On the Road

Snap plenty of pics throughout an art-filled visit to Palestine

Originally established in 1846, Palestine scores high on history and East Texas small-town charm with 1,800 historic sites, including the Main Street District and a whole host of architectural gems.

But it’s also fast becoming a go-to destination for its vibrant arts and culture scene.

Here are some ways to get your art fix while you’re in town.

Stay and see
When you stay at the historic Redlands Hotel — a piece of art history in its own right — you have a built-in art gallery right onsite with The Gallery at Redlands.

The hotel first opened in 1915 to attract visitors and businesses to downtown Palestine. Fast forward more than a century and it retains its historical flair but with modern upgrades and additions, including a restaurant, shops, and office space.

The gallery shows off the work of watercolorist David Tripp, whose subjects are drawn from American nostalgia. He often gains inspiration during road trips to sleepy Texas towns along county roads.

Take an art tour
With Palestine’s self-guided, public art itineraries — available on its website and app — you can follow a series of trails around town.

The Art Tracks 2022 Sculpture Tour features 13 whimsical, large-scale pieces by East Texas artist Jeffie Brewer.

Find more ’grammable moments with the Mural Challenge, which includes 24 eclectic pieces of wall art that range from intricate history pieces to rad word art and everything in between.

You may also likely bump into some colorfully painted cabooses, too. There are close to 50 of them sprinkled around the city, paying homage to Palestine’s roots as the final stop on the historic Texas State Railroad.

Shop artisan finds
Take home a piece of Palestine’s art scene from the shops lining downtown and Old Town Palestine. From fine art to glass-blown pieces, sculptures made from automotive and industrial components, and more, you’ll find shelves and walls full of creativity.

Learn more, see a calendar of events, and plan your art-fueled getaway at Visit Palestine.

Palestine boasts a number of public art pieces, including murals and sculptures.

Photo courtesy of Visit Palestine

Palestine boasts a number of public art pieces, including murals and sculptures.

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SUMMERTIME blues

Houston scores surprise spot in new ranking of top summer travel destinations for 2023

Memorial Park renovations Eastern Glades

Courtesy photo

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We now know that Houston has seen one of the biggest gains in new residents in the U.S. But how high does the rest of the nation rank our fair city as a place to visit?

Perhaps not as high as we may think, per a new list of the best places to visit in the summer. Houston comes in at a surprising No. 38 out of 100 of the largest metro areas in America, according to the 2023 edition of WalletHub’s report.

The report compared the cities across 41 metrics, including number of attractions.

Taking the top spot in Texas San Antonio at No. 11, with Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown at No. 14. Behind Austin and San Antonio in the 2023 rankings is El Paso (No. 18), Houston (No. 38), Dallas-Fort Worth (No. 45), Corpus Christi (No. 62), and McAllen (No. 86).

Dr. Susan Weidmann, assistant professor in the department of recreational management and physical education at Appalachian State University, said in the report that summer 2023 is going to be a “good season for travel” despite recent economic downturns that have many worried about a recession.

“Coming out of Covid, I think many people have taken these last few years to really evaluate what they want out of life, and for those that love travel, I think they have probably put it at the top of their list of things to do,” she said. “As far as economics are concerned, many may have saved their traveling money from the last multiple years, so will have money to spend. That being said, after the airline chaos of last year, many people may be thinking about domestic travel over the long-haul, just to alleviate many of the concerns that airlines, especially in Europe, are still grappling with, such as reduced staffing leading to flight cancellations.”

Dr. Weidmann predicts the time period between July and early August will be the most popular season for National Parks, like Texas’ Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains.

Despite none of them being in Texas, the top 10 destinations in WalletHub’s report are all popular cities worth a glance in sun-friendly states like Hawaii, New York, and Florida.

The top 10 best summer destinations are:

No. 1 – Atlanta
No. 2 – Honolulu, Hawaii
No. 3 – Washington, D.C.
No. 4 – Wichita, Kansas
No. 5 – New York City
No. 6 – Chicago
No. 7 – Tampa, Florida
No. 8 – Orlando, Florida
No. 9 – Richmond, Virginia
No. 10 – Springfield, Missouri

The full report can be found on WalletHub’s website.

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