As Lyle Lovett sings, when you think of water in Texas, you likely think first of our rivers. But there’s much more water to behold around the state. Texas has one of the longest coastlines in the country, with 367 miles made up of about 60 beaches along the Gulf. With all that coastline, those beaches are bound to be varied. In our annual Water Issue, seven writers present their cases for the best beach in Texas. From the remote and sandy swaths of Boca Chica to the bright piers of Galveston, there’s a lot of beach to consider in “The Great Beach-Off.”
You get to weigh in, too. Starting on Monday, June 1, we’ll be running a best Texas beaches bracket on our Instagram account, @texashighways. For four days, you’ll be able to vote for your favorite place to enjoy the sun and surf, with the ultimate beach winner announced on Friday, June 5. Follow us on Instagram to root for the beach you love most.
Elsewhere in the June issue, Senior Writer Ian Dille visits the Guadalupe River in “Return to the River,” which offers a deep look at how communities affected by the July 4 floods are still working to recover and bring Texans back. And if you’ve ever wondered what it takes to fish on one of the Gulf’s vanishing oil rigs, writer Paul Greenberg and photographer Mac Elliott took to the deep water to document the venture in “Crude Awakening.”
With the start of summer underway, there’s no better time to find a body of water somewhere in Texas and get yourself into it. Our June issue offers plenty of inspiration to that end. See you out on the waves.
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Roughly 60 beaches dot the Texas coastline—from a remote island that has hosted five U.S. presidents to a space station with rockets blazing, to a wildlife sanctuary that makes you feel like you’re on Survivor. Here, seven writers present their cases for the best beach in Texas.
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Photographer Mac Elliott needed more than just a couple of cameras to make the images for “Crude Awakening,” which involved taking to the open water off an oil rig in the Gulf. For instance, not every shoot requires Elliott to wear a shark deterrent. “The current was ripping around the rig, but I felt confident and excited to be capturing such a rare perspective,” Elliott says. “My fins and mask really helped me maintain my positioning and gave me strength to swim.”
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Senior Writer Ian Dille went to the Guadalupe River several times over nine months to report “Return to the River,” about the year of recovery that’s taken place since the July 4 floods. Dille’s reporting led him to meet people who’ve lived and worked along the river for years, even lifetimes. Through talking with locals, Dille explored what visitors would mean for the community.
TH: Are there any details from your reporting that stick with you?
ID: Yeah. I mean, you’re sitting with people in the worst moments of their lives. None of that ever leaves you, really. It doesn’t shape you like it shaped the people you’re talking to, but it certainly shapes you in an indirect way.
TH: Did you get a sense of what people should keep in mind as they think about when they want to return to the river themselves?
ID: I think it really depends on the individual. Some people felt compelled to go to the river that same day—there were over 12,000 volunteers that showed up in the wake of the flood. And then some people who maybe haven’t been or know it as intimately may not be ready to return. I think everybody will hopefully trust their own best judgment and know when the time is right for them. One thing that came up in the story was that you do have to acknowledge what happened. Part of returning to the river is developing an understanding of the tragedy that occurred there. The river remains a really special place.
TH: What will the next few years look like for people who live and work along the Guadalupe River?
ID: We broke down the recovery into three types in the story. There’s the physical recovery, which you can see, and that will never be complete because the Guadalupe will always be recovering physically. Then there’s the financial recovery and the economic loss, which my story refers to directly. That will be an ongoing and evolving recovery. And then there’s the mental and emotional recovery, and that’s the part that I think the community is really working through now, and that work will never really end. I think as people return, it will be about understanding that the recovery isn’t just the physical recovery of the river. It’s all these other factors that we can’t see.
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Venture outdoors, catch a live concert, have a pint on a brewery patio, and spend your summer vacation living the good life in Bryan.
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When photographer Mac Elliott joined a fishing trip to an oil rig off the Texas coast for “Crude Awakening,” she saw jackfish, barracuda, and sea chubs like these. “They’re scavengers and will eat just about anything,” she says. “A captain friend of mine calls them the garbage disposal of the sea.”
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Start 2026 with an outdoor getaway in Conroe. Whether you’re hiking, birding, or fishing, you’ll find beauty and adventure in every direction.
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WILL VAN OVERBEEK/TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
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In May 2024, as our team was scoping out locales for our July/August cover, we rediscovered Hancock Springs Park in Lampasas. What an unexpected gem. At first, it was like finding a needle in a haystack, with recent construction leading us on a few detours. But once we entered the grounds, we saw water so clear that every detail of the stone and concrete bottom was visible even in the deepest end of the pool. As we explored our surroundings, we encountered the source of the spring: Water was gurgling and rising from deep within the earth as it followed a concrete aqueduct to its temporarily contained quarters. The pool itself is average size, but I imagined how popular this spot would be with locals in the heat of a Texas summer. After about a half hour on location with the sun beating overhead, we were unable to resist the temptation and jumped in. The shocking cold made it clear we were in a spring-fed pool. —Mark Mahorsky
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Your insider’s guide to events, stays, and reservations to plan ahead of the curve for future travels.
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Visibility of the Perseid meteor shower is expected to be stellar in late summer, peaking in the early morning hours in mid-August. Revel in the best dark skies around by booking your far West Texas retreat.
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Universal Frisco, designed especially for families with young kids, makes its debut this year. Be among the first to experience Shrek’s Swamp, Jurassic World Adventure Camp, and more. universalkidsresort.com
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There’s plenty of time to check out Schlitterbahn New Braunfels’ newest attraction, Wasserbahn Racers, a three-lane mat-racing slide that reaches speeds of more than 24 mph. sixflags.com/schlitterbahnnewbraunfels
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Wellness brand Canyon Ranch is opening its first Texas resort this fall, boasting the largest spa in the state. Make reservations now for a mind, body, and spirit getaway. canyonranch.com/austin
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Published ten times annually by the Texas Department of Transportation’s Travel Information Division, Texas Highways, the official travel magazine of Texas, encourages travel to and within the Lone Star State and tells the Texas story to readers around the world.
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