Reviews For Texas Highways Magazine

Don't let the magazine's thin heft fool you, Texas Highways is one state travel magazine that packs a serious punch! It's long on substance, and mighty thin on glitzy advertising. It caters to the curious, cultured traveler -- the kind of person who likes to know a little bit about the stories behind the places that are truly worth seeing. Monuments, forts, missions, small towns. They all spring to life when you visit when you first know a little bit about the place: about its past, about its people, about its sense of place and time.

If Texas is the kind of place that draws you, then Texas Highways is the kind of magazine that you'll want to read. It's tightly focused, lavishly illustrated, professionally designed and edited, with lively, interesting articles that delve deeply into the stories that make Texas worth knowing.

Lots of states have their own travel magazines. Fewer manage to pack as much good reading into a monthly 60-page package. (And that 60 pages is mostly lean meat -- there's almost no fat and no fluff, only a few highly relevant ads, and absolutely no fluff and filler. This is one straight-shootin' travel mag!


The Past...
What I love about Texas Highways is the way they bring the past to life, digging beyond the obvious and the trite. In a recent issue, I read a great story about a park called Hueco Tanks, located in the far southwest corner of the state, near El Paso. The article presented quite a lot of information about the tribes -- not all of them nomadic -- who lived in the region over a period of thousands of years. These people left intricate drawings on cave walls. That same issue had a great story about medicine men and the flim flam shysters of the late 19th century, hawking miracle cures and ointments to cure whatever ails you. But the story wasn't dry or dull -- it was lively with a modern spin on it through a focus on places where you can see re-enactments through the personages of such luminaries as Doc Toler and Dr. Willie Getbetter.

Every issue is like that, with hard-hitting historical accounts of everything Texan, from the revolutionaries at the Alamo to the oil rush of the early 20th century, to frontier riding cowboys taming a wild frontier.


The Places...
It's a travel magazine. A state travel magazine. Of course it emphasizes place above all else, but what I like about it is the way it covers out-of-the-way places that I might not otherwise have wanted to see. It talks not just about the big cities and the big name attractions, but about smaller towns and about sites that often have even more historical relevance than bigger name cousins.

Case in point: the December 2003 issue had a great article about Goliad. Goliad is a small town about 2 hours southwest of Houston. Population? Oh, maybe 500 or so. But the place is HUGELY significant, with a fabulous old Spanish mission and fort (or rather presidio, to use the spanish parlance). Goliad was "the shot heard 'round Texas" -- the place where the Texas Revolution got its steam. There's great stuff to see in Goliad, and it is a place with real history -- but that Alamo place has the mythic story and draws the big crowds.

There's photo spreads of places worth seeing: from the infamous rolling fields of wild flowers that carpet the Hill Country every year around this time, to the lights of the State Fair midway, to the sandy dunes of Padre Island. If it's beautiful pictures of Texas scenery, every issue is guaranteed to pack at least one dynamite photo spread.

Texas is a big state, with big variety. Folks might think its all flat prairie, but that's just not so. The terrain out near Big Bend is pretty mountainous, what with the Rocky Mountains somehow turning themselves into the Sierra Madres, and the Rio Grande and its tributaries cutting canyons through rocks like a hot knife through 50 percent vegetable oil spread (don't ask about the other 50 percent -- you don't want to know). There's piney forests in the north east, there's swamps in the south east. There's desert. There's plains. There's big cities. There's small towns. There's beaches. And of course, there's highways -- Texas Highways.


The People...
Despite the wild flowers and the greenery of East Texas, the state is mostly a tan kind of place. Fortunately, there's plenty of colorful people to liven the place up a bit. Texas Highways tells you about those people, whether they be tall-riding guys like the late President, L.B.J., or whether they be house rockin' guitarists like the late Stevie Ray Vaughn. Doesn't much matter whether they're pols or rockers, if they're truly Texan, then their story is fair game for Texas Highways.

I love my music, and I love tejano music more than just about any other style around. Tejano IS Texan music, and the magazine's recent article about Lydia Mendoza really showed that Texas Highways is one magazine that knows its substance. Mendoza was a classic. A real class act for more than 50 years. To read her story of overcoming adversity and making it big in the 1930s is a story not just of the music and the place, but of personal courage and dedication.


The Last Page...
I'm an insatiable reader, and I devour magazines like free peanuts during Happy Hour. Not Texas Highways though. Texas Highways is a meal that I savor and relish every bite. It's a magazine that I read when I'm settling back in the Barcalounger, chilly brew at hand, and soft boleros on the stereo. I skim through most magazines, but Texas Highways is a magazine I really read! There's a big difference....

Until next time, see you on the road. It'll probably be a Texas Highway....



Recommended:
Yes

This magazine profiles various locations throughout the state of Texas with history, some politics, and lore. It is a great read with colorful maps and pictures. A good buy!

Just what I wanted to get info on the best places to visit in Texas. The photography in TH is outstanding. You get a real sense of the beauty and history of the great state. Recommend wholeheartedly.

For decades, Texas Highways has provided travel information about the Lone Star State. Each issue of this monthly magazine contains features concerning points of interest around Texas, and the photographs accompanying the stories are top-notch. For those looking for ideas for weekend getaways, there is a section that provides a calendar of upcoming events happening all over the state. Subscribers look forward to the April issue each year, as it always contains memorable photographs of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and other wildflowers that blanket parts of the state in a riot of color each spring. Anyone who travels extensively in Texas or is planning to do so would enjoy this magazine.

We live in Texas, so I thought this magazine would inspire some Texas adventures. While the magazine is great, be prepared to wait a long time to get this after you order. I ordered in mid-April and actually got the first issue in mid-July and that was the August issue. In this day and age of technology, why does it take so long to get a magazine out? I know they say 6-10 weeks but that IS a very long time. They need to stream line these orders. If you are into instant gratification, get your copy monthly at the store.

"Texas Highways" is a great magazine for folks interested in the great state of Texas. It covers the state by regions, much like the Texas Tourism Board's travel brochure, and gives those familiar or unfamiliar with the Lone Star State a nice taste of things big and small that make Texas so unique. Recipes, travel tips, stories on locals and their haunts, music, and fun are all found here. They're all given to the reader in wonderful articles that capture this truly unique state.

In case you're wondering, I'm not from Texas. I grew up in southwest Louisiana rather close to the Texas border. I love Louisiana like few others do. However, if I had to pick another state as a favorite, Texas would be at the top of the list. I'm an Astros fan, love the music of Gary P. Nunn, and will never turn down a taste of cold Lone Star beer. It's a great state folks, and this magazine catches its spirit exceptionally well.

Great guide for traveling to all parts of the state. Have subscribed to this publication for years. I enjoy the splendid photography and the limited pages of advertising.

I've found this magazine gives us inspiration on other places to visit here in Texas..even the ads have influenced us to check out some other cities/towns. It has beautiful pictures and well-written articles. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 (4.5 would probably be more accurate) is because I would like this magazine to highlight more places to eat.

I got this for my husband because they seem to have a lot of food/restaurant stories. He says he enjoy the articles. Fascinating things about Texas. But too much filler and not enough meat. 3 good stories and lots of advertisement.

I ordered this for a gift for my husband. He was very disappointed & we will not renew.