Suzy Banks

Features

Child’s Play

Summer vacation is right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean you should panic. We’ve rounded up 68 of our favorite things to do with your toddlers, teens, and every kid in between. Dance the hokey pokey. Rope a horse. Eat way too many hot dogs. Zip down a waterslide. And yes, feed the animals. (April 2008)

Home on The Range

(October 2007)

Dinner Is Served

(October 2007)

River Deep, Mountain High

There are any number of fun, adventurous, and unexpected things to do in the Big Bend region of far West Texas. Here are fifteen of my favorites, including scuba diving in Balmorhea, gliding over Marfa, drinking a microbrew in Alpine, horseback riding in Fort Davis, and floating through the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande. (October 2007)

Shore ’Nuff

The best beaches in Texas for—among other summertime pursuits—shelling, strolling, birding, fishing, treasure hunting, turtle herding, solitude, and surfing, dude. (June 2007)

Free for All

Eighty-five incredibly fun things, from movies to museums, that won’t cost you a red cent. (August 2006)

Hill Country

West from Dripping Springs to Johnson City, south to Blanco, southeast to Fischer, east to Wimberley, and north to Dripping Springs. (April 2005)

Where to Stay Now 2004

Ten Texas hotels I can recommend without reservations, plus the state's best rooftop pool, outdoor bar, and more. (October 2004)

Coasting

Since I was a kid growing up on polluted Galveston Bay, I’ve held a grudge against the watery edge of Texas—but no more. Protected wetlands! Pelicans and turtles! Historic buildings! Edible oysters! And that’s not the half shell of it. (June 2004)

This Land is Your Land

With more than 600,000 acres of state parks, historic sites, and natural areas, Texas can be a perfect playground for every type of outdoor adventurer—if you know where to go. We do. (March 2004)

25 Things I Love About Dallas

Including my favorite movie theater, a wheely big bike trail, a hardware store with knowledgeable clerks (!), and the most sensuous pedicure a girl could ask for. (September 2003)

Ojo Caliente, New Mexico

(August 2003)

How Sweet It Is

We Texans go bananas over peaches, buying them by the bushel, making pies and preserves, freezing them for the future. So what are you waiting for? Bite into summer and let the juice dribble down your chin. (June 2003)

Head for the Hills

A friendly bar in Johnson City, a grand old opry in Mason, a cabin with a view of the Sabinal Canyon, and 22 other things I love about the Hill Country. (April 2003)

Michoacán

(October 2002)

My Kind of Town

(September 2002)

My Kind of Town

(September 2002)

My Kind of Town

(September 2002)

My Kind of Town

(September 2002)

My Kind of Town

(September 2002)

My Kind of Town

(September 2002)

My Kind of Town

(September 2002)

My Kind of Town

The Bank of America Center and 24 other things I love about Houston. (September 2002)

San Antonio to El Paso on U.S. 90 and Interstate 10

An old opera house, Judge Roy Bean's grave, ancient pictographs—and a drug blimp. (May 2002)

The Shops Around the Corner

In these big-city neighborhoods, at these offbeat stores, you'll find the perfect presents—from lava lamps to vintage kimonos—for everyone on your list. (December 2001)

Old-Fashioned Texas

Texas is changing before our eyes, but fried pies, drive-in movie theaters, and other vestiges of earlier days are all around. To find these treasures, we risked life, limb, and cholesterol count-and had a blast from the past. (August 2001)

On the Water Front

Summer’s blast furnace is firing up. Luckily, Texas is a paradise of spring-fed pools, sparkling beaches, and more. Here are our picks for the best places to chill out, get wet, and go off the deep end. Plus extra web-only information! (June 2001)

Fifty Gifts Yule Love

Attention, holiday shoppers: Time's a-wasting (but help is on the way). This quirky compilation of Texas-made goodies—from mesquite dominoes to mohair throws—should have something for everyone on your list. (December 2000)

Science • George F. Bass

Dive, he said. (September 2000)

Great Escapes

From a boutique hotel in hip South Austin to a bed-and-breakfast across the Mexican border, from fly fishing on the Llano River to bathing in the Chinati Hot Springs, 33 getaways the guidebooks don’t tell you about, courtesy of our intrepid staff of weekend warriors. (June 2000)

Hey, Dude

You might be bunking in a room that would give Martha Stewart seizures, but at these eleven guest ranches you can saddle up and get in touch with your inner buckaroo. (October 1999)

Garden Variety

From antique benches to cast-iron planters, a selective guide to the yard art of your dreams. (June 1999)

Hotels

Big, breezy porches in Port Aransas, the only heated pool for miles in Marathon: You’ll get more than just a bed and breakfast at these ten appealing places to stay. (March 1999)

Tales of the Bazaar

From First Monday Trade Days in Canton to Market Days in Boerne, our guide to Texas’ best troves of trash and treasure. (October 1998)

The Handmades’ Tale

These twelve Texas artisans herald the victory of man over machine, carefully crafting wood, metal, or stone into items for your home and hearth that are tomorrow’s heirlooms today. (July 1998)

Ramblin’ Roses

Texans are rediscovering antique roses, the hardy, neglected beauties that decorate old graveyards and abandoned houses across the state. Whether you buy them from a nursery or rustle cuttings from the wild, here�s the dirt on how to grow your own. (March 1998)

Lights! Camera! Auction!

All over Texas, smart shoppers are bidding on everything from antiques to airplanes. Join them before the best buys are going, going, gone. (December 1997)

Go Wild

With a little planning and these gardening tips, growing your own wildflower meadow will become second nature. (March 1997)

Border Bargains

We’ve found thirty shops just across the Rio Grande where you can buy everything from hand-carved furniture to whimsical walking sticks. The quality is high, the prices are right, and you don't have to pay in pesos. (December 1996)

Columns | Miscellany

The Horror! The Horror!

How my lifelong dream of writing a novel turned into a nightmare. (January 2007)

Scent and Sensibility

Sweaty socks, cat urine, dead skunks: Three cheers for having no sense of smell. (January 2006)

Rental Illness

When people hear I’m a landlady, they tell me I should have my head examined. Yep. (October 2005)

Rio de Enero

When the San Antonio River’s downtown stretches are drained for a week each January, the crowds may ebb too. But it’s a perfect time to discover the waterway’s more natural side. (January 2004)

Track Record

It's not easy, exactly, but it is possible to get from Texas to places like New Orleans and Chicago on a reasonably comfortable Amtrak train. Just don't expect to be on time. (June 2003)

Back to the Future

Lured by the lucre of tourism, many small towns can't resist quainting themselves to death—which is why true-to-itself Fayetteville is such a pleasant place to visit. (March 2003)