Frommer's Texas

I reviewed the previous edition of this book and thought I should see how the new one (the 2009 edition) stacks up. To provide some background, I live in Houston and I like to use travel guides like this to find new places to visit, restaurants to dine in, etc. - I've made a lot of nice finds so far. What follows is my detailed take (hopefully not too much so) on what it gets right and wrong... Most of what I said before still applies... the previous edition was spot-on in its coverage of the big Texas cities but a bit lacking in details for the less-traveled, more scenic destinations. Lo and behold, they actually have expanded those sections a bit (especially West Texas) and re-organized them to boot. I still say the Hill Country deserves its own chapter (and made mention of the spring bluebonnet blooms and certain personal faves like Natural Bridge Caverns and Lost Maples State Park), but the guide hits all of the high points. I also still wish they mentioned some of the more spectacular day hikes in Big Bend - The Window and Lost Mine Trails - and had more details on Big Bend State Park (at least it's mentioned this time), but those are minor issues - and coming from a total outdoors freak such as myself. The other few minor quibbles I have is on some restaurant choices (no Taco Taco Cafe in San Antonio? Loma Linda is _still_ in there, for Houston?). The choices are certainly not bad and all the essentials seem to be there, but especially for Houston it would've been nice to see some of the more exciting new eateries that have sprung up the last several years (Feast, a British-style "tail-to-snout" eatery that I'd venture to say is unique in the entirety of Middle America; award-winners such as Reef, Cova, and Catalan; Danton's for Gulf Coast eatin' and its jazz brunch; Max's Wine Dive, Textile, Bedford, T'afia, Tony's... and this is just for Houston!). Here I actually give a tip of the hat to Fodor's. I could go on and on, but this review is already too long; I am sort of a food fanatic though, so take all that with a grain of salt if you're not. The hotel listings, on the other hand, seem adequately up-to-date. In the end, though, I realized it's amazing how much is in this guide while at the same covering the vast, diverse hugeness that is Texas. It's hard for me to think of a guide describing the state much better without becoming absurdly huge, and there are really no glaring omissions that I can think of. Plus, they do a good job of giving you a feel for each destination. For the majority of travelers (even picky ones such as myself), this guide will be more than adequate - 5 stars.

I think I understand the caveats the other reviewers have for this book; it basically boils down to this: this book is either excellent or mediocre, depending on what you are looking for. In a logical decision, this book devotes most of its space and in-depth coverage to the parts of Texas that 90% of travelers will probably be visiting: the cities. The coverage of San Antonio & Austin (IMO, the top 2 cities for out-of-staters) and others like Dallas/Ft. Worth, El Paso, Corpus Christi and Houston (of which I am a native) are great. You really get a feel for the cities and the listings of must-see places, lodgings, and eateries are right on the money. On the other hand, if you are a vacationer looking for a _scenic_ trip, that's another story. Visitors may be shocked at how un-scenic the vast majority of Texas is, it being the largest state in the lower 48 and a gateway to the West after all. While it's all just fine for us natives, visitors may be dismayed to find that the state is overwhelmingly flat; the north is reminscent of the plains states, the wilderness in the east is impenetrable and swampy, the beaches to the south are unremarkable by the standards of what the best of the U.S. has to offer. The west, in its vastness, contains some of the desolate stretches you may ever see. Many of these areas are also covered in the book as best as they can be covered (and don't get me wrong, there's some great things to do and see in all these places). That leaves the scenic parts of Texas, which are very breathtaking indeed. The Hill Country, west of San Antonio and Austin (in the central-ish part of Texas) is gorgeous, as are Palo Duro Canyon far to the north, the Guadalupe Mountains/McKittrick Canyon and the Big Bend area in the west. The problem is, except the Hill Country, they are pretty far off the beaten track (I can count on one hand the number of people I know who have visited Big Bend, one of the least visited National Parks in the country). The coverage of these areas in the guide, although not bad, can definitely be improved. The Hill Country is treated as "side trips" from Austin or San Antonio; I say it definitely merits its own chapter. There are many state parks in the Hill Country area that are not mentioned, also they can emphasize some of the activities that natives like to do there: wildflower watching and "tubing" on the rivers, for example, along with the many great towns. As another reviewer mentioned, the dining/lodging information for West Texas can be improved on; I would've liked more information on the gateway towns of Big Bend: Ft. Davis (the Davis Mountain loop drive is cool), Marfa (which is mentioned shortly), Alpine, Marathon, maybe even Presidio. Big Bend Ranch State park is not mentioned at all (the River Road is awesome, btw). For what it does cover, Frommer's Texas does a great job and is a worthwhile guide to have. If they expanded upon some of the more scenic areas of Texas, I'd easily give it 5 stars.

We are planning a long weekend trip to Houston and found that this book provided more than enough detail on where to stay and what to see. It's well organized and has a sufficient level of detail. I know Dallas pretty well, and skimming that section hit all of the high points I remember and made several suggestions for newer attractions that I did not know about.