Places Archives | Page 6 of 13 | Funky Texas Traveler

Aug 01 2017

Wedding haunted by Bonnie & Clyde memories

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Inside: How we found ourselves at an unintentional Bonnie & Clyde Texas wedding celebration in Llano. Simple, stressless and interesting with a whiff of outlaw danger.

Take away a propensity to rob banks and murder people and the couple whose marriage we were celebrating on a hot July night could be Bonnie and Clyde.

Both couples loved road trips, taking goofy photos, Fords and spending time with family.

While the love of family and visiting kin helped Texas Ranger Frank Hamer track down and kill Bonnie and Clyde, our friends had no qualms gathering with close and extended family on this special night.

I didn’t know about the Bonnie and Clyde connection to the setting of this wedding until I did some research on the area.

That discovery thrilled me. I believe weddings don’t have to be stressful and expensive, but they should be interesting, whether intentional or not. This bride and groom took advantage of a legendary place to unknowingly infuse an outlaw mystique to their Texas wedding.

And create a memorable weekend for themselves, their family and friends.

[Read more…]

Jul 20 2017

Port Aransas – Best Beach Town in Texas

Why do I say Port Aransas is a Texas version of Key West? Take the Conch Republic during Ernest Hemmingway’s era and relocate it to the Texas Gulf coast and you would have present-day Port Aransas. Small fish camp cottages still outnumber sprawling beach houses, but that advantage is shrinking. Cabins arranged like tourist courts from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s are holding their own against the few chain hotels which recently started appearing. A ferry from the mainland or a long drive through Corpus Christi buffers Port A’s complete transformation into a vacation-only destination.

ernest-hemingway-catching-tarpon-credit-Ernest-Hemingway-Collection.-John-F.-Kennedy-Presidential-Library-and-Museum-Boston.-690x400 Port Aransas - Best Beach Town in Texas — Ernest Hemingway, Bra Saunders, and Waldo Peirce with fish aboard a boat near Key West, 1928. Photograph in the Ernest Hemingway Collection of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

[Read more…]

Jul 10 2017

King’s Inn – Loyola Beach, Texas

This is a stop you’ll want to make!

If you are headed to or from the Rio Grande Valley for any holiday, here is a tip you will thank me for. Always make sure that you are not are traveling on either Sunday or Monday for one leg of that trip. If you follow this advice, you’ll be able to eat at least one meal on the road at the King’s Inn near Rivera on Baffin Bay. I promise that this stop will become part of your regular vacation routine. [Read more…]

Jul 03 2017

Houston’s Best Bars and Restaurants for Sports Fans

If you’re visiting NRG stadium for the rodeo or other conventions or sporting events, you may want to leave the NRG complex and see more of nearby Houston. I worked with my friends at Trip Chandler to make a guide to the best bars and restaurants in Houston for visiting sports fans!

Houston is a sports town, hosting the 2017 Super Bowl, the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four, plus eight professional sports teams of their own. Plus we put on one of the richest professional rodeos in the country. Our guide concentrates on areas around the major sports venues – NRG, Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center, BBVA Compass Stadium and the light rail that connects them. Others are a quick cab or uber ride away.

Icehouses and Taco Stands

It’s can be hot in Houston no matter what the season so we suggest you chill out as much as possible during your visit. Trade in the pub for the icehouse – our open air beer joints usually come with a selection of locally made ice cold craft beers, a nearby food truck, big screen TVs, a grumpy regular, picnic tables, some shade, misting fans, and dogs but all are laid-back and welcoming.

For old school, head to the West Alabama Ice House where Tacos Tierra Caliente is conveniently parked across the street (cash only) for a taste of local cuisine – the taco. Use caution with their red salsa!

For a new spin on the icehouse scene, check out D & T Drive Inn and their menu of Texas standards like Frito pie & pimento cheese served with Ritz crackers. If your crew craves more beverages than just beer, 8 Row Flint in the historic Heights neighborhood offers whisky, wine, cocktails, and tacos too.

Best Bars and Restaurants in Houston on rail – Downtown

If you’re staying downtown, let the rail line serve as your guide.

Highlights along Main Street include Honeymoon Café for a dose of southern hospitality, the Nightingale Room featuring both live music and LPs, The Pastry War for tequila and tamales, and Flying Saucer for wall to wall beer.

Other options just a block away from the rail line include OKRA Charity Saloon where you can legally vote in the US … for a local non-profit with every drink you purchase! Hit historic Market Square Park for classic bars with the best jukeboxes in town: La Carafe (wine & beer/cash only) and Warren’s Inn for no fuss cocktails. To score late night eats, head straight for a slice at Frank’s Pizza (open until 1 am on Thurs; 3 am Fri-Sat).

Best Bars and Restaurants in Houston on rail – Mid-Main

19005530626_d569ca1aed_z Houston's Best Bars and Restaurants for Sports Fans — Image by Ed Schipul

Further along the rail line towards NRG Arena is the Mid-Main neighborhood anchored by the Continental Club. See how Beetle, “Houston’s Best Beatle Band,” measures up Thursday for happy hour which starts at 7. Friday night, Von Hindenburg, a Led Zeppelin tribute band takes the stage followed by the Fistful of Soul dance party.

Double Trouble next door offers caffeine and cocktails, Natchee’s for American classics and Tacos A Go for more tacos of course!

Come back to shop the next day for music at Sig’s Lagoon where the walls are covered with Texas music history and My Flaming Heart for rockabilly wear and souvenirs with a soul.

Best Bars and Restaurants in Houston – Rice Village

For those with a car or uber/lyft users, Rice Village offers walkable stretches of retail, restaurants, and bars not far from the NRG Arena. Cool off with the far out ice cream confections at Cloud 10 Creamery or a scoop at the cocoa-centric Chocolate Bar. The Ginger Man has an easy-drinking vibe with a menu of beer-friendly snacks (pretzels!) and for late night eats, get in line for YoYo’s Hot Dogs – a hot dog meets crunchy roll creation crafted by a former sushi chef. (Thurs-Sun approximately 8 pm – 3 am). Listen to live music from blues to zydeco at the Big Easy Social and Pleasure Club.

For a scenic stroll, the nearby public art-filled campus of Rice University will really make you feel smart while drinking at their Graduate Student Pub, Valhalla, with budget-friendly prices. (Mon—Fri 4 pm – 2 am; closed Sat; Sun 7 pm-12 am; cash only)

Best Bars and Restaurants in Houston – NRG area

If you’re staying around the NRG Arena, sample local eats with visits to Shipley’s in the morning for donuts, lunch at Frenchy’s Fried Chicken, and a scoop at Hank’s Ice Cream (try their signature banana pudding flavor!).

The Main Street Corridor is also home to a strip of Filipino dining options: load up on comfort food at Pugon de Manila’s buffet and takeaway desserts, Manila Mini Mart for snacks, Jollibee fast food chain & Red Ribbon Bakery for their ube (purple yam) cakes and sweets.

Hotel Ylem, a new, locally owned boutique hotel hosts happy hour in their Esperanto Bar and is a short walk to the arena (along with the remains of the Astrodome!)

About Trip Chandler

Dana DuTerroil & Joni Fincham are your Trip Chandlers. Dana is a native Texan who grew up in Houston but considers New Orleans a second home. Joni is a Houston transplant via Kansas, North Carolina, Scotland and New Orleans. They have joined forces as Trip Chandler to personalize the city whether you’re here for a short stay or a permanent move. Contact Trip Chandler for your own tailor-made guide to Houston. www.tripchandler.com

About Funky Texas Traveler

Linda Ware is the Funky Texas Traveler. She is a transplanted Texan with a love for the history, people and peculiarities of her adopted state. Her blog, Funky Texas Traveler introduces natives and visitors to all things Texas. Read more about Linda and the Funky Texas Traveler blog here.

Jun 19 2017

Cooling off in the Comal River

POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS- READ DISCLOSURE FOR INFO.

The Comal River in Texas is gentle, easily accessible and located in the picturesque German town of New Braunfels. On a hot summer day, it is a wonderful escape. I recently spent a quick weekend in San Antonio with a specific goal. We were making it a point to go beyond our usual itinerary – dinner at a crowded River Walk restaurant, a cursory visit to the Alamo and margaritas and shopping at El Mercado. There was so much more and now that my daughter was living there, she had a “live like a local” plan for our two days.

We had just finished a long morning bike ride along the expanded River Walk to visit the other four Spanish Missions and recharged with a stop at a local fruteria. The idea of soaking in a natural body of water was beckoning.

A Tiny Road Trip to a Tiny River

While Fiesta Texas or Schlitterbahn are both wonderful and I’m glad we visited often when our kids were young, neither fit the bill for this weekend.

Time for a tiny road trip to a tiny little river. We drove the 40 minutes north on I-35 to New Braunfels and the shortest river in Texas – the gentle, cool, Comal.

From Spanish San Antonio to German New Braunfels

Lindheimer_haus_New_Braunfels_TX Cooling off in the Comal River — *By Darrylpearson (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons*

Parks throughout this German-settled city offer a place to tube or soak. We choose the Prince Solms Park, named for Prince Carl Solms-Braunfels, who founded the city of New Braunfels on Good Friday, 1845. The inland location of New Braunfels fared better than the Prince’s other settlement, Indianola, which was scoured off the Gulf Coast in a hurricane.

Like all city parks with Comal access, Prince Solms Park was packed with locals when we got there around 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon. We decided to embrace the exuberant chaos! It cost $15 to park at a doctor’s office but overall, a Comal visit is a good deal. Lounging in the peaceful park and swimming in the river is free and tubing is just $2 per tube on Saturday/Sunday/Holidays. Also you can bring you own ice chest, chairs, tables and canopies.

How neighbors used to spend weekends

Dogs, kids, teens, grandparents, were all floating and swimming together in much the same configuration that’s probably been around since the residents were speaking German instead of English, Spanish and Spanglish. Large family clusters had set up canopies, tables and chairs and were barbecuing. Others stacked out a square of grass with a blanket. Old school buses were around to take you “up river” so you could float back or you could walk to the end of the park and jump in.

We were looking to chill after that morning’s long ride but you can add some exhilaration to your Comal visit if you are so inclined. The tube chute gives you a rush and you can have a river-eye view of the old and new Schlitterbahn as you float past. Click here for map of options for “rivering” in New Braunfels.

Watch for slippery steps

Algae from the Comal can and does make the wide steps into the river very slippery. Most kids and some adults seemed incapable of grasping that they are actually are at risk. The city has put up many signs warning about the slippery steps. Still we saw human after human doing the classic prat fall when they let go of the railing too quick. It was amazing, as if the signs actually encouraged the attempt to beat the odds. Like I said, the Comal is cheap entertainment.

“Too many Caucasians?”

After soaking for a while, my sore bike riding muscles started to ease. We sat along the steps, watching the spontaneous community that seems to arise when you are basically sitting together in a big, cool bathtub. There was a Mexican couple sharing the steps with us while playing with their granddaughter. I would imagine the little girl was about kindergarten age. At one point, she gave my long-haired son a hard look and then turned to her grandfather.

“There are just too many Caucasians here,” she told her abuelo, in a perfect imitation of a society matron dismayed at the riffraff. Her grandfather was speechless and chagrined. “I don’t know where she heard that,” he offered. We were surprised and then charmed.

Seems like immigration furor has ebbed and flowed in both directions for centuries. As a history buff, I realized her statement echoed sentiment in Texas before we became a republic. That complaint was probably heard frequently back in 1830, when the Law of April 6 decreed a severe restriction on Anglo immigration into what was then Mexico. What will the complaint be 150 years from now?

We soaked a little while longer while having another beer (open containers are only allowed in the river). In the early evening, we said a good- natured goodbye to our disapproving seat mate and her embarrassed family and headed back to San Antonio. It was time to think about eating again.

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