Texas – a visit in the land of the cowboys

Texas – A Visit in the land of the Cowboys

Nowhere says cowboy quite like Texas, and it’s here you’ll enjoy saloon drinking, hearty cook-outs and kicking back on the ranch, yet scratch below the surface and you’ll also discover poetry slams, a food truck culture and an unlikely center for the creative arts. Know more about Texas via through the article below:

Food and Drink. You’ll smell Lockhart long before you set foot in the city, wood smoke and succulent meat tell you this is BBQ central. Texas is also home to exceptional Mexican-inspired food, known as Tex-Mex. As well as more traditional ingredients, such as tortillas, habanero chillis and refried beans, you’ll find American cheese and sour cream. If the chilli-laden foods aren’t spicy enough, copy the locals and add lashings of hot sauce to it.

Texas is home to many fine beers, most notably around Austin where the microbrewery industry has really taken off. But the daddy of all Texan beers has to be Lone Star, a pale lager served on tap and in bottles across Texas, and routinely drunk with a sense of state pride. It became popular in the ’70s as the drink of choice for country singer Willie Nelson, and it’s been a Texan favorite ever since.

Language. Keep an ear out when travelling through this big state, and you’ll be caught up in the charm of the local Texan slang. This ranges from the textbook cowboy ‘Howdy’ (or ‘Howdy, darlin’ for the ladies) to more obscure references such as ‘scared as a sinner in a cyclone’ or ‘happy as a clam at high tide’. Try a few out for yourself, but do watch out when using the popular phrase, ‘Oh, bless your heart’ – it can be used sarcastically as a way of saying, ‘Go to hell.’

Footwear. Take the reins for a ride into cowboy country in Bandera, saloons, Stetsons and studded boots are very much at home. Whether it’s for Bandera horse wranglers or Austin hipsters, there’s only one choice when it comes to footwear in Texas – the cowboy boot. Calf-high, with wooden heels and an optional pointed toe, the boots are a fashion staple. Pick up yours at the huge Allens Boots Store in Austin, where endless pairs, from practical leather to rhinestone wonders, await Music. Enjoy live music, poetry slams and a food truck culture in the state’s capital, Austin, a city that proudly calls itself “weird”. Austin is claimed to be the ‘Live Music Capital of the World’, and is awash with live music venues and honky-tonks. Country music holds sway in rural areas: listen out for the beloved song, ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’, and for simple guitar and harmonica tunes played under the stars in the Hill Country.

Travel. Embark on a classic road trip, through desert plains, mountain forests and river valleys in Big Bend National Park. Or head to West Texas to the tiny desert town of Marfa, which has become an unlikely center for the creative arts.

For more travel destinations and tips visit: Vacation-now.com