Sarah Thurmond

4 days ago | texashighways.com | Sarah Thurmond

“It didn’t just appear in Groom,” Vince Britten says of thewater tower that reads “Britten U.S.A” along Interstate 40’s westbound frontage road. Also known as the Leaning Tower of Texas, the structure rests at a seemingly precarious angle, and has been catching travelers’ attention since the late Ralph Britten installed it in the early 1980s. I-40 U.S. Rte. 66, Groom, TXMap itThe tower isn’t the tallest or most popular roadside attraction in Groom, a town of 549 in the Texas Panhandle.

2 weeks ago | texashighways.com | Sarah Thurmond

In 1899, Belton’s red train depot was a stop on a 7.14-mile branchof the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (the Katy, for short). It bustled with train passengers and goods coming and going from as near as Waco and as far away as St. Louis. As the 19th century turned to the 20th, the depot became a stop on the Belton Railroad, hauling freight to and from Temple—and then it eventually shuttered. For decades, the depot stood empty.

1 month ago | texashighways.com | Sarah Thurmond

Dozens of Texas towns have a population in the low 2,000s—from Canadian to Rio Hondo and West Tawakoni to East Bernard. But among these, Shiner looms a little larger than life in the Texan consciousness, thanks to a rich history and a historical brewery. Before the famous Spoetzel Brewery, home of the beloved Shiner beer, there was Half Moon, a trading post and post office in Lavaca County, about 90 miles south of Austin and 90 miles west of San Antonio. But when Henry B.

2 months ago | texashighways.com | Rebecca Deurlein |Sarah Thurmond

One of the signs that spring is, well, springing in East Central Texas is the annual pilgrimage to the Round Top Antiques Show, which dominates the landscape this time of year. Known as “The Show,” it brings crowds, adrenaline, and some hefty price tags to Round Top, along with Burton, Warrenton, and Blue Hills—all within an 11-mile radius and offering antiques shopping of their own.

Mar 4, 2025 | texashighways.com | Asher Elbein |Sarah Thurmond

Every spring, colorful carpets of wildflowers appear in fields and roadsides across the state. But this year may not yield quite as many bouquets as usual. The tumultuous weather of 2024—particularly the lack of fall rains—is likely to yield a distinctly patchy season for blooms, says Andrea DeLong-Amaya, director of horticulture at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.