Sarah Thurmond

Austin

Editor and Writer at Freelance

Freelance editor & writer. Texas Highways Events Calendar & web editor. Formerly at Austin Monthly, Tennis, and Sports Illustrated. Born/raised on TX border.

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Articles

‘Rich Soil’ Makes Texas Premiere at Houston Botanic Garden

1 week ago | texashighways.com | Sarah Thurmond

From manicured beds filled with native and exotic plants to a thriving community garden, the Houston Botanic Garden is a lush oasis nestled within the city. Opened in the fall of 2020, the garden’s 132-acre grounds, surrounded by the Sims Bayou, are now host to Kristine Mays’ sculptural installation Rich Soil.
Roadside Oddity: The Leaning Tower of Texas

3 weeks 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.
Texas’ Historical Train Depots Get a New Life

1 month 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.
Visit the Birthplace of Shiner Beer

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.
There's More to Brenham Than Blue Bell

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.
2025 Texas Wildflowers Forecast: Year of the Late Bloomers

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.
Inside the World's Largest Sea Turtle Hospital

Mar 1, 2025 | texashighways.com | Amanda Ogle |Sarah Thurmond

Green sea turtles love to feed and nest in the shallow waters of Laguna Madre, a hypersaline lagoon and one of the seven major estuaries along the Texas coast from near Corpus Christi to South Padre Island. But during cold snaps, shallow waters mean water temperatures drop faster, causing sea turtles to become stunned in a hurry. Such an event took place in February 2021, when the severe cold front that rattled Texas caused the largest cold stunning of sea turtles in ever recorded worldwide.
You searched for college

Feb 19, 2025 | texashighways.com | Danielle Lopez |Tyson Bird |Sarah Thurmond |Art Williams
All Aboard Boxcar, Dallas' Tiny New Bar

Feb 14, 2025 | texashighways.com | Andrea Luttrell |Sarah Thurmond

Nothing says romance like cuddling up with your boo over a tasty cocktail while outside snow slowly falls, blurring the mountains in the distance. Though it’s a scene rarely found in Texas, you can still engage in the Danish concept of hygge with your sweetheart courtesy of the Boxcar in central Dallas. Co-owners Patrick Gorman, Jordan Carson, Carlos Angel, and Allen Scott opened the bar, located just a mile away from the heart of Southern Methodist University, in October.
Plant Your Own Texas Wildflowers

Nov 15, 2024 | texashighways.com | Sarah Thurmond |Danielle Lopez

It’s an overcast day in November, and Amy Medley, a lead horticulturalist at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, stands on what appears to be a bare patch of decomposed granite at the center’s 300-acre property in South Austin. Medley’s work at the center varies daily but focuses on taking care of gardens and educating guests about native plants. Raised in a town near New Orleans, she received her degree in horticulture at Louisiana State University and has worked at the center for five years.