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Hi, I am trying to find information on Willie Nelson's Fourth of July weekend and I am not having any luck. We are planning a vacation to Texas at that time and would like to know how to get tickets, where it is, etc. Also, I would like some info on river rafting. If you can help me out I would really appreciate it! Two Bit Rider

Talk about extremes! Most river rafting is on the Rio Grande in West Texas. I'll have to get back with you on Willie Nelson. It's hard to get him away from the Golf Course. Luckenbach is outside Austin and is frequently the site of his picnics. Go to www.traveltex.com to order the Texas Travel Guide. Thanks for reading TE. Editor

Texas on Highway 10

February 09, 2000
What would you advise us to see and do when traveling across Texas on Highway 10 in a motorhome? What all is in San Antonio to see and do? What other towns would be interesting? Any information you could send us would be appreciated. Thank you. Larry

Mr. Murphy, San Antonio is the number one tourist destination in the state - even for Texans. The newest Texas State Travel Guide just came out and can be picked up at the I-10 Welcome Station - be sure to get one. Side trips off I-10 could include Langtry, Del Rio, and Brackettville where the movie set of the Alamo is preferred to the real item. San Antonio has become the 10th largest city and it's traffic is horrible. Kerrville (on I-10) and Boerne and Fredericksburg offer a look at the "Hill Country" of Texas which is a lot more hospitable than west Texas. RV Parks are frequent. Castroville is a charming town blending European and Mexican cultures. (Alsatian immigrants founded it) This is only 30 miles west of San Antonio. RV Camping in a nice park. San Antonio will promote itself before you get there. Austin is only 80 miles north and there are two towns worth seeing on the way: New Braunfels and San Marcos. Lots to do in Austin - beautiful Town Lake with canoe rental - State Capitol Tours - O. Henry Museum - Elizabeth Ney Museum (sculptress) etc. East of San Antonio is interesting with Gonzales a must see - Read our trip to Gonzales. Our trip Swimming to Mexico features some of the Hill Country and Uvalde and Del Rio. Let us know if you go further East. There are some civilized places in Louisiana. Don't hesitate to Email us again if you have specific interests or want to go to the coast or to the Rio Grande Valley which is along the Mexican Border. It's a paradise for RVers and is a great place for birding, history and forays in Mexico. Getting to the valley you can go through Corpus Christi. Hope this was of some help. If you see something you like - let us know and we'll pass it on to others. Editor

Dear Amy, Thanks for reading TE. Since you're in Houston, a drive down 59 to Victoria/ Goliad will bring you to Coleto Creek Reservoir, which is a 3,100 acre lake. Since you still have time, try to get a copy of the Texas State Travel Guide. They have a complete listing of all Lakes in Texas. Victoria is not as charming as it was, but Goliad is timeless. Great town square and excellent restaurant (The Empressario). Two missions and historic sites on the River all within a few hours drive. The Goliad Chamber should have info on B & Bs, sorry we haven't got to it yet, it's a big state. Try www.traveltex.com or www.goliad.org. Most libraries have copies of the Texas Travel Guide. Hope this was some help. Editor

February 2, 2000

Dear Amy, It has just come to our attention that they now have Lakeside Cabins at Lake Fayette (In Fayette County, close to LaGrange). This Lake is extremely popular because it's heated by the power plant. It's sometimes called Fayette Power Plant Lake, but the fish are often record. The Chamber of Commerce in LaGrange should have information. Editor

COST, TEXAS

Friday, January 28, 2000

Hi! My [last] name is Cost and some of my ancestors settled in Cost, Texas. My ancestors came from Wurttemburg, Germany in September 1741 and part of the family kept traveling west. I have been told it was named after one of them. Could you please send me any info on the history of this town.---- Cost

Dear ---, We just passed through Cost the other day. It's only six miles from Gonzales (SW) in Gonzales County. Gonzales is SE from Austin about 60 miles. There are a few houses and a General Store that is for sale. I would estimate the population to be between 50 - 100. Check out this site: http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/. The Handbook of Texas Online can be found in TE's Links. Every October Gonzales has their "Come and Take It!" celebration. If you haven't read it, our features "Smallest Town Artillery", Gonzales Trip & Gonzales Side Trips have more details of the fight over the cannon. Their aren't too many more sites in Texas as famous. If you plan a trip I'm sure the Gonzales paper would write up your visit. We'd do it too (and do a better job). Hope this is some help. Thanks for including your address - it just so happens the Houston paper today has a feature on Gonzales which I'll send. Gonzales Co. has excellent archives for a County their size. Don't hesitate to contact us again if you have further questions. Thanks for reading TE. - Editor

Monday, January 24, 2000

Could you tell me what are the Really cool places to visit in TEXAS in 10 days trip? I am going to visit TEXAS for 10 days. I need to know what is relly cool about it. If possible send me some descriptions of this places and a rout plan - if possible. Jimi

We specialize in Small Towns which are usually not regarded as "cool". San Antonio is the major destination for US, Foreign and even Texan travelers. - Editor

Tuesday, January 25, 2000

Actually, the point of my trip is to visit places and events concerning American Cultural aspects, as for my English studies. Yes, I am aware that TX is a BIG state. It's twice or more big as my country (Poland). But I am to do a project of such a trip which may be realized this summer (I hope). I'd rather use public transportation, like trains and plains (for longer distances). To assume, I need variety of US cultural input there. So If you could probably inform me on some events during the summer/fall 2000. Regards Jim

Jimi, Thanks for your reply. As you know, America is an immigrant Nation, and Texas has had many different groups as well. The biggest influence is from Mexico and no trip to Texas would be complete without a visit to a border town. Our part (between Austin and Houston) was settled by Czechs and Germans. Danes, Norwegians, and even the Polish had colonies here as well. The Polish Colony was in Panna Maria (now nearly a ghost town). From Austin, one can travel to San Antonio in about an hour by car. Our article on Swimming to Mexico covers a lot of the Hill Country. Maps and an excellent travel guide are available in Austin. April is the best time for Wildflowers. Hope this was of some help. - Editor

Sunday, January 16, 2000

Editor, Need info on escapes to Lake Whitney. Is this the sort of thing you all do? Thanks for your help. Arthur and Linda

Arthur and Linda, Sure it's what we do. What we have on the Lake proper, comes directly from the Texas State Travel Guide: 23,500 acres of clear blue water and towering cliffs often edging the lake. Four million visitors annually. 45 miles long. Scores of Campsites, marinas, parks etc .Clifton was the main concentration of Norwegian immigrants to Texas, Hillsboro has it's recently restored Courthouse which is one of the best in Texas. The Texas State Travel Guide has an entire section on Lakes. Their website is www.traveltex.com. Hope this is of some help. If you have a good time, let us know and we'll put it in our recommendation section. Thanks for reading TE. - Editor

Travels with Penny

Tuesday, January 11, 2000

Editor: Can you suggest trips over Texas for an old lady with some handicaps of old age -----she travels with her little Welsh Corgi and wants places to stay that permit dogs (trained) The old lady is crazy about the animal and will not travel without her Would like to see historic Texas avoiding large loud cities. Can't walk very much so must be where accommodations are at ground level and parking is close to entrance. I live in Abilene. Lois

Thursday, January 13, 2000

Lois, We were just up to Abilene in November. We'd like to write about the Grace Hotel and the Railroad Station. Albany was nice as well as Breckinridge, Eastland and Baird. They make a good loop, although they are pretty far apart. Anson should be included if only for the Post Office Mural. We feel the same as you about the cities. If you really like open places where your dog can run, Menard is practically a ghost town, but has a beautiful park. Then Mason and Junction are also unpeopled and beautiful. The South Llano River runs through both. South of San Antonio is pretty desolate, but Southeast is Floresville and Panna Maria with an old Polish Cemetery. We live close to La Grange and the towns are quite open and inviting. Schulenburg has the Painted Churches, and the nearby communities of Flatonia, Moulton and Shiner are practically deserted. Goliad is wonderful, but would be for an extended trip. (See TE's Texas Trips and Texas Towns section for more information and recommendations.)

The book we highly recommend is The Texas Dog Lover's Companion and we're going to review it for our readers soon. It's much more than it sounds. It covers 94 counties and includes restaurants that allow dogs as well as motels, parks and campgrounds. It's written in a humorous style by Larry Hodge who lives in Mason and is a frequent contributor to Texas Highways and other publications. We'll be adding towns to our Texas Towns section weekly and would like for you to let us know what you find. Our focus is only on small towns. The book can be ordered from Old Main Book Store, Bastrop Texas (512-321-5517), or your local bookstore. It's 20.95 for over 600 detailed pages. Good luck on your trip(s). Thanks for reading TE. - Editor

January 15, 2000

Editor: Thank you so much for answering my request. I have ordered the book from a local source but I will be looking for your review and hope it enables me to take Penny on a number of trips across Texas or have dog---will travel. With good thoughts, Lois

East Texas; A Question prompts a feature.

Thursday, January 06, 2000

Editor, I would like to know where the little country store that is in the towns section of your web sight is located? It is such a representative picture of what you would think of as a classic country store in East Texas.

Pease do stories on unique farms or ranches in or near the towns you do stories on. We live on a very pretty farm near Hooks ( West of Texarkana 15 miles) We have a neat country store ( ramagefarms.com) A lot of towns have very interesting places just outside of town that are worth looking at and reporting on to your readers. I enjoy your site, Bart

Dear Bart, Thanks for your kind words about TE. The Country Store you mentioned is (was) in Engle, between Schulenburg and Flatonia in South Central Texas. Alas, it is now closed and devoid of even the front steps. The photo came from the Texas Highways photo archives, but it so typifies what we'd like to preserve, we used it, even though it's 10 years old. That's why we didn't include a caption. We are talking to the Texas Historical Commission and look forward to working with them to make our magazine more preservation oriented. We will be having a "building of the month", and a post card of the month, I don't see why we couldn't do a "country store of the month". Camp Verde (Bandera Co) Egypt Plantation (Wharton Co.) and Belmont (between Gonzales and Seguin) immediately come to mind. Great idea. - Editor.

From Natchez to Mobile - From Tioga to St. Joe

Monday, December 13, 1999

I just learned a little, very little about this machine, and was looking around, and found your site, and was looking for a couple of little towns that mean alot to me. And, was just wonderin', how we might get them on your site? Hal here in Tioga, Texas and originally from St. Jo, Texas.

Hal in Tioga, We love featuring small towns, providing we have the information. Do you have any information on Tioga? We deal mainly with history and architecture, but also like "human interest" stories. A lot of our readers are in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and we are always looking for stories about towns within a few hour's drive (see TE's Trip to Weatherford, Mineral Wells and Palo Pinto). Both St. Jo and Tioga qualify there. I'm writing a piece on Farmersville, but it won't be "up" until February. Local history is always welcome, esp. if it touches on the depression, or World War II. 1955 seems to be our cut-off date, based on our viewer's response. If you or anyone there or in St. Jo that would like to write a piece, let us know. We'd like to have at least 2 photos to accompany an article. Thanks for reading us and I sincerely hope we can include something on your two favorite towns. - Editor

Update: While doing research in Burnet, a small book jumped out at us. We were able to write a small piece about how Tioga almost changed its name to Autrey Springs. - Editor

More letters - 1999