Fort Worth - The 817 is Worth All the Hype

At one time, Fort Worth had the nickname of "Panther City" due to a story dating back to 1875.  It was rumored that the town had become such a drowsy place, that a panther (mountain lion) had been spotted sleeping on the steps of the courthouse.  In 1876 when the economy boomed due to the Texas and Pacific Railway coming to town, the city embraced the nickname of Panther City.

Things have changed since those days back in 1876.  Fort Worth has recently been named the #1 best downtown in the country to live in by Livability.com.  Fort Worth or as I grew up calling it, "Funky Town" has the true sense of culture that many Texas towns lack.  It has a very artistic side that can be found in the Kimble Art Museum.  It has one of the top Zoos in the state and a fantastic western culture in the Stock Yards.  The people of Fort Worth are friendly and posses a true "good 'ole boy spirit.

Here is a list of just a few things that make Fort Worth great:

• Bass Performance Hall
• Stockyard
• Kimbell Art Museum
• Fort Worth Zoo
• Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
• Omni Theatre
• Amon Carter Museum of American Art
• Billy Bob's Texas
• Cowtown Coliseum
• Fort Worth Botanic Gardens
• Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
• Casa Manana
• Colonial Country Club
• Sundance Square
• And More...

Check out these two videos:

Texas Residents Love to Call Texas Home

Source: D Magazine

Yesterday Gallup published a poll (see the map above) of the percentages of people in each of the United States who have a desire to move from their state. Texas was on the lowest end of the spectrum, with only 24 percent of us wanting to get out. Only Montana, Hawaii, and Maine (23 percent each) residents like where they are more.

It’s not surprising to see how many Texans are satisfied with their situation. With our relatively strong economy, relatively low cost of living, and our ridiculous sense of self-worth and belief in the exceptional nature of the Land of Friends, it’s to be expected.

See the rankings of the top and bottom of the list below. Half of everybody who lives in Illinois—the state of my birth and home to Heaven on Earth—want out. They cite the taxes.

Vox notes that fewer people are moving from state to state. The rate has fallen in half since 1990. The likely reason?

The economists who made that above chart, Greg Kaplan and Sam Schulhofer-Wohl, argued that the decline in moving in part happened because US jobs got less geographically specific, as they put it. Translated, that means it’s easier than it used to be to find a lot of the same sorts of jobs across a lot of different cities, as the Economist noted in 2012. A shift away from the goods-producing sector to services has helped this happen. Common services jobs, like healthcare and waitressing, can be done anywhere. But a lot of goods-producing jobs (manufacturing, mining, logging) have to be done in particular places (i.e. wherever the factories, mines, or trees are).

Likewise, there’s now more fluid information. People can easily look up places they might want to live. This could also be a factor that keeps people in place — they can research and hem and haw over a move, rather than crossing their fingers and driving across the country.

Royers Pie Haven

THE PIE HAVEN

Round Top, not to be confused with Round Rock is home to a modest number of 91 people. Something sets this small town apart from the rest, is it that natural southern-hospitality flare, that eclectic antique essence you can feel from every mom and pop business that inherit the land... Or is it something sweeter? Round Top is home to Royers Pie Haven. Lines and lines of people crowd into the welcoming shop just to get a lick of the best pies around.


Yes, Royers Pie Haven is without a doubt most well know for their pies but with perfect pies come a great responsibility to provide a perfect cup of coffee to wash it all down. We don't like to pick favorites but the classic Cinnamon coffee compliments any of their pies perfectly. Royers Pie Haven is a place dripping with creative spirit from the food to the aesthetics of the shop.

THE PIE QUEEN

Everything has a beginning and the founder and mastermind behind the Pie Haven is no other than Tara Royer Steele aka The Pie Queen and the daughter of Bud Royer. In September of 2011 the Haven that served as a home away from home for her customers and an outlet for creativity was up and running!

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THE PIES

The Pie Haven is now coming to Austin and will be right on the corner of 29th and Guadalupe. It is scheduled to open November 5th this year so whenever you come in to Austin stop by and get some pie!

Just a few of our favorite pies straight from the menu to get your mouth watering:

TEXAS TRASH PIE ~ OMP!!

Pecans, coconut, chocolate chips, graham crackers, pretzels and caramel…this is a toooo die for pie!!!

JUNK BERRY PIE aka CRACK BERRY PIE

Yep, named after our dear friends “THE JUNK GYPSIES” who have set up camp just down the road! A mix of a whole bunch of junk…apples, peaches, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches with a sour cream topping! To die for!

BUD’s CHOCOLATE CHIP PIE ~ OMP!

The Claim to Fame! It’s like a big Chocolate Chip Cookie with tiny bits of pecans—only better!die for!

NOT MY MOM’s APPLE PIE ~ OMP!

Six whole Granny Smith apples, in a sinful filling of brown sugar and whipping cream AND topped with a pecan and brown sugar strudel…Holy Cow!

THE SHIRTS

If you get a chance to stop by the Pie Haven in Round Top, Texas or go by the Haven located in Austin, Texas in November and be sure to pick up a tshirt with the hand-drawn design of every pie available at the shop! You know it's quality if the Tumbleweed Texstyles team is behind it!

Blue Bell Creameries

We all know that there’s nothing more American than baseball, hotdogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet, but as Texans we also know that you can’t eat apple pie without ice cream. And you can’t eat ice cream if it’s not Blue Bell ice cream. Blue Bell has been this state’s leading producer of ice cream since Blue Bell Creameries set up shop in Brenham, Texas in 1907. Blue Bell is as Texan as the flower that gives the company its name. It began as a small regional ice cream maker, not expanding outside of Texas until the late 1980’s. Even today, Blue Bell can only be found in around 20 states in the Southern / Western United States, yet it is among the top 3 best selling ice cream brands in the country. It is even rumored that Blue Bell was a favorite of President George W. Bush. And for all of you ice cream aficionados, tours of the factory in Brenham are available Monday- Friday, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. With over 60 flavors to choose from, including the very Texan Buttered Pecan, there is surely something available that will make your taste buds sing.

The Menger Hotel

Everyone knows the Alamo, “Remember the Alamo” being a phrase that is etched in the minds of all Texans. While the Alamo is the most well known attraction in San Antonio, it is not the only attraction of historical significance. Located within walking distance of the famous Alamo is one of the most famous hotels in Texas, The Menger Hotel. 

The Menger opened it doors in 1859, just 23 years after the fall of the Alamo, on the site that previously held Menger’s brewery, Texas’ first brewery. The Menger opened as a world-class luxury hotel, and it was widely regarded as “the finest hotel west of the Mississippi River.” The Menger was so highly regarded that it hosted a variety of famous guests, including Generals Lee and Grant, Sam Houston, and Presidents Taft, Eisenhower, Roosevelt, and McKinley. 

The Menger today retains all the beauty that made it so famous and successful 150 years ago. From the antique furniture in the lobby, to the famous bar where President Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders, visiting the hotel takes you back in time to when Texas was still a very young state. And if you decide to spend the night, you may even get lucky (or unlucky) and encounter one of the many ghosts that are said to roam the hotel. So next time you’re in San Antonio and you want to tour the Alamo, be sure to stop by The Menger Hotel as well. Visiting both will make your Texas history experience much more complete. 

Texas Music Festival Anticipation Guide

Texas Music Festival Anticipation Guide

Utopiafest 2013 - Utopia, TX

September 19-21, 2013

Breakaway Music Festival Dallas 2013 - Dallas, TX

September 21, 2013

Austin City Limits 2013 - Austin, TX

October 4-6 and 11-13, 2013

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2013 - Austin, TX

November 8-10, 2013

South By Southwest 2014 - Austin, TX

March 11-16, 2014

Old Settler’s 2014 - Driftwood, TX

April 10-13, 2014

Austin City Psych Fest 2014 - Austin, TX

May 2-4, 2014

Fuego Tortilla Grill

UT or A&M? This is a question that has devastated relationships, divided houses, and made buying any shade of orange or maroon risky business. So while it’s impossible to make an Aggie like UT and a Longhorn like A&M, what about the cities themselves? Is it possible that the cities in which these Universities are located have local specialties that would please even the rivals? We began our quest to answer this question by exploring College Station, and we found one of Aggieland’s most treasured jewels, Fuego Tortilla Grill.

College Station, Texas. It’s best known for being home to Texas A&M, but to taco lovers it’s known as the proud home of Fuego. Fuego is a medium sized Mexican restaurant located within a couple of minutes of A&M that dishes out great Mexican food at reasonable prices. They have a wide range of Mexican food on offer, but one of their most popular items has a distinctively Texan twist, the Dr. Pepper Cowboy. We tried out the Dr. Pepper Cowboy and we seriously enjoyed the combination of brisket, grilled onions, chipotle cream corn, and jack cheese on a flower tortilla with tangy Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce to pull it all together. The restaurant is always full, even at 3 in the morning you will find a line for the drive through that goes down the street, and the fact that the inside is as welcoming as a regular sit down restaurant means that Fuego is the best of both worlds. It can be convenient like fast food when you want it, or you can sit down with friends and have a great time when you just want to relax.

So back to A&M vs. UT. No, they will probably never agree on football or music, but after trying out Fuego, we found that food is one tie that unites this state. Food is so powerful that we are convinced that even a Longhorn could appreciate a meal in an Aggieland restaurant. 

Bat Fest

Austin is a city in Texas that is full of fun entertaining things to do at any day of the week. The ninth annual Bat Fest was this past weekend's main attraction for locals and visitors. 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from under one of Austin's bridges at dusk.

Over 75 arts & craft vendors were in attendance displaying all sorts of  local artists, fashion sellers, and various other vendors that welcomed the city of Austin's most artistic. Almost all of the artists or private vendors were from Austin or very close. The city is very well known for supporting local artists and even local food and their most popular non-chain restaurants throughout the area.

Many of the booths includes coasters that were customized to be identifiable with your favorite Austin experiance or place with icons like popular graffiti in the area and the city's most famous food trucks and pit stops.

The Bat Fest also included what they call the Bike Zoo which was a new attraction this year. Biking is one of the most popular recreational activities in Austin. Probably the two most popular things in Austin, being weird and riding bikes come together to form a bat bicycle brought to you by the most creative depths of Texas.





One of our favorite local bands played at the Bat Fest. The Quiet Company was noticed by Tumbleweed Texstyles in Marfa for Viva Big Bend earlier in the summer. We made sure to check them out again at the Bat Fest and of course they were better than ever! Of course the Quiet Company never disappoints the crowd either with their unique musical additions and overall style. Be sure to check them out as soon as you can, their music is well worth it.

At around 8 or so, when the sky slowly started dimming into dusk bats broke through the crevasses of the bridge wildly and dived out from under the bridge smoothly and fiercely, not one ever bumping into another. The sheer quantity that spilled from the cracks of their concrete home was almost only believable if you could see them for yourself.

Antique Alley Texas

Texas’ rich culture can be seen in many aspects of Texas life. The food, the music, and the overall lifestyle in Texas are all enriched by the history of this great state. Texas has long been a place where communities form with members from different parts of the U.S., and even different parts of the world. This rich diversity is very much prominent in one of Texas’ greatest traditions: the antique market / flea market. This is where pieces from different generations and different areas of the globe come together and tell a story about where they came from, and how they ended up in the Lone Star State.

There are many antique markets all across Texas. Some smaller local events are monthly, and some larger events are semiannual. One great market that is well worth the look is the Antique Alley Texas. This semiannual event takes place across 37 miles of scenic and quaint country roads about 35 miles south of Fort Worth. It spans four towns including Grandview, Itasca, Maypearl, and Cleburne. There is enough in this Texas sized event to keep you entertained for an entire weekend and more. There are traditional antiques for sale as well as great food, art, and even classic automobiles. You can drive along the highway and stop at various stands along the 37 miles. There is truly something for everyone, and you never know what you will find, or what interesting story the pieces around may have. Mark your calendars and bring a friend with a truck, the next two shows take place September 20-22, and April 18-20.

The Franklin Barbecue Experience

What BBQ line do you know that starts at 6:30am on a Saturday morning? If you guessed the unmistakable Franklin BBQ in Austin you correct! We didn't get there at 6:30 in the morning however. We arrived to contribute to the ever growing line at around 8:20 that morning and discovered that once Franklin opened at 11am we would have about an hour wait ahead of us but we were pretty much guaranteed the best BBQ you could find.

Getting closer to the main entrance! 

At around 9 in the morning Franklin BBQ associates would let us know about how long the wait would be and took estimated orders to insure the amount of meat being served would be enough. Sitting on the concrete in the early hours wasn't bad to start because the Texas heat takes a break from causing heat strokes in the mornings. But once 10:01am came around the corner so did the unforgivable Texas heat, but we were fully prepared and brought umbrellas and refreshments because we knew what to expect. Others opted to find additional shelter from the unforgivable Texas sun posted up near parked cars because the line went through and around the parking lot. Now Franklin BBQ doesn't open until 11am and it closes whenever they are completely sold out of products, at this time a sign that no one want to see is displayed in the window. 

Vintage looking signs like this were displayed throughout the restraunt

The associates are efficient and provide the best customer service even before the doors open. A couple of times before the doors opened a associate would walk down the line selling $2 Lone stars and $3 local beers including Shiner beers as well as a variety of different refreshments which were also available for cash purchase.

Shiner Beers shines bright at Franklin

Lone Star Beer was popular with the crowd

During our wait we counted about 5 huge BBQ pits that were parked behind the establishment. Old school country music filled the tin shade top just about an hour before opening that correlated perfectly with the environment of the restaurant. Aaron Franklin himself was spotted sporting our Texas BBQ shirt! We were lucky enough to snag a quick picture of him.

Aaron Franklin sporting the Texas BBQ TWT shirt

4 Tipsy Texans and 1 lb of brisket later we had our fill of Austin's most prided BBQ joint! Whenever
you are in town be sure to stop by Franklin BBQ. If you love barbecue as much as we do we guarantee you wont regret it.