Brad Pitt and Sean Penn will be shooting a movie in Smithville starting in March and already central Texas is buzzing with talk of Angelina and Brad sightings (the latest was in Bastrop). The movie will be titled "Tree of Life" and we haven't heard a lot of details yet but we'll keep you posted.
This isn't the first time Hollywood has come to the small town of Smithville; in the 90s it was the setting for the Sandra Bullock film "Hope Floats."
Spring means the perfect time for a climb up Enchanted Rock, located between Fredericksburg and Llano. (Don't wait for summer...it's a griddle up there!) This is the second largest stone monolith outside of Georgia's Stone Mountain. If you plan a visit here on the weekend, be sure to arrive early; the number of visitors daily is limited.
What are you doing for Leap Year Day? Well, in Anthony, Texas, you can celebrate February 29th with the Worldwide Leap Year Festival. The event continues all the way through March 2nd (hey, when a day only comes around every four years, you have to make the most of it!) Anthony is known as the Leap Year Capital of the World. Friday's events include a wine tasting and parade; on Saturday, look for a hot air balloon lift-off, a car show, 5K run and more. Anthony, Texas and Anthony, New Mexico sit right on the state border between El Paso and Las Cruces.
It won't be long until summer (and with the 90+ degree temperatures earlier this week it doesn't seem like long at all!) One of the top ways to celebrate summer in central Texas is an afternoon of inner tubing...better known as "toobin'" ... in San Marcos or New Braunfels. This shot was taken in San Marcos; during the season, the Lion's Club rents tubes for use on the San Marcos River and provides pickup service.
The kickoff for the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo in Austin is Friday and to mark the event the city will enjoy a free Cowboy Breakfast. Held at Auditorium Shores at Lake Lady Bird (formerly Town Lake), the Texas-sized breakfast will run from 6am to 9am. You'll also find live music and rodeo mascots at the family-friendly event. Free parking is available at the Palmer Special Events parking garage.
And to celebrate the rodeo coming to town, Friday will also be Dress Western Day in Austin. Austin mayor Will Wynn has made the declaration so get out those boots and jeans whether you live in Austin or are visiting for the day!
Springtime means a return to Market Days across the state, especially in small towns. This shot was taken at Kerrville's Kerr County Market Days, a family-friendly market that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every month from April through November and the third Saturday in December. Held on the courthouse square, the free event features handcrafts and artwork as well as greenery and plenty of barbecue.
There's probably no town in Texas more associated with cowboys than Bandera thanks to its many dude ranches, rodeos, honky tonks, and Western atmosphere.
So it's fitting that Bandera's Frontier Times Museum plans to celebrate the American cowboy in March with music and poetry. The event will feature:
• Don Hedgpeth, a well-known local musician, poet and author • Steve Smith, a practicing modern day cowboy and poet, accompanied by local musician Ruben Darnell • a campfire for chuckwagon coffee • a lesson in Cowboyology through music and poetry
Date and Time: Saturday, March 22, 4 P.M.
Location: Frontier Times Museum, 510 Thirteenth Street, Bandera
This month we enjoyed a tasty chicken fried steak lunch at The Broken Spoke in Austin, a truly traditional Texas honky tonk. Along with the dance hall, the popular South Austin spot (which has been here since 1964) includes a restaurant and small museum called "The Tourist Trap Room." We shot photos during our visit and compiled them into this video we hope you enjoy:
Named for the postal box where early residents could drop a letter and a dime for postage, the central Texas town of Dime Box remembers its heritage with a dime in a box. This recreation of a Liberty dime is located on FM 141.
Well, the Valentine’s candy may be all gone but it’s not to late to enjoy some fine chocolates thanks to the upcoming 3rd Annual Austin Chocolate Festival. Scheduled for March 8 and 9, this event will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
This sweet festival will include up to 20 vendors including chocolatiers, bakeries, patisseries, restaurants, hotels, caterers, authors, and resorts… offering samples, of course! You’ll be able to participate in chocolate competitions and demonstrations.
This year’s event is featuring Andrea Levinson, the producer of "Death, Taxes... and Chocolate!" This movie will be released in April.
Location: Arthur Murray Dance Studio, 2700 West Anderson Lane #504 in Austin.
Tickets: Tickets for the Austin Chocolate Festival are $20. You can purchase tickets online or by phone at 512-637-0479. For more information: • email info@austinchocolatefestival.com • visit the ACF website
Spring means spring cleaning...and in some Texas towns that means city-wide garage sales, too. This year Georgetown will host its first City-Wide Garage & Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, March 29, 2008 from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
At the event, you'll find downtown merchants selling discounted wares on the sidewalk. Local organizations and individuals will be selling used and new items at the Festival Parking Lot on Main Street.
For More Information: • call 800 436-8696 • email cvb@georgetowntx.org
Austin's Broken Spoke is a legendary Texas honky tonk, a place that has sent toes tapping since 1964. To celebrate its 25th anniversary in 1989, the restaurant/bar/dance hall opened "The Tourist Trap Room" filled with memorabilia ranging from LBJ's hat to photos and sheet music. Through the years, this hall has hosted some of country music's biggest names including Ernest Tubbs, Roy Acuff, Hank Thompson, Tex Ritter, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, George Strait, and many others.
All aboard! The Zilker Zephyr is a pint-sized train that makes a 25-minute, three-mile loop through Austin's Zilker Park. A favorite with kids, the ride is fun for adults, too, and costs under $3 for adults. The train station is located adjacent to Barton Springs; departures are on the hour on weekdays and every half hour on weekends.
Located between Fredericksburg and Comfort, this former railroad tunnel is home to over three million bats from April through October. You'll find an observation deck here above the tunnel or walk down the stairs for this view. The site is part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife system; you'll find educational displays here about the bats that can be seen before sunrise and after sunset each day during the season.
This statue of Old Yeller stands in front of the Mason Public Library in Mason, Texas. The famous story, which became a Disney movie, was written by Mason native Fred Gipson.
According to a list released by Preservation Texas of the most endangered historic buildings in the state in 2008, Texas dance halls are in danger both because of neglect and encroaching subdivisions. These dance halls, which once served as meeting places for early Texas settlers, including many Czech and German communities, still number in the hundreds but are all too quickly in danger of fading away.
The dance halls highlighted by Preservation Texas, a statewide nonprofit organization, include:
• Bellville Turnverein, Bellville • Luckenbach Hall, south of Fredericksburg • Bandera Cabaret Dance Hall, Bandera • Quihi Gun Club, Castroville • Anhalt Verin Hall, Anhalt • Schroeder Dance Hall, Yorktown • DeAnda’s Dance Hall, Houston • Double Bayou Dance Hall, Anahuac • Sons of Hermann Hall, Dallas • Cotton Club, Dallas
The annual list includes a dozen other historic properties, from homes to hotels.
The San Gabriel River flows through Georgetown and provides numerous swimming holes as well as the backdrop for a hike and bike trail and the San Gabriel Park.
A couple of weeks ago, a TexasTripper reader named Ron shared a review of his favorite barbecue joint: the New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Huntsville. It appears in our Roaming Readers section and just reading about this church barbecue, with its big, smoky pit, made us hungry. It was already on our list of must-visits when then we ran across this video from one of our favorite travel shows, Texas Country Reporter:
That settles it...tonight's dinner must be barbecue...
Do you have a favorite barbecue joint in Texas you'd like to share with TexasTripper readers? Send us your review and a photo, if you have it; we'd love to include it on the site!
If you're a fan of sci-fi or anime, here's an event that just might be of interest: ChimaeraCon. Held at San Antonio's Crossroads Mall, this event brings together movie celebrities, shoppers, and costume buffs in a family-friendly atmosphere. This year's event is scheduled for March 14-16.
We've just added a new festival piece on ChimaeraCon to TexasTripper covering the popular convention; it includes more about the festival events, a video from last year's event featuring the original Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a map to the festival location.
In Hillsboro, the MKT Depot (the Katy Depot) now serves as the home of the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce and Hillsboro CVB. Stop in for brochures and maps and to look at the collection of railroad memorabilia.
If you'll be in downtown Austin this weekend, expect plenty of company. Sunday marks the annual AT&T Marathon, an event with 10,000 runners. The event includes a full marathon as well as a half marathon. Although Saturday's weather is supposed to be rainy, the forecasters are calling for clear skies by the time the race begins on Sunday.
Happy Valentine's Day! We have a somewhat different photo of the day today, a shot of the Bulverde Humane Society. We recently adopted a new member of our family here; if you're looking for a new four-legged friend, don't forget about the many animal shelters and rescue groups across Texas! We found Petfinder.com to be a great resource; they've got photos of animals across the state (from horses and birds to cats and dogs), all searchable by zip code, and you'll also find lists of shelters and rescue groups in your area!
These mysterious pictographs are found in Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site, located near Del Rio. About 200 pictographs are found in this area, many beneath the rock overhangs that provided shelter from the hot sun. It is believed these pictographs date back about 7,000 years but their meaning has never been discovered.
If this week's Westminster Dog Show (and the Best of Show winner, Uno, from Austin) has you ready to show off your own dog, here's your chance. On Saturday, March 8, the Western regional portion of the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge will be held at the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo.
The Event: Dogs from the Midwest will have the opportunity at this event to compete in a variety of “Olympic style” events. The winners ultimately earn the right to compete against top dogs from around the country at the National Championships this fall in St. Louis.
The Purina Incredible Dog Challenge includes agility, flying disc, Jack Russell hurdle races, head-to-head 60-weave pole and dog diving events. The challenge will stage an open qualifier on Friday, March 7 in the afternoon, (registration begins at 10:30 a.m.) where local dogs are invited to compete for a spot in Saturday’s regional competition in dog diving and flying disc, which are two of the main events in the competition.
Schedule:
Friday, March 7th Schedule 10:30 AM Competitor Registration & Head Shots 11:45 AM Lunch & Competitor Meeting 12:30 PM Incredible Agility Practice 1:30 PM Incredible Jack Russell Hurdle Racing Practice 2:15 PM Demonstration Event Practice 3:00 PM Qualifying Sign-Up and Registration 3:00 PM Incredible 60-Weave Poll Practice 3:30 PM Incredible Diving Dog Practice and Qualifying 4:15 PM Incredible Freestyle Flying Disc Practice and Qualifying
Saturday, March 8th Schedule 10:30 AM Agility Course Inspection 10:55 AM National Anthem 11:00 AM Incredible Agility (Small & Large) 12:00 PM Incredible Diving Dog Competition 12:45 PM Incredible Jack Russell Hurdle Racing 1:30 PM Demonstration Event 2:15 PM Incredible Head-to-Head 60-Weave Pole Racing 3:00 PM Incredible Freestyle Flying Disc
These Art Deco-style door pulls lead the way into the Texas Memorial Museum on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Dating back to the 1930s, the museum started as a state museum but is now part of the UT System and open to the public free of charge. Inside, you'll find displays on Texas natural history starting with the dinosaurs and continuing with displays of animals, rocks, plants, and all things Texan.
If you live near the Texas-Mexico border and head back and forth frequently, you know that as of the end of last month you could no longer return to the US just on your word that you're a US citizen, you now need proof of identity and proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate or, even better, a passport. As of this month, the US State Department is accepting applications for a new alternative to the passport: a US Passport Card.
The card is just good for land and sea crossing so you won't be able to fly home from Mexico or any other country using it but it is cheaper than a passport. The cards are $45 for adults and are good for 10 years. The first cards should be issued this spring.
If you already have a passport and just don't want to carry your passport back and forth (and fill up all your pages), you can get a passport card as well; the cost for passport holders is just $20.
This crossing from the US into Mexico wasn't too crowded the day we visited but returning from Mexico to the US can be a lengthier process. Remember, you can no longer just say that you are a US citizen upon your return; as of the end of January 2008, US citizens have to present documentation when walking or driving back into the US. Check the US State Department website for a list of acceptable documentation such as a driver's license accompanied by a birth certificate. (Later you'll need a passport or passport card to be able to return to the US, something you already need if you're returning by air.)
Our new Say It Like a Texan pronunciation guide to hard to say Texas towns, rivers and counties has been receiving a lot of attention lately! It was featured in the Chicago Sun-Times and on Fark.com this month and literally thousands of readers have been learning how to pronounce every place from Mexia to Refugio.
We've also heard from many readers about places to add to the guide, towns that were either new to us or ones we'd heard all our lives and didn't realize how tough they were to say! We've added about 50 new destinations to the guide and we'll keep looking for additional towns. If you know of any locales we've missed, please drop us an email at editors@TexasTripper.com!
Our Valentine card postmarked Valentine, Texas arrived today! We mailed it about a week ago to the small post office in the West Texas town; they hold the Valentine's cards for remailing in early February. [How to mail your Valentine for postmarking in Valentine, Texas.]
And why mail a card to Valentine only to be mailed back? Well, for the postmarks. First, it received a Valentine, Texas postmark then it was stamped with a special "Love Station" stamp designed each year by the children of Valentine.
Did you know that lavender is an increasingly popular crop in the Hill Country? With a climate that's similar to France's lavender-growing Provence region, the Hill Country is seeing an increasing number of lavender farms plus lavender trails with the chance to pick your own fragrant stalks. Look for special lavender events in Blanco and Fredericksburg with the chance to visit lavender farms, sample foods that include lavender, shop for lavender oils and more.
If you're looking for a romantic getaway (remember, Valentine's is next week!), check out the Wine Lovers Trail in the Hill Country both this Friday through Sunday and Feb. 15-17 as well. The event encompasses 22 wineries; with the $35 ticket you can visit as many wineries for tastings as you'd like.
Many of the wineries are also have separate Valentine's events. For example, near Fredericksburg, Becker Vineyards will host a four-course Valentine Dinner in their Lavender Haus Reception Hall on February 9; they'll also have a four-course Valentine's luncheon on Feb. 16. Check the Wine Lovers Trail site for all the details on both the trail and the special events.
Port Aransas will soon be welcoming the whooping cranes (which this year number 261!) with the 12th Annual Celebration of Whooping Cranes & Other Birds. If you've never been to the coast to see this magnificent, five-foot-tall birds, it's really an amazing sight and one that birders from around the world come to view.
Dates: This year's event is scheduled for February 22-24, 2008.
Festival Events: This year's festival will include:
• workshops and field trips for birding and photography • tours of the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) • boat trips to see the Whooping Cranes at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge • concessions at the Bird’s Nest Bistro • a free nature-related trade show at the Civic Center • the ICF’s International Children’s Art Exhibit on display at the Art Center for the Islands • the ‘Wetlands on Wheels’ traveling educational bus, which will be parked at the Civic Center all weekend.
You can also buy a chance to win everything from binoculars and tripods to backpacks from sponsors Eagle Optics and Swarovski Optik. Fennessey Ranch has donated a day of birding and copies of 2008’s Wildlife in Focus book that will be raffled off as well. Additional sponsors include H-E-B and the Port of Corpus Christi.
New Events: This year includes new events: workshops by award winning photographer Sean Fitzgerald, insight into butterfly behavior by Texas Parks and Wildlife’s statewide invertebrate Biologist Mike Quinn, and the chance to see the largest migrating flock of whooping cranes ever.
Early Registation: They're expecting some of these events to fill up so early registration is encourage; the deadline for early registration is Friday, February 15, 2008.
This statue by James Rice of Rice Galleries is titled "Billy" and commemorates Billy the Kid. Located in Hico, the statue is tied to the Billy the Kid legend that thrives in the town. According to local legend, Billy the Kid wasn't killed in a shootout with lawman Pat Garrett but instead died in Hico many years later under the name "Brushy" Bill Roberts. There's even a Billy the Kid Museum downtown that explains more about the interesting story.
This unique sculpture called "Night Wing", located on South Congress Avenue at the intersection of Barton Springs Road, is interesting not only for its bat shape but because it freely swivels with even a light breeze. The creation of artist Dale Whistler, the sculpture commemorates the largest urban bat colony in the country, found nearby beneath the Ann Richards Bridge (formerly called the Congress Avenue Bridge). The bats will be returning to Austin in March and will remain until late fall.
Tintype Exhibit Opening at Houston Museum of Natural History
The Houston Museum of Natural History (of the country's most visited museums) will be opening the Robb Kendrick’s Texas Tintypes exhibit on Feb. 16. This exhibit is a unique look at the cowboys of today's ranches portrayed using a 19th century photographic technique: tintypes.
Revealing Character: Robb Kendrick’s Texas Tintypes features 66 tintypes of cowboys taken all over the Lone Star State as well as 12 enlarged prints of tintype images. Four cowgirls, primarily from West Texas, are also highlighted in this exhibit, which was initially commissioned by Frost as a campaign in Texas Monthly. The images struck such a chord that Frost felt it was important to share these tintypes with Texans across the state, and tapped Margaret Blagg, executive director of the Old Jail Art Center in Albany, Texas, to curate the exhibit.
What's a Tintype? Tintypes are created through a labor-intensive process that involves coating a thin metal plate with emulsion, sensitizing it in a silver nitrate, and exposing it in the camera before the emulsion dries. A lavender varnish is flowed onto the tintypes after the photo is taken to preserve the image. Making even a few tintypes requires hours of work.
About the Photographer: Robb Kendrick, a native Texan whose work has been featured in such publications as National Geographic, Audubon, and Smithsonian, notes that he is one of very few photographers in the United States that use the tintype process. “Tintypes are a challenging medium because they require the subject to stay still for a number of seconds as the image burns onto the plate, but the process provides so much reward in terms of truly capturing someone’s soul,” said Kendrick. “It’s a perfect medium for exploring a subject matter like character, and there is no better place to find that character than in today’s Texas cowboys. I’ve been privileged to meet so many of these men and women through my travels, and to spend the time with them that this photographic process demands. I hope that Texans will see a little of themselves and their ancestors in this exhibit as it travels across the state. It’s an honor to share these stories and photographs.”
Dates: The exhibit will be on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science from February 16 – May 4, 2008.
Price: Tickets for the exhibition are included in general admission to the Museum; $9 for adults; $7 for children (3 – 11), seniors (62+), and college students with a valid ID; free for Museum members; $2.50 school groups; and $4.50 for groups of 20 or more.
For more information: • visit www.hmns.org • call (713) 639-4629
Photo by Robb Kendrick; courtesy Houston Museum of Natural Science
Four Seasons Hotel Houston Offers Backstage Kitchen Passes
If you're a real foodie, you might be interested in the new Sunday brunch offered at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston's Quattro restaurant. Every Sunday from 10:30am to 2pm, you can stroll right into the kitchen and watch the chefs work, even asking questions of the newest culinary team members, Executive Chef Andrea Ossola and Executive Sous Chef Chuck Kazmer. Nibble on some tapas-style entrees right off the line then check out the rest of the buffet: the egg bar with everything from omelets to eggs benedict; an antipasti room with fresh seafood, cheeses and breads; and dessert buffet.
Fredericksburg
