To find the "Real Texas," where should I go, what should I eat, drink, see, and do? (Houston: how much, live)

[Former Odessan in Austin]

Originally Posted by YoungJournalist

This is gonna stir up a fight. . . And that's exactly what I'm looking for. I'm going to have the opportunity to travel around Texas for three months in the fall, and I'm going to be in search of the "Real Texas."

So, I'm looking for small towns that are oozing with Texas culture. Let's leave the big cities out of it. I know east Texas is very different from West Texas, so, if you like, you may classify a town as best in that particular region.

So, let 'er rip! Where should I go, what should I eat, drink, see, and do?

Just trying to give the original poster a clue what he is walking into. Now for some other clues Young Journalist:

On your visit to Texas always avoid the “East Texas Penciled Neck Geek” the most deadly species that has ever walked in Texas, even deadlier than the Rattle Snake and Black Widow. Easily identified, they never have a high school education or a full set of teeth and they always carry a bible in case they need to reference a quote that is meaningless to the conversation.

Also avoid Williamson County, these people claim to be part of the Austin metropolitan area but are more in tune with the Waco mind set than Austin.

As far as the small towns in Texas, I would also avoid them unless you enjoy dog fighting, male chicken fighting and Dairy Queens[SIZE=3].[/SIZE]

[WillysB]

Cowboybootnut mentioned Buffalo Gap, to which I'd like to add. Two great Texas rivers, the Colorado and the Brazos (Las Brazos del Dio as named by the Spaniards who, as reported, thought it was the Colorado) have their origins influenced by the Buffalo Gap area. That is, the watershed at the origins of those rivers is separated by the Callahan Divide through which south Texas cattlemen would drive their cattle to market. Buffalo Gap is that place in the divide through which they drove those cattle, then on north thru the Abilene area. An old gal, Bill Tom Compere, once told me she had seen that cattle drive from Buffalo Gap on north thru what is now Fort Phantom Hill Lake. Fort Phantom Hill being an outpost of the cavalry long ago, before the lake. There's also now a windfarm in the area.

And while you're out there, look up a little town called Lowake. Used to be some good steaks at a place called Lowake. Texans would drive for miles on a Saturday to dine there.

[jfre81]

Hey, what's wrong with Dairy Queen?

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by Former Odessan in Austin

Just trying to give the original poster a clue what he is walking into. Now for some other clues Young Journalist:

On your visit to Texas always avoid the “East Texas Penciled Neck Geek” the most deadly species that has ever walked in Texas, even deadlier than the Rattle Snake and Black Widow. Easily identified, they never have a high school education or a full set of teeth and they always carry a bible in case they need to reference a quote that is meaningless to the conversation.

Also avoid Williamson County, these people claim to be part of the Austin metropolitan area but are more in tune with the Waco mind set than Austin.
As far as the small towns in Texas, I would also avoid them unless you enjoy dog fighting, male chicken fighting and Dairy Queens[SIZE=3].[/SIZE]

You have no grounds to be talking about the ignorance of others.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Former Odessan in Austin

Just trying to give the original poster a clue what he is walking into. Now for some other clues Young Journalist:

On your visit to Texas always avoid the “East Texas Penciled Neck Geek” the most deadly species that has ever walked in Texas, even deadlier than the Rattle Snake and Black Widow. Easily identified, they never have a high school education or a full set of teeth and they always carry a bible in case they need to reference a quote that is meaningless to the conversation.

Also avoid Williamson County, these people claim to be part of the Austin metropolitan area but are more in tune with the Waco mind set than Austin.

As far as the small towns in Texas, I would also avoid them unless you enjoy dog fighting, male chicken fighting and Dairy Queens[SIZE=3].[/SIZE]

You do realize that you are doing the exact same thing youre accusing others of dont you?

You are stereotyping and being very closed minded. Yet, you cast stones at others for doing that.

You are what my father always refered to as a "liberal snob". Liberal snobs are people who always cast stones at other liberals, moderates, and conservatives just because they cant possibly be as liberal. There are also conservative snobs too, it works both ways.

The best way to put it to you is that you are what you hate. How do you sleep at night?

Young journalist, dont listen to him. On a good day he is ignorant and on a bad day hes just plain stupid.

[lothartheterrible]

Guys, guys, guys; don't feed the trolls. They go around message boards provoking pi$5ing matches because they either have little better to do, or are too weak to do it in person so they vent their aggression and feelings of inadequacy behind anonymity.

They're just like stray cats; ignore them and they eventually find someone else's porch to leave their droppings on.

[homeinatx]

For the OP,

I would spend a week in the Big Bend area - magnificent scenery, friendly people and a real frontier feeling. The towns near the National Park are all fascinating and very different from each other: Terlingua (reviving Mercury mining ghost town), Marfa ( old time ranchers and artsy hipsters), Marathon ( Home to the Gage Hotel - to my mind - the most beautiful hotel in Texas), Alpine (eat at the Reata for spectacular regional cuisine) - Fort Davis and the Macdonald Observatory. Drive the river road from Presidio to Terlingua - one of the most scenic drives on the continent. Float the canyons of the Rio Grande. Go to the Chinati Hot Springs. I also like the the old German Hill country towns, Boerne, Luckenbach, Fredericskburg - though the last is a bit of a tourist trap. Texas is huge, diverse and strange. The only places I would avoid would be the ghastly suburban sprawl of its major cities - the Northern suburbs and exurbs of Austin and Dallas, Houston west of the loop, Northwest San Antonio, anything outside of the museum district, stockyards and downtown Fort Worth. In those parts you could be anywhere in the U.S. There is much of interest in the urban core of all these places - world class art museums in Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth, world class libraries and archives in Austin. Go to a high school football game in any small town. Tailgate a Longhorn or Aggie football game. The beaches are mostly pretty crappy if you want blue water, real surf and white sands ( except for South Padre) but the wildlife in and around the water is incredible. Galveston is interesting in a decaying Victorian beachfront kinda way. Eat a lot of BBQ and enchiladas. Texas was made for road trips. Texas is way too big to generalize. Have a great trip!

[TexasTheKid]

Originally Posted by LAnative10

You do realize that you are doing the exact same thing youre accusing others of dont you?

You are stereotyping and being very closed minded. Yet, you cast stones at others for doing that.

You are what my father always refered to as a "liberal snob". Liberal snobs are people who always cast stones at other liberals, moderates, and conservatives just because they cant possibly be as liberal. There are also conservative snobs too, it works both ways.

The best way to put it to you is that you are what you hate. How do you sleep at night?

Young journalist, dont listen to him. On a good day he is ignorant and on a bad day hes just plain stupid.

Whoa whoa whoa... Don't cast him/her as a liberal. I'm fairly liberal and I have a few choice words for that... er... misguided person. This person isn't a true Texan and his opinion shouldn't be acknowledged anyhow. A true Texan never lets his political beliefs get in the way of a polite conversation. That's the way Louisianians act, not Texans. Take TexasReb and I for instance. On the political spectrum, we're on opposite ends, but we've never gotten into a pissing match, not once. A real Texan respects another Texan's individuality, and even encourages it. This is a state, moreso than any other, that expects its people to disagree with each other... just as long as it's done politely.

[Cowboybootnut]

Another town that I thought was neat is Santa Anna, it seems to be a growing little town, several neat shops, cafes and a Dairy Queen.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by TexasTheKid

Whoa whoa whoa... Don't cast him/her as a liberal. I'm fairly liberal and I have a few choice words for that... er... misguided person. This person isn't a true Texan and his opinion shouldn't be acknowledged anyhow. A true Texan never lets his political beliefs get in the way of a polite conversation. That's the way Louisianians act, not Texans. Take TexasReb and I for instance. On the political spectrum, we're on opposite ends, but we've never gotten into a pissing match, not once. A real Texan respects another Texan's individuality, and even encourages it. This is a state, moreso than any other, that expects its people to disagree with each other... just as long as it's done politely.

My views are also more to the left than the right (mainly socially to the left), but that doesnt change the fact that there are both liberal and conservative snobs out there. I dont like either.