Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – Davy Crockett National Forest

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Whenever you find yourself in East Texas, you never really want to peel back the preverbal pine curtain.  Instead, you want to get lost in it.

Texas is home to four National Forests and in between Crockett and Lufkin, you’ll find the Davy Crockett National Forest.  “This area serves the public I think in so many different ways,” said Jimmy Tyree.

Jimmy is the District Ranger for the Davy Crockett Davy Crockett National Forest and doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to his favorite forest in Texas. “Oh, it’s Davy Crockett. A little bit small, 160,000 acres, but does a lot of work,” said Jimmy.

At the center point of the Davy Crockett National Forest, you’ll find the Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area.  Built by the Civilian Conversation Corps in 1936, it’s a great place to set up camp. “[There] really is not a bad campsite in the whole place,” said Jimmy.

The sights, the smells, and the sounds are what set this park apart. “A lot of people enjoy the quietness and the birds,” said Jimmy.

Simply sitting back and letting the songbirds serenade you is something that’s good for the soul. “Well, nobody gets a chance to be quiet anymore. Not enough people are quiet. There’s something to be said about that,” said Jimmy.

This place is so peaceful that no matter what the season, people like to come here. “We are full almost year-round, even in the summertime when it can be brutal. People are still coming out here enjoying it and that says a lot,” said Jimmy.

Before this park of the National Park became such a safe haven for trees that can touch the top of the Texas sky, it was surprisingly home to a sawmill.  “1902 to about 1920, the Central Coal and Coke Company logged here. And then in 1930, the Texas legislature at that time identified this area as something they wanted to go ahead and put into the National Forest system. And then in 1936 is when Roosevelt actually designated the Davy Crockett National Forest,” said Jimmy.

“So, these are the ruins from the old sawmill from 1902 to 1920 and this whole area had at that time, up to 30,000 people. You wouldn’t know it now,” explained Jimmy while walking around the ruins that have forest surrounding them now. “Nowadays the population’s probably less than 500 for both areas. The amount of timber that was produced from this mill back then is just amazing. And one of the biggest, at that time, this mill was one of the biggest in the nation,” said Jimmy.

I can’t get over the fact that so much of the old factory is still there, from formed foundations to massive metal pieces sticking out of stone columns.  “Artifacts are always being discovered, different things. It isn’t a very active site as far as anytime anything happens here, anytime any work is done, we always have an archeologist on site monitoring it, because something is usually always dug up,” explained Jimmy. “A lot of folks look at the pictures from the 19 hundreds, 1920s, 1930s, and they don’t recognize that this is the same place because back then you could see miles, there were zero trees. They had cut everything down.”

It’s amazing to see what can grow in a hundred years. To this day, logging is still a vital part of the national park.  “We’re still able to provide a tremendous amount of timber. In fact, the output here in the southeast region, we’re one of the tops of the nation even though we’re down in the southeast. A lot of folks think of the big timber production being up in the northwest, Pacific Northwest, but we actually compete with them down here very strongly,” said Jimmy. “The quickness that the timber grows here is nothing like I’ve experienced in other places. This area is very unique in that respect.”

American poet Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.”  Well what tall Texan doesn’t want to be just a little bit taller. So, take a little time to breathe in the pine or maybe search for the hide and seek champion of the world, because I don’t have to go out on a limb to say that this is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List. “It’s a little jewel for this area. It absolutely is,” said Jimmy.

The Texas Bucket List – Season 20 Bite of the Season

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Season 20 of The Texas Bucket List has come to a close, and it’s time to reveal our five favorite bites from Season 20! This season of The Texas Bucket List was filled with flavorful, sweet, spicy, surf and turf, along with some more delicious local cuisine. All were deserving of recognition, and they are all well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List! But listed below are the Top 5 Bites from Season 20 of The Texas Bucket List! (CLICK ON PICTURE TO WATCH THE STORY!)

 

#5 Portis Kountry Kitchen in Corpus Christi

Over Corpus Christi, Portis Kountry Kitchen serves up home cooked soul food in the basement of a building! This hidden gem of a restaurant has earned the number five spot on this season’s Bite of the Season.

 

#4 Fragola’s in Del Rio

Down in Del Rio, Fragola’s combines sweet honey and spicy jalapeno to deliver the perfect chicken sandwich, earning it the number four spot on this season’s Bite of the Season.

 

#3 Uncle Jack’s in Tyler

In Tyler, Uncle Jack’s serves an incredible seafood bowl with unique and snazzy sauce combinations. At this restaurant, you are sure to get some seafood with really rich flavor.

 

#2 Mahi Nic’s on South Padre Island

Over on South Padre Island, Mahi Nic’s serves up some fantastic Mahi, of course, a massive burger, and some of the most ridiculous fries I’ve ever found. With big flavors and sea breezes, Mahi Nic’s earned themselves one of the top spots on this season’s Bite of the Season!

#1 Spice Station in Kingsville 

 

Spice Station in Kingsville has found a way to make authentic Indian food memorable. Z and his family allow their customers to sample anything and everything before buying. This sweet and spicy restaurant takes the number one spot on this season’s Bite of the Season!

The Texas Bucket List Receives Four Telly Awards for TV Excellence

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Twenty-Two-Time Telly Award winning TV series, The Texas Bucket List, is recognized for being a distinctive representation of video excellence.

The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens. The Texas Bucket List was presented with four of these esteemed awards from the 44th Annual Telly Awards season. Since 2013, the show has received a previous total of eighteen Telly Awards. The Texas Bucket List is now a twenty-two-time Telly Award winning TV series with a record of creativity and sincerity in telling the stories of Texas.

The Texas Bucket List received our first Gold Telly Award in the category of General: Biography. We also received two Silver Telly Awards in the categories of General: Biography, as well as in General: Food & Beverage. Lastly, we received a Bronze Telly Award in the category of General: Cultural.

The Texas Bucket List – A Prayer on the Wings of a Bluebird is the Gold Telly Winner in General: Biography

The Texas Bucket List – Deputy Bill Hardin is the Silver Telly Winner in General: Biography

The Texas Bucket List – The Burnt Bean in Seguin is the Silver Telly Winner in General: Food & Beverage

The Texas Bucket List – The Storm Marches On is the Bronze Telly Winner in General: Cultural

The Texas Bucket List – Circle M Crawfish in Big Sandy

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Big Sandy – Northeast of Tyler, in the not so big town of Big Sandy,  is a big bar and restaurant called Circle M Crawfish that can seat you and your closest 600 friends.

“Oh man. It’s crazy,” said customer Brent Reynolds.

“This is the biggest business really in Big Sandy…” claimed RJ, a regular at Circle M.

“Our parking lot holds more than more parking than every business in Big Sandy combined. We’re the place to be in East Texas. There’s nowhere even close,” said Luke Parrish, owner of Circle M Crawfish. Luke hails from a Parish in Louisinana, but crawfish wasn’t always his main priority. Prior to getting married to the mudbug business, he was a former computer network technician who constantly found himself cooking crawfish for friends. His backyard boils became so popular, people started to buy them by the pound.  That’s when Luke decided to start his business, without really knowing what he was getting in to. “I didn’t even know how to get a business license and I didn’t know how to get occupancy code and I didn’t know you had to get really anything. I thought I could just start selling crawfish,” confessed Luke.

Just up the road from Luke was the Circle M, owned by Rodney Murphy. “Seems like the younger generation is more into crawfish and the older generation is still into catfish,” said Rodney. Fortunately, Rodney was there to help him out, even supplying Luke with a few sacks of crawfish. “’I tell you what, I’m going to bring you some crawfish on Friday.’ This is his [Rodney’s] voice. This is how he talks,” Luke mimicked, “’I’ll bring you some on Friday. You cook them. If you sell them, you carry me some money on Monday. If you don’t sell them, carry them back to me.’ So I’m thinking…ain’t no way this guy’s going to show up. I’m getting nervous. Friday about lunch, here he comes, driving up in his Jeep. 30 bags of crawfish. He hands him over to me and shakes my hand and drives off. He didn’t charge me a penny, nothing. And I called him Monday and he said, ‘Well, did you sell them crawfish?’ I said, ‘Yep.’ He said, ‘You got me some money.’ And I say, ‘Yep.’ And that was it.”

Both business brought in customers but Luke was ready to take things to the next level while Rodney was ready to switch things up. “‘Rodney, you want to sell this place?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, sure.’ Three weeks it was done…It was fast,” said Luke.

“Some good people took over… I’m just glad to see them keeping it going and get to see a lot of my old friends when I come up here. And that’s what it’s all about,” expressed Rodney.

Now Rodney has taken the role of reeling in the crawfish. He drives to South Louisiana several times a week to collect crustaceans. “This weekend we did almost 5,000 pounds [of crawfish]. No, it’s almost six. He [Rodney] literally, you can see it right through there. He drives a semi,” said Luke.

It’s not just the restaurant that sells mudbugs, Circle M Crawfish runs a drive through crawfish and beer barn. “We have a drive through crawfish barn, crawfish and beer barn…Crawfish and beer, best things in the world. And free ice,” added Luke.

Of course, you’ve got your cast of regulars here that includes Rodney. There’s R.J. “[I’m here] very often. About five days a week, probably…One of the ones that’s invited to the employee Christmas parties,” said RJ.

And then there’s Brent, the Circle M Crawfish eating champion. “I’m the reigning champion. 28 [pounds] in 30 minutes, but I quit with about five minutes ago,” said Brent.

Luke’s crawfish boiling operation happens right outside the restaurant in massive boilers that rest on a custom built trailer. “Well, we can’t find a building big enough to hold all of [the] boilers. There’s so much heat from [them], you can’t

get it out of the building fast enough…Also you can’t keep up with the volume, so we have all four of these spots that we roll with a winch on them. They can do about 300 pounds of dry every time,” explained Luke.

Corn and potatoes are cooked separately so all we’re worried about is crawfish and mushrooms. “Lane [is] our expert boiler…You’re going to throw those mushrooms in first…[They’re] like a sponge…And you got to make sure that water is rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling. When we put those crawfish, rolling, rolling, rolling,” sang Luke. “You drop them in.”

After two minutes, they’re done and some shrimp is added for good measure. They’re dropped into a cooler where more spice is added. “All right, now here’s the most important part is the stir… We’ll carry them down to the bar, let them sit for a second. We’ll open up some beers and eat them,” said Luke.

It didn’t take long for the spice to settle in. There has been a lot of great crawfish on the show, and these definitely have some kick. Be careful not to touch your eyes! “I haven’t taken my contacts out in four years, four years. Yeah. I haven’t peed in about nine days. I just can’t,” joked Luke, “I can’t touch anything.”

“The crawfish stayed good. It has,” said Rodney.

“They’re great,” said RJ.

“Just nothing else like it at all,” added Brent. “Hot crawfish, cold beer, and it gets pretty hopping in here.”

Well, if you ever find yourself up in the Northeast woods of Texas and you’re craving some crawfish, the Circle M in Big Sandy is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

 

Season 20 of The Texas Bucket List kicks off February 11th

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It is time to experience everything the Lone Star State has to offer and meet the incredible people who make our state what it is with another season of The Texas Bucket List! The Texas Bucket List is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2023 and we kick off Season 20 with some of host and creator Shane McAuliffe’s favorite stops from the past decade! From driving tanks to seeing the incredible night sky full of stars out in west Texas, you’ll be mesmerized by the things Shane finds while exploring our great state! So, get ready to set sail as Shane shows you the awesome things, you didn’t know you needed to see, right here in our own backyard. Tune in to your local television affiliate for the 20th Season Premiere and 10th anniversary special of The Texas Bucket List on February 11th.

The Texas Bucket List reveals the tales of the Lone Star State through one Texan’s story at a time. The award-winning TV series shares the joy, wonder, beauty, and excitement of Texas. Each week, host Shane McAuliffe sets out to add more people, places, food, and music to a list that every Texan should experience.

Shane has been recognized with numerous television broadcast excellence awards including a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, four Lone Star EMMY Awards, the Barbara Jordan Media Award, several Telly Awards, Communicator Awards, and multiple Texas Association of Press Broadcasters awards. He’s a native of Round Rock, Texas and attended The University of Houston. The Texas Bucket List is produced by McAuliffe Productions, LP located in College Station, Texas. The Texas Bucket List is made possible by Simmons Bank, Slovacek’s Sausage, Texas Dairy Queen, and Toyota.

The Texas Bucket List – Midpoint Cafe in Adrian

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Adrian – The great wide open of the panhandle plains of Texas, the road seems to go on forever, especially the world-renowned Route 66. From big steaks, painted Cadillacs, to neon covered service stations, there’s all sorts of sights to see on the 179 miles of Route 66 that pass through the Lone Star State.

Smack dab in the middle of the Main Street of America is a small café in Adrian called the Midpoint Café. “I think it’s pretty awesome. Be right smack dab in the middle. Destiny either way, right?” says customer Nykole Vance.

Brenda Hammit is the owner of the Midpoint Café, a casual eatery that sits right on the old Route 66. Despite the fact tons of traffic passes by her on the Interstate right behind the building, she still gets plenty of starving sightseers. But it’s not just BLTs and hamburgers that draw people in. They’re also looking for a taste of history. “They’re enamored with 66 period. The people along 66 are awesome man, everywhere,” Brenda said. “In every state everywhere. They’re great people. And I think that the people bring them back as well. I don’t think it’s necessarily all the road – I think it’s the people,” said Hammit.

Brenda started as a cook at the Midpoint Café in 2013 and took ownership of the place in 2018. The diner has been a fixture on the famous road since the late 40s when it was called Zella’s Café. In the 60s, the owners named it Jesse’s, and then in the late 90s, it was discovered that the midpoint of Route 66 happened to be right outside the restaurant, and the rest is history.

“There’s only one midpoint on the trip and this is the perfect place for it,” said customer Mark Stahl from Wisconsin.

“That line is special to them when I didn’t have it up last year because they paved over it. They were just, “When are you putting that line back up? When are you putting that line back up?” joked Brenda.

The nostalgia is also a big part of the roadside experience. “It’s nice to see how things used to be compared to how they are now. And it’s nice to help support some of the smaller businesses and stuff like that which almost got wiped off when they put the interstates through,” said Mark.

Midpoint’s connection to the popular Disney movie, Cars, is what really revs folks up around here. As it turns out, one of the former owners of the Midpoint Café has a close connection to the classic cartoon movie. “Miss Fran is the one that really put it on the map for the Route 66, Fran Houser. And she’s Miss Flo and the Route Cars and she’s the one that really put it on the board,” said Brenda.

Nowadays, people come by to see Brenda, and even if you have no idea who she is, be prepared for a hug. She loves to give them and loves to receive them and is known for being a really sweet lady, just like her pies. “I always come for the pie and then we’ll get lunch. And then we’re like, “Why did we get lunch? We just wanted the pie.” But it’s all so good,” said Dawn, a regular customer.

There’s nothing more synonymous with America than Route 66 and apple pie, so if you want a serving of both, stop by the Midpoint Café to fill your stomach and find a friend.

The Texas Bucket List – Horny Toad Brewing in Rowena

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Rowena – In the desolate Runnels County, you’ll find the small town of Rowena. This collection of around four hundred folks doesn’t have a whole lot going on in or around it, given its surrounded by cotton fields and farmland. But if you take a walk down main street, you’ll find the town’s most popular location to hang out, the Horny Toad Brewing Company.

“It’s very fitting to have a great brewery here in this town and holding onto that culture that founded it,” said visitor Scott Gonzales.

“We really like the way he brought back a little community in here again,” mentioned local Tony Multer.

Michael McNeill, a fellow Irishman, opened up the Horny Toad back in 2012. His wife is the one who led him to this tiny town. She was born and raised in Rowena.

Interestingly enough, Rowena’s claim to fame is being the birthplace of Bonnie Parker.  It’s also home to the last bank “Doc” Newton ever robbed in 1968. Other than that, there’s not a lot happening here, so when Mike decided to open up a brewery, some people had their suspicions of it working out.

“It’s a crazy thing to do. I mean, everyone thought I was nuts to open a brewery in Rowena, Texas.

“Maybe I was nuts. I don’t know,” joked Mike.

Mike is an army veteran and served for 13 years. He was first stationed in Germany which is where his obsession with grain, hops, yeast, and water began.  “I didn’t realize there were different kinds of beer until I went to Germany and got stationed in Germany. Every town in Germany has their own brewery. And there’s several styles that they drink over there,” Mike noted. “Where before I went to Germany, it was just the fizzy yellow water.”

After Germany, Mike went to Iraq. Then, despite wrapping up his military service, he went off to Afghanistan voluntarily. He stayed there for a year and a half doing contract work, and that’s how he saved up to start his business.  “We’re really, really excited that Mike did this and he has become, I think, pretty close to a pretty good brew master,” joked Tony.

What really makes the Horny Toad unique is a small monument that sits right out front of its façade.  According to Mike, in 1911 Runnels County voted itself dry, which was much to the chagrin of the Rowena population. “In protest, they buried a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of beer and erected a headstone that said Here Lies Our Liberty,” said Mike pointing to the monument outside his brewery.

Today  you can enjoy a delicious Texas beer while reminiscing about the history of prohibition in the shadows of that historical marker. “It’s kind of like a full circle moment. We went from prohibition to now having this awesome brewery right here in our town,” said Alisha Multer.

The Texas Bucket List – Season 19 Bite of the Season

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Season 19 of The Texas Bucket List has officially come to a close, and it’s time to reveal our five favorite bites from Season 19! This season of The Texas Bucket List was filled with flavorful and delicious burgers, BBQ, steaks, and some more good ol’ homestyle cooking. All were very deserving of recognition, and they are all well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List! But listed below are the Top 5 Bites from Season 19 of The Texas Bucket List! (CLICK ON PICTURE TO WATCH THE STORY!)

#5 Be Blessed BBQ

Over in Nacogdoches, there is a barbecue food truck with a unique take on the classic brisket sandwich. Brisket with peanut butter and jelly! This food truck serves the community and delicious food, earning a spot in the top 5 bites of the season.

#4 Cowboys and Indians 

Down in Houston, this restaurant combines cuisines from two cultures a world away. This fun food fusion has a wide variety of dishes to choose from. This restaurant has great food no matter what you’re in the mood for!

#3 5D Cattle Company Steak House and Meat Market 

The tiny town of Avinger brings in hundreds of hungry Texans with the Five D Cattle Company Steak House and Meat Market. At this restaurant, you are sure to get a perfectly delicious cut of meat.

#2 Brantley Creek BBQ 

Over in Odessa, this BBQ trailer has long lines of people waiting to get some delicious BBQ. And with family recipes of pinto beans and mac and cheese for side dishes, Brantley Creek BBQ earned themselves one of the top spots on this season’s Bite of the Season!

 

#1 Maceo Spice and Import Company

The Maceo Spice and Import Company in Galveston connects rich history and delicious food, all made by the Maceo’s. This restaurant takes the number one spot of this season’s Bite of the Season, with the muffuletta being one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had!

The Texas Bucket List Earns Three Lone Star EMMY Nominations

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College Station – The Texas Bucket List is honored to announce that we have been nominated for three Lone Star EMMY Awards this year! The Lone EMMY Emmy Awards is under the Lone Star Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences which strives to further advance the arts and sciences of television. The Chapter is dedicated to encouraging and recognizing the high levels of professional achievement through the annual presentation of the regional Emmy Awards. The Texas Bucket List was nominated in three categories including the Human-Interest category for segment, “A Prayer On The Wings Of A Bluebird.” The segment, “The Storm Marches On,” was nominated in the Arts/Entertainment category, and host Shane McAuliffe, “The Host With A Hearty Laugh,” was nominated in the talent category.

Over the past nine years, The Texas Bucket List has been awarded four Lone Star Emmy Awards and has been nominated 21 times. Currently in our 19th season, TBL can be seen on all television affiliates in Texas, KSLA in Shreveport, WBKO in Bowling Green, WVLT in Knoxville, and nationally on RFD-TV.

 

The Texas Bucket List – Boot Hill Cemetery in Tilden

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Tilden – The landscape of McMullen County is what you’d expect in south Texas.  It’s a desolate land covered in mesquite, brush, and the occasional cactus. Tilden is the county seat of this sparce part of the state, and it happens to be in the 5th   least populated county in Texas.

“The population’s about 800.” The whole county? “The whole county.” Wow. “Yes, that’s correct.” You’re not kidding. There aren’t- “No, there’s not. And about 1,160 square miles, so it’s a big county with few people,” said McMullen County Judge James Edward Teal.

Teal is a 5th generation Texas who was raised in this rustic region.  James has served as the County Judge since 2010. “Every ounce of soil that’s in this county, I have a huge fondness for,” James said. That includes the old cemetery located right outside of his office in the center of town. Contrary to most historic cemeteries, this graveyard isn’t grandiose or even of great notoriety.

The Boot Hill Cemetery was established in 1858 and has become an odd sight given the town has grown around it. According to James, “McMullen County, and Tilden especially, were on a trade route from San Antonio to Laredo and a lot of shady characters came around. There were a lot of people that were killed under mysterious circumstances, or by murder.”

When asked why it’s called Boot Hill Cemetery, James said that the story he was always told is because men died with their boots on.  Assassinations, gun battles, cholera, and being thrown from a horse were the ways of the west back then. Not so peaceful endings!

“A lot of them were killed on the streets, and one of them killed because he was wearing a top hat and a guy thought that he could shoot a hole in the top hat, and he ended up shooting the guy in his tracks and killing him. He’d had a little too much to drink. So that’s the story that floated around here, anyway,” said Teal with a chuckle.

There are some more established grave sites that are obvious for a reason. “What I’ve been told over my lifetime is that these graves that are covered with concrete and rock were actually graves of people that had died of cholera,” James said. “The residents were definitely afraid of the spread of cholera, so they covered the graves in hopes that the cholera wouldn’t leach through the ground.”

We also saw a grave site that was the most pronounced grave in the site, and it was very different from the rest. With a massive solid slab gravestone surrounded by a rusted iron fence, it’s the most ornate grave on the grounds. “This young man died in a horseback accident. He’d fallen off a horse. And whenever news got back to his family, his family actually shipped this wrought iron fence and the granite covering,” Jim explained. “The young man’s name was Greer. I think he was 25 years old or so when he passed, so this is a permanent monument that his family set up for him. And it’s been right here, of course, since he was buried in 1874.”

Now in their eternal rest, these pioneers have put Tilden on the map in a unique way, by kicking the bucket with their boots on. James noted, “it’d be very, very interesting to know the real truth. What the real truth is, and how accurate our stories have been passed down. It would be great to know that.”

If you’re interested in old lore and tales of Texas, the Boot Hill Cemetery is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List!