Tag: Texas landmarks

Galivanting Texas-Style: Granbury for a day trip or weekend.

photo of Lake Granbury

In Texas, there’s a joke about seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer, Christmas. Texans learn early in life to take advantage of that ‘almost summer’ season. Trees bloom quickly and leaf to provide sidewalk cover. Temps can range from the balmy mid-70s to a bit of early summer scorch in the 90s: all in one week. When temps allow – Texans are ready for outside adventures. March, April, & May are prime months for small town exploration. Granbury, Texas from Dallas is a short hour & half drive – depending on traffic escaping from Dallas, and an even shorter drive – generally less than an hour, from Fort Worth. And once explorers hit US Hwy […]

Whataburger — Tasty Travels & Tr(EATS) in Texas

Whataburger – the Tale of a Legend Whataburger opened its first store in Corpus Christi, Texas in August of 1950. Hamburgers sold for .35C and milk shakes were .15C. No inside – or for that matter outside – seating. No Drive-THRU. (Although the drive-in burger joint was already popular.) No phone-in orders or GrubHub deliveries. ONE walk-up window to place an order. What gave Whataburger the edge? Perhaps it was their innovative thinking, entrenched with family-owned traditions: 1) The 5-inch paddy that required two hands to hold. (All others at the time served a 4-inch paddy). 2) The unique A-frame orange & white striped buildings. (Entrepreneur Harmon Dobson was a pilot and he wanted the […]

A Must-See-EAT for Texas Barbecue – Sonny Bryan’s landmark

Folks: a term meaning Texans and ‘others’ (anyone who hails from outside the Lone Star State) have enjoyed Bryan’s Barbecue since 1910. When visiting Dallas Texas, head down I-35, exit for a short drive up Inwood Road and find the original Sonny Bryan’s location. This hole-in-the-wall building (think old, ramshackled, faded paint, completed with a gravel-parking lot and that’s the picture) has been serving Sonny’s finest since 1958. Nestled among towering medical facilities, first-time visitors often think the interior of plank walls and old school desks belong on a movie scene. Regulars know it’s not the place but the food that counts, and old-timers still remember when saw dust covered the concrete floors, Sonny reminiscing […]

Galivanting Texas-Style: Giddy-Up to Galveston, TX

Galveston, TX, a great get-away, Travelling Texas, kmsaintjames.com

Side-note: All links have been verified and are current. All hotels or entertainment options still show an active web presence. However, due to the Covid-19 interruption, back sure to double-check if there’s an activity or hotel that is on your bucket list. While Texas beaches may not often be mentioned in the top 5 beachfront areas across the nation, or boast the pounding Atlantic or even gentle lap of Pacific waves against our Gulf coast, Texans have long found a visit to Texas beaches well worth the trip. Galveston, is a mere thirty-six miles south of Houston (well, Pasadena, which is South Houston). Houston Hobby is the closer airport if you’re planning on flying to […]

Summer Time Fun in Fort Worth — 5 TEXAS bars Worth The Stop!

Scatz Jazz Club, Fort Worth

Travelling to Texas this summer? Then stroll in for a cool (TALL) drink at any of these bars. The heat may bake Texas asphalt, but the sippin’ is easy when you know where to belly up to the bar. Much is touted about the large tourists’ bars and Historic stockyard bars in Fort Worth, Texas. Certainly, if you’ve never strolled down old brick streets, smelled lingering scents of longhorn cattle, meandered among tall cowboy hats and towering Texas hair, you need to visit the Historic edge of Fort Worth. However, there is a great deal more to Fort Worth – not the cosmopolitan feel of Dallas, not the Jazz beat of Denton, or even the […]

The Pond

On April 21st, 1836, the most decisive battle in Texas history was fought. No, not the Battle of the Alamo, (the Alamo fell on March 6th, 1836). Nope, this was the Battle of San Jacinto, in which Sam Houston and his Texas forces defeated Santa Anna and his Mexican troops in just 18 minutes. They attacked during siesta time and forever turned the tide of Texas history. So much for naptime catching up to you! Okay, I know that today is not the 21st of April – I’m a little late. But this date and its importance recently came to light. Last Monday, the 21st, my daughter who is at Texas A & M went […]

Fort Worth Botanic Gardens

All right, all right, it’s hot outside, but not unbearable. Right now, temps are hovering in the mid-90s and for Texas in August, that’s almost sweater weather. Okay, maybe it’s not that cool. Fact is we, Fort Worth-inites are enjoying breezy afternoons, occasional cloud cover and the end of summer is almost upon us. Before the dog days of summer slip away, check out the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. Isn’t that beautiful? No, I’m not being paid by the Botanical society, although maybe I should send them a bill — just a small one. This is actually a message to my fellow Texans. If you’re heading through Fort Worth, stop for a visit at the […]

Breaking for Spring . . .

The family was ALL home for Spring Break, which is joyous for a mom and wife, and deadly for a writer. I did manage to squeeze in time to write a new book blurb for my upcoming release. Don’t know yet whether it was accepted or the editors will opt for something different. At present, I’m waiting for the galleys to come back from my publisher and to see the release of my front cover! Wow, this part is exciting. As for family time. . . we engaged in several ‘fun day’ activities. We took a Vantrip to Dinosaur Valley Park in Glen Rose, Texas. Great spot—that’s located an hour and a bit from the […]