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Peach Ice Cream
When I was growing up, ice cream was a non-negotiable in my family’s food pyramid. My paternal grandfather would not have dreamed of letting an evening pass without a bowl of Blue Bell (not “ice...
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Why We Should Go Back to the Coast
The July 27, 2017, edition of the Port Aransas South Jetty was pretty much standard late-summer fare. The IGA grocery store had helpfully compiled a list of supplies for the upcoming school year (“2...
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The Best of Blanco
Blanco State Park is 104 acres of fishing, swimming, and camping bliss. But at some point you’re going to want to put some real clothes on and take a trip into town, which is a mere two blocks...
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Blanco State Park Embodies True Texas Spirit
A couple of friends and I float in the shade of an enormous bald cypress, our feet propped on the mossy top of the stair-step dam, undeterred by the stillness of the water, the two slender snakes we’ve...
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Big Bend Ranch State Park: Where Nothing Is Everything
“Bring two spares and plenty of gas, and we’ll supply the adventure.” So goes the unofficial motto of Big Bend Ranch State Park, also known as the Other Side of Nowhere, also known as the park most...
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Where to Rough It (or Not) In and Around Big Bend Ranch
On my recent visit to Big Bend Ranch State Park, for the January installment of “Parks and Recs,” my friends and I stayed at the remote and primitive Vista del Chisos campsite, one of around fifty...
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Creatures Abound at Palmetto State Park—Just Beware the Ottine Swamp Thing
I have heard some refer to Palmetto State Park, not entirely inaccurately, as a “starter park.” At 270 acres, it is small, just like the hardy, evergreen dwarf palmetto for which it’s named. And its...
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Where to Stay and What to Do Around Palmetto State Park
As I write in my April installment of “Parks and Recs,” Palmetto State Park is worth the visit simply because it’s unlike anything else in Texas. Here’s how to get the most of your visit.If you’re...
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Sea Rim State Park’s Fragile Magic
Far away from the cares of urban life, discover a seaside refuge bursting with life,” says Texas Parks and Wildlife’s interpretive guide to Sea Rim State Park. “Bursting with life,” absolutely: the...
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Colorado Bend State Park: A World of Wonders, Aboveground and Below
“I had no idea this existed in Texas.” Almost every first-time visitor to this Central Texas park, myself included, expresses some version of that sentiment. Named for a noteworthy crook in a mighty...
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Where to Sleep, Shop, and Eat Near Colorado Bend State Park
For my column on Colorado Bend State Park, my friend and I camped along the banks of the Colorado River. Although we loved the peaceful setting, especially at night, camping at the park is relatively...
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Eyes on the Skies at Bentsen–Rio Grande Valley State Park
I can’t believe I’m sleeping out here tonight,” Emily says, as we walk three quarters of a mile down a lonely park road in the dark, our headlamps no match for the impenetrable forest on either side....
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What to See, Eat, and Do Near Bentsen–Rio Grande Valley State Park
After spending time at Bentsen–Rio Grande Valley State Park, you’re likely to become obsessed with winged creatures. So don’t miss the National Butterfly Center, which is right down the road as the...
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Tyler State Park: Where to Sleep and Eat
On the first night of our visit to Tyler State Park, my traveling buddy, Emily, and I stayed in one of its aptly named “limited service” cabins. “It’s cute on the outside,” said Emily as we stepped...
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Tyler State Park Is the Ideal Escape for These Times (or Anytime)
Does lugging your weary psyche into a deep, dark wood sound pretty good right about now? Do you long to just sit and think beneath the sheltering branches of impossibly tall trees? The occasional foray...
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Where to Find Fall’s True Colors in Texas
How lucky are we?” I can’t count how many times my park pal and I, enchanted by yet another of Texas’s wonderful, wild places, have said that to each other. Alas, this year, this annus horribilis, we...
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Where to Eat, Shop, and Stargaze in and Around Fort Davis
Located about three miles southeast of Davis Mountains State Park, Texas’s own mile-high city, Fort Davis, is an archetypal Western town, with its Classical Revival courthouse, five or so churches,...
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Finding Respite at Davis Mountains State Park and Its Historic Indian Lodge
About halfway between Fort Stockton and Van Horn, in West Texas, dip down off Interstate 10 to a tract of the Trans-Pecos where desert meets mountain in spare and spectacular fashion. Sparsely...
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How to Make a Frozen Margarita
When it comes to margaritas, on the rocks is good. Up is better. That said, there is a time and place (summer, Texas) when a frozen cocktail becomes urgently necessary. The trick is pulverizing the...
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Where to Eat and Stay Near Guadalupe River State Park
As long as the weather is cooperating, you can spend hours floating in the water, hiking, birdwatching, and camping at Guadalupe River State Park, in Spring Branch. Here are a few places worth adding...
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