Fall getaway

The ultimate West Texas getaway for hip travelers awaits in El Paso

The city of El Paso gets its name from a centuries-old route through the mountains along the Rio Grande. It lies at the far western tip of Texas — in a separate time zone, in fact — with not only a unique geography, but a singular and vibrant culture shaped by a colorful history and long relationship with Mexico.

The city makes a great fall getaway, and it could use some love after the tragic terrorist attack in early August. So, if you're heading west, make sure to add these activities to your El Paso trip list.

Where to stay
The Aloft El Paso Downtown is part of the revamped O.T. Bassett Tower, an Art Deco structure designed by architect Henry Trost, who also designed The Gage Hotel in Marathon and El Paisano Hotel in Marfa.

The oldest continually operating hotel in the city of El Paso, Gardner Hotel and Hostel once hosted bank robber John Dillinger and two members of his gang. Today, the hotel offers family, double, and single rooms, as well as dormitory and communal areas for budget-minded travelers. Many rooms contain the original antique furniture.

Hotel Indigo occupies a former 1960s-era Downtowner Motor Inn and its fifth-floor pool and bar, Circa 1963, overlook the city.

What to drink
Located near Union Plaza on the south side of downtown, DeadBeach Brewery serves a dozen craft beers. The selection varies weekly and ranges from its Chi-Hua-Hefe Hefeweizen to brown ale, lager, pale ale, and a raspberry sour ale. On tap or to-go, with street tacos, sandwiches, and snacks available.

The Hoppy Monk serves a variety of craft brews, including many from around Texas and New Mexico, on draft, in bottles, or by the flight. The food menu runs the gamut from tacos (of course) to New Orleans-style sandwiches, burgers, and more.

What to eat
Located in the historic Five Points area northeast of downtown, Salt & Honey gets you going with locally roasted coffee and an extensive menu of coffee drinks. Grab a cup and feast on fresh-baked pastries or classic breakfast items. For lunch, Salt & Honey offers sandwiches, salads, and sides.

L&J Café calls its fare "authentic border Mexican food" and has been since 1927 in a historic building near the even more historic Concordia Cemetery. All the classics are available, including enchiladas, fajitas, tacos, and burritos, along with plenty of cold beer to wash it down.

An El Paso institution for some 60 years, H&H Carwash and Coffee Shop provides a full stomach and a clean car. Grab a stool at the classic diner counter and enjoy enchiladas and other Tex-Mex fare at this working carwash. Open for breakfast and lunch.

The Tap, an authentic dive bar on East San Antonio Street in the heart of downtown, is known for its nachos but has a full Tex-Mex menu and bar. Inside, patrons find all the requisite bar accoutrements, such as live music, pool tables, and flashy neon lights.

Learn something new
The El Paso Museum of History covers the 400-year multicultural backstory of this border region through multiple interactive galleries. Two areas host traveling exhibitions, while the second-floor space highlights important individuals and businesses in El Paso. Other galleries explore centuries of cultural history and neighborhoods.

Wander through 14,000 years of history at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, located off Transmountain Road at the base of the Franklin Mountains. An outdoor nature trail features Chihuahuan Desert native plants and offers the perfect mid-vacation respite.

Chamizal National Memorial commemorates a 1963 treaty that ended a century-old boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico caused by a change in the course of the Rio Grande. The museum explains the long and convoluted story well, and there is also an art gallery and, outdoors, hike and bike trails on the 55 acres. The site hosts the Borderlands Heritage Festival on Saturday, October 26.

Ride a vintage El Paso Streetcar restored with the original color scheme from the 1950s and '60s. The 4.8-mile route takes two loops through El Paso’s uptown and downtown areas, connecting an international bridge, baseball park, historic neighborhoods, restaurants, and the University of Texas at El Paso.

San Jacinto Plaza covers a full downtown block, centered by a massive fiberglass alligator sculpture by Luis Jiménez, a nod to the real ones that once occupied a nearby pond (they moved to the zoo long ago). Permanent pingpong tables, gardens, benches, and a snack bar are also available to make a day of it.

Outdoor adventures
The city completely surrounds Franklin Mountains State Park, which features more than 100 miles of trails for hiking and biking. The park also offers designated rock climbing areas, camping, and bird watching. Among the 100-plus species of birds that visit or live here are golden eagles, ash-throated flycatchers, calliope hummingbirds, and pyrrhuloxia.

Birds are big at Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site, too, with more than 200 species recorded. The park is named for its natural rock rainwater basins, or huecos (pronounced whey-coes), sources of water that attracted people centuries ago. Those people left a vast collection of rock paintings behind that can viewed while on guided tours, offered Wednesday through Sunday, based on availability of guides and booked at least a week in advance. The park also issues permits for 70 people to take self-guided tours of the rock art each day. Guided and self-guided rock climbing is available as well, and the park has camping, hiking, and picnicking.

El Paso.

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El Paso.

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Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

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