the whole family can swim and splash till they’re tired. Located two-and-a-half hours northeast of Houston, this spring-fed lake has refreshed visitors since 1938. “It’s just right for a dang mega-hot day like this!” said a kid quoted in the Texas Highways story that accompanied this 1983 photograph. The picture shows a bevy of bankside activity at the lake, along with an impressive splash as someone on the rope swing makes impact with the water. This place was once clear cut by loggers, but thanks to the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, towering maples and longleaf pines once again ring the lake’s perimeter, bringing much-needed shade in these dog days.

Hit Refresh at Boykin Springs Lake

Lancaster County, PA

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NewsByJoshua

Fans of Frisco's Chicken were left reeling as the beloved Peruvian-style eatery announced the closure of all its locations in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The chain, known for its delicious food and strong community values, posted a heartfelt note on its doors, informing customers of the devastating news.

Favorite Chicken Chain Suddenly Closes All Stores, Heartfelt Message Found on Doors

Texas Highways is ushering in its next half-century as the state’s official travel magazine with reimagined print and digital products. Last week, subscribers received the 50th anniversary July/August issue featuring a bold new look and upgraded paper. “After working on this issue and redesign for over a year, we’re...

Texas Highways Debuts Redesign in 50th Anniversary ‘Small Town Summer’ Issue

North Carolina State

Raleigh, NC

Town Talks

A staple restaurant on Glenwood South, Plates Kitchen, is closing its doors after more than a decade in business. The restaurant plans to have its final day of operation on July 28.

Restaurant in North Carolina Now Makes An Unexpected Closure after a decade

Virginia State

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Cheryl E Preston

History Facts lists eight names US parents no longer give their newborns, which you may no longer hear in Virginia. The girls' names are Doris, Gertrude, Mildred, and Judith. I know or have known women with all four names, but they are either baby boomers or boomer parents' ages and someone's grandma or great aunt. Consider the ages of females in Virginia you know with these names.

Eight names parents in Virginia may no longer be giving to their newborns

Minnesota State

DayTripper

The hit History Channel series "American Pickers" is gearing up for an exciting return to Minnesota this fall. The show's production team has announced plans to film episodes throughout the state in September 2024, offering locals a chance to showcase their unique collections and share their stories with a national audience.

"American Pickers" Set to Unearth Minnesota's Hidden Treasures

West, TX

The conditions must be perfect: It has to take place during the hottest part of the year, the moon needs to be full to aid with visibility, and, most importantly, it cannot be a weekday. When all of these circumstances are met, then, and only then, do the residents of Marfa rally to shoulder the burdensome task of bringing sushi to their small West Texas town.

Let the Good Times Roll at Marfa’s Annual Sushi Race

Brady, TX

A short drive from our state’s geographic center, Brady is named for the creek that runs through the area, previously home to members of the Apache and Comanche tribes. Henry and Nancy Fulcher donated the land for the city in the mid-1870s, and the town was chosen as the McCulloch County seat soon after. An imposing courthouse was built from local sandstone in 1878. By 1930, Brady was home to 3,983 citizens and boasted a three-story hotel, a movie theater, a newspaper, a school, and several churches. Today, the town touts its central location and a plethora of annual events: two country music festivals in March and August; a big July Jubilee for Independence Day; and late summer’s World Championship BBQ Goat Cook Off, held since 1974. The town is known for its hunting spots, largemouth bass fishing at Brady Lake, and four prime camping locations for serene lakeside stays. Brady also houses two museums, a gun range, a golf course, an antiques store, and a small city-run water park to stave off the summer heat.

Go Honky Tonkin’ on a Weekend Getaway to Brady

New York City, NY

Yesterday was the third time this year that an ad stating Chelsea Clinton lives in a beautiful Virginia home popped up on my laptop. My computer did not warn me this was a dangerous site, so this time, I clicked on the link.

Chelsea Clinton is rumored to be living in Virginia but probably still in NYC

Borger, TX

By all accounts, the town of Borger, population 12,500, should be burned to a crisp. In early March, a series of wildfires stormed through the Texas Panhandle, decimating hundreds of structures, killing two people and upwards of 7,000 cattle. But thanks to proactive “controlled burns” conducted beforehand, Borger was able to battle back the fire, and the town was mostly unscathed. Now that the smoke has cleared, take an opportunity to visit this former oil boomtown in the Canadian River Valley. It’s a place with a fraught history—and luckily, it can be enjoyed in the here and now.

The Daytripper Tries Burgers and Burritos in Borger

Under a hale blue November sky pebbled with clouds—one of us steering by sight, the other by scent—we wend our way along narrow deer trails through knee-high grass, stepping around prickly pear cacti and brittle fallen tree branches covered in lichen, across dry rocky earth fringed on every side by cedar brakes. No matter that her eager nose pulls me into bramble that nicks my arms, pilfers my hat, and pelts me with waxy blue juniper berries; my eyes are as happy as her nose to take it all in. That setter nose cannot be trusted. At any moment, a new scent might trigger a cascade of chemicals to course through her lean bird dog frame and project her into the land. That way into the creekbed. That way onto the limestone bluffs. This way through the field. So, I keep Piper on a leash—a long retractable one.

An eclipse chaser seesthe light in totality

New Jersey State

Austin, TX

In the spring of 1995, Dave Dalton Thomas, a self-described “copy editor with a writing problem,” at the San Angelo Standard-Times got a call that would change his life. On the other end of the line was storied Texas empresario “Jalapeño Sam” Lewis delivering the news that Willie Nelson was bringing his annual Fourth of July Picnic to a town that Nelson and Waylon Jennings made famous: Luckenbach. This would be the first time the picnic, founded in Dripping Springs in 1973, would come to the hamlet 15 minutes southeast of Fredericksburg, and Lewis wanted Thomas to be the first to spread the news. Little did Thomas know at the time that not only would the Nelson’s picnic become a near-annual ritual for him, but that he would go on to author the event’s definitive history—from its early days through a half-century of triumphs and tribulations.

A New Book Revisits Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic

Indiana State

Franklin, IN

A wave of closures is hitting Pizza Hut, a pizza chain known for its iconic slanted-roof buildings, with 6,775 locations feeling the pinch in the tough restaurant industry landscape.

A well-known pizza chain with over 6K locations has begun closing some of its stores

Texas Highways brought home a slew of prizes this award season. The magazine garnered two City and Regional Magazine Awards, 21 International and Regional Magazine Awards, and a nomination from the American Society of Magazine Editors. “I’m thrilled to see recognition for the entire team in our award wins and...

Texas Highways Wins 2 CRMAs, 10 IRMA Gold Awards

Wyoming State

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WyoFile

Caitlin Tan wanted to breed her childhood horse, JP, because she’s been “amazing” — the type of animal any equestrian would be lucky to have once in a lifetime. Having access to coveted bloodlines increased the allure. Via the Miller Ranch, she could pair her 18-year-old mare with a stud descendent of Playboy’s Buck Fever.

Cream of the crop: a cremello foal is born in Wyoming

Chicago, IL

Foodie in Chicago

Shortly before 3 AM, people in the Chicago area may have felt their houses shake as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 60 miles west of the city. (CHICAGO) The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake around Somonauk, IL. Somonauk is in DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, 64 miles west of Chicago.

Did You Feel the Earthquake?

Total Apex Sports & Entertainment

There are certain zodiac signs that most people are careful with because of their fiery and low tolerance levels. You can hardly mess with individuals with such signs without getting a backlash. Whether they are in work environments or family settings, they do not hesitate to set boundaries and protect them.

5 Zodiac Signs You Don't Mess With

Welcome to the 50th Anniversary issue of Texas Highways. It’s a culmination not only of the planning our team has done for the past 18 months but also 50 years of diligent work by former editors, photographers, designers, writers, fact-checkers, and a host of business and administrative support staff. We are honored to continue a legacy of inspiring travel through stories and images that reveal Texas’ distinct character, wild beauty, and inimitable culture.

Texas Forever

Port Aransas, TX

The last of the migratory birds resting, eating, and let’s face it, luxuriating in Port Aransas were taking to the air and continuing north before summer when I visited the Gulf Coast town in mid-April. Although I’m familiar with Mustang Island, an 18-mile sliver of land that includes Port Aransas and separates Corpus Christi Bay from the Gulf of Mexico, it was my first trip out to the Port Aransas Nature Preserve. With the island being an important stop along the Central Flyway, a major flight path in North America for untold numbers of birds every spring and fall, the nature preserve helps protect coastal wetlands and prairie grasses, thus ensuring a welcoming biodiverse setting, especially if you’re a bird. Or a bird watcher.

The Port Aransas Nature Preserve Is For the Birds

San Antonio, TX

San Marcos, TX

Michelle Kraft followed a meandering path to becoming a scuba instructor. After growing up in a military family and graduating from high school in Del Rio, Kraft moved to Arlington for college to study interior design. Back then, she was afraid of sharks and refused to go in the water. “I saw Jaws and was petrified,” she says. “I was the kid who they’d have to pry off the wall to dunk my head.” But she eventually conquered her fear after an interest in the Titanic got her to take a scuba class. “After that, I was hooked,” she says.

A San Marcos Mermaid Gives the Deep Dive on Her Hometown

NewsBreak

Dive Into These Texas River Retreats

Three major rivers define the shape of Texas: the Red, the Sabine, and the Rio Grande. But our state has a dozen other major rivers that...

Dive Into These Texas River Retreats

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