Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

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The Texas Bucket List Takes Home a Lone Star Emmy Award

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The Texas Bucket List was recently awarded a 2018 Lone Star Emmy Award for its special on the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.  The special was dedicated to those who were affected by one of the state’s most destructive storms and the state’s effort to help them rebuild. Money raised during the special benefited the Rebuild Texas Fund. There were three segments within the episode: The Devastation of Hurricane Harvey, Checking on a Few Friends After the Storm and Shorty’s Place Endures Hurricane Harvey.

The Texas Bucket List is honored to receive such a prestigious award for a special that raised awareness about the devastating affects of Hurricane Harvey and the emotional outpouring of support from our friends and neighbors.  We are also grateful to have had the opportunity to help aid in the relief effort through the Rebuild Texas Fund. There are still Texans needing help and you can still give by clicking this link…..

The first segment in the special provided an inside look at the hardship, struggle, and unity of Port Aransas after it was brutally hit by Hurricane Harvey.  To  view, click on the picture below.

The second segment allowed The Texas Bucket List to return to previous stops and see how the locations and owners fared in the storm. It was a touching tribute to the strength of Texas and showed that while Harvey may have destroyed homes and businesses, it did not destroy the Texan characteristics of spirit and hope. To  view click on the picture below.

The final segment portrayed the incredible contrast of a bar called Shorty’s Place in Port Aransas before and after Harvey. This bar is known for its kind atmosphere and after Harvey, Shorty’s Place was a beacon of hope for the locals. To  view click on picture below.

 

The Texas Bucket List – Tejas Chocolate and Barbecue in Tomball

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Tomball, Texas- Burger of the week is now the Bite of the Week. We will be featuring everything there is to experience in Texas when it comes to food. We start things off here in Tomball, at a place known for barbecue and something sweet. We’re at Tejas Chocolate and Barbecue.

Since 2015, Tejas BBQ has been tossing out their take on Texas BBQ. While that sounds a bit redundant, the food is anything but that.

“It’s barbecue at an elevated level,” Scott Moore said. “It’s craft barbecue.”

5th generation Texan Scott and his brothers Greg and Michelle Holland founded this fine place for food in an old house built in 1907 located in the Old Town part of Tomball. But when the trio got started, BBQ was even on the back burner.

“Yeah we started our business as a chocolate maker,” Scott said. “We turned it into a barbecue joint and a chocolate shop. “

Janie Williams is part of the chocolate crew.  She’s part of the team that meticulously creates this culinary confection from scratch.

“House made chocolate, where we start out with our own cacao so you don’t find that too often,” Janie said.

Usually taking it easy later in life doesn’t require this much work. However, when you see how it’s  prepared and the passion that goes into the meat mastery, it makes sense why it’s so worth it.

“Yeah that’s right I’m not a spring chicken anymore. I’m 54, but this is my retirement,” Scott said. “It’s a lot of attention to detail, doing things by hand, doing it slow, taking your time and being careful about how things are cooked.”

First the briskets are trimmed by Brandon and seasoned by James. To say Brandon puts a little pizazz on his preparation might be putting it lightly.

“He likes to bring in the seasoning from over the top,” Scott said. “I kind of mean over the top.”

There is a method to this madness.

“It’s part of the elements of being in craft barbecue is taking your time, buying premium meats, trimming it to the way you want it, seasoning by hand,” Scott said. “There’s a lot of attention to small details.”

28 briskets a day are placed in a offset smoker using post oak wood to give the beef a mild smoky flavor.  Once a week, on Thursdays to be exact, Tejas makes a pastrami brisket and beef rib. You might want to get in line for that right now because waiting around here is normal.

“Now it’s very rewarding, we can enjoy that people come for the food and you see them coming back,” Scott said. “I like to tell people all the time ‘nothing says I love you like a reorder’ and that’s the ultimate compliment, when somebody gives you money twice for your food. We tell people ‘come early eat well, come late you might not get a plate’ and that’s what they’re there for, they wanna eat.”

Well, we want to eat so Greg put together a smorgasbord of bountiful BBQ known around here as the Hero Plate.

I’m speechless, and that doesn’t happen very often,” Kati Stimpson said. “I mean it really is, and it sounds so cliché. It really melts in your mouth, it really is the good.”

When you don’t even know what your face is doing, your taste buds have taken over.

You can tell when you’re eating this the quality the effort they’re putting into their craft, it’s very apparent,” Tim Stimpson said.

Well, whether you fancy chocolate or barbecue, it’s safe to say Tejas Chocolate and Barbecue in Tomball, Texas is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“So it’s a place you come where there’s foods that are handcrafted,” Scott said. “Great barbecue and great beers, what a time to be alive.”

This Week on The Texas Bucket List – Howard’s in Shiner, Tejas BBQ in Tomball and a Sunset Cruise on South Padre Island

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Welcome back and thank you for joining us as we hit the road for another incredible season of The Texas Bucket List!

Stay tuned because this week we’re visiting stops you won’t soon forget, including from a convenience store that doubles as a neighborhood gathering place, a restaurant that specializes in chocolate and barbecue and a blissful boat excursion down on South Padre Island.

First, we’ll take a look at Howard’s in Shiner, Texas. In an era where digital communication is prevalent and meaningful conversation is rare, Howard’s is a one-stop shop for beer and supplies, as well as a rendezvous location for locals to connect.

Second, we’ll visit a gem nestled in Tomball, Texas. Tejas Chocolate and Barbecue strives to satisfy both your sweet and savory side. With a knack for delicious barbecue and a specialty in mouth-watering chocolates, Tejas is a must on The Texas Bucket List!

Next, we’ll stop by South Padre Island to take a serene sail with Southern Waves Sailing Charters. Enjoy an unbeatable Texas sunset while cruising through waves and munching on a tasty meal. South Padre is a reminder that paradise can be found much closer than we think.

Sit back, relax and get ready to check off the list with us as we begin Season 11 of The Texas Bucket List!

 

The Texas Bucket List – Mom’s Diner Earns Burger of the Season!

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The Spring 2018 season was full of some absolutely delicious eats from all across the Lone Star State, but as the spring comes to a close we are once again faced with difficult decision of naming the best burger. After careful consideration of every place we visited from diners and cafes to the smallest hole-in-the-wall restaurants and the most well known burger joints, we have chosen our top five favorites.

Click on the images or red sub-headlines below to learn more about each of these delicious masterpieces!

Burger #5: Herd’s Burgers in Jacksboro

As one of the oldest burger joints in the state, Herd’s has been serving up a classic burger for  over 92 years. The family owned establishment has a dedicated clientele to vouch for the incredible food, but the real treat is the Double-Double. This massive burger comes with two quarter pound patties cooked to perfection on a grill that is almost as old as the establishment itself. It might seem like a lot but these babies are so fantastic there are customers eating them two at a time!

Burger #4: Flip ‘n Patties

It’s no surprise that the incredibly diverse city of Houston would be home to a unique spin on an American classic. At this Filipino inspired eatery, guests take a bite out of a burger like they have never tasted before. While there are many tasty options, we tried the Jeepney Burger. The combination of Angus beef, tomato, fried egg and longanisa patty (which is similar to pork sausage) will have you wanting to try the entire menu.

 

Burger #3: Ringo’s BBQ and Burgers

Ringo’s will have meat lovers begging for more as they combine two Texas specialties of barbecue and burgers. We tried one of their most popular menu items named the Doc Holiday. This local favorite has a half pound patty, fried egg, bacon, hatch sausage and shredded cheddar tucked between a sourdough bun.

 

Burger #2: Jaspers Cafe in Bluff Dale

For burger lovers with a more adventurous spirit and open mind for new foods, Jaspers Cafe is serving up exotic meats just for them! We tried the Wild Blue Yonder and it did not disappoint! The pile begins  bison and Parmesan then a bun of fried cheese crisp, hash browns, jalapenos and corn are made separately. At the end, everything is combined with lettuce, tomatoes and huckleberry onions to create one incredible burger.

Burger #1: Mom’s Diner in Lufkin 

Perhaps it was a mother’s touch that did the trick and landed Mom’s Diner on the top of our list this season. Since 1986, this family owned business has been serving up incredible food with friendly service. While there is so much to love about Mom’s, the burger that won us over was the Mom’s Monster Burger. The perfectly seasoned meat is topped with onions, mayo, lettuce, pickles and tomatoes for a combination that will have you coming back for sure.

This Week on The Texas Bucket List – Gage Hotel, Ringo’s and Cocoamoda

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This week’s episode of The Texas Bucket List will tug on your heart strings with stories of heart breaking tragedies turned into unforgettable triumphs of the human spirit.

First off, we check out the famous Gage Hotel. Located in the small town of Marathon, this beauty will remind you that city life has nothing on the country! Learn about the owner’s fight to keep the place open and what he is doing to keep Marathon alive.

Next up, we grab a bite to eat at Ringo’s in Laredo. This delicious burger joint combines a wide variety of meats for a barbecue burger you won’t want to miss. While the food is incredible, the story behind the owner’s recovery from a recent heart attack is what is truly remarkable.

We take a quick break with music from the very talented ________{couldn’t really read the board and I do not know where they performed so you will need to add that in if that’s alright. Thanks Shane!}

Finally, we visit old friends of ours, the owners of Cocoamoda chocolate company. The only thing sweeter than their candies is the story of these two love birds and the amazing recovery that Chef Ken Wilkenson has been making after a terrifying fall.

So grab a box of tissues and settle in for a heartwarming edition of The Texas Bucket List.

This Weekend On The Texas Bucket List – East Texas Candy, a Brotherly Burger and the Border Patrol Museum

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This week on The Texas Bucket List we let our sweet tooth lead the way to a Texas candy factor that got its start in the Great Depression and is still rolling out some of our favorite candies, find double the trouble at a burger joint in Carrizo Springs, and patrol the history of those who protect our border.

Our first stop is sure to excite every sweet tooth in the Lone Star State. At Atkinson’s Candy Company in Lufkin, we explore sweets that have been tantalizing candy lovers since 1932 and find out what it takes to make these delectable pieces of sugary heaven.

Next we find ourselves getting into trouble (better make that double) in Carrizo Springs with our burger of the week from Double Trouble. This burger joint that’s located in an RV park may have an unconventional location, but the burgers made here with twin brotherly love are worth the trouble it takes to find it.

We close this week on the Texas Mexico border where we learn about the history of the U.S. Border Patrol. Border patrol security may be a hot topic in politics right now, but that’s not what we’re here to learn about. While at the U.S. Border Patrol Museum we learn about supped up cars, see some unique seized items, and hear about just how harrowing protecting the northern and southern border of America can be.

This Weekend on The Texas Bucket List – La Lomita Chapel, Top of the Hill, Broadcasting Museum

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This week on The Texas Bucket List we’re checking in with our friends from the Museum of Broadcasting and Communication in a new segment we call Checking it Twice, climbing to the top of a hill for a super burger, and getting in touch with some religious Texas history at La Lomita Park.

We start this week’s episode with a new segment and old friends. In Kilgore we learn about the new location of the Museum of Broadcasting and Communication and see the lenses that brought Texas history into our homes for many years.

Next we find ourselves in Benchley at a burger joint called Top of the Hill. Here we discover our kryptonite, a burger known as the Superman. This huge greasy burger is my taste bud’s new hero.

We close this week in Mission, where we are blessed with the opportunity to learn about some religious Lone-Star State history.  This powerful Texas presence helped build the border region while establishing a message of peace and Texas friendship.

So, don’t go kickin’ the bucket, because we’ve got a lot to see, do, and experience this week on The Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List Top 5 Burgers of the Season

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A unique set of Texas burger treasures has crossed our palates this season. Each and everyone has brought Lone-Star State joy to our taste buds, but only one can be crowned burger of the season. With delicious deliberation, we’ve made our top five burgers from the Fall 2017 season list. (Click the images or links below to watch videos about each of our top five burgers.)

Burger #5

The Texas Bucket List Burger of the Season Fall 2017 – Burger #5 Wagon Wheel Drive-In in Big Spring

When you think of Texas burgers, I doubt you think of pizza, too. The legendary Texas treat, known as the pizza burger, has been on the Wagon-Wheel Drive-In menu since the 1940s. With two beef patties, a bruschetta bun, marinara sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and the traditional burger toppings, lettuce, tomato, and onion this is definitely a delicious Lone-Star State find.

The Pizza Burger at Wagon Wheel Drive-In in Big Spring

Burger #4

The Texas Bucket List Burger of the Season Fall 2017 – Burger #4 J&P Bar and Grill in Comstock

This burger packs hellacious flavor in each and every bite. A beef patty made with freshly ground meat, toasted onion poppy seed bun, grilled jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, homemade jalapeno mayo sauce, and all the traditional burger toppings make this burger wrong in all the right ways. The spice and flavor of this West Texas treat make it no surprise that the devil’s burger finds a spot on our top burgers of the season list.

The Devil’s Burger at J&P Bar and Grill

Burger #3

The Texas Bucket List Burger of the Season Fall 2017 – Burger #3 LSA Burger Company in Denton

Named after Texas music artist, Stevie Ray Vaughan, this burger packs some rhythm and blues. This burger is rocking with a beef patty, buttered brioche bun, blue cheese, bacon, blue cheese dressing, and Frank’s Hot Sauce. One bite of this Texas burger gem, and we were love struck baby.

The Stevie Burger at LSA Burger Company in Denton

Burger #2

The Texas Bucket List Burger of the Season Fall 2017 – Burger #2 Bacon Cheese Burger at The Burger Bar in Cleburne

It’s hard to beat a good old fashioned bacon cheese burger made on a 100 year old grill at a restaurant with courters so close, you quickly become friends with the chef and three other people that can be in the space at one time. Salt and pepper are all the seasoning this beef patty needs, the rest of the meat’s flavor comes from the 100 year old grill. Fresh jalapenos, cheese, bacon, and a toasted bun smothered with mustard, mayo, pickles, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce make the bacon cheeseburger well worth squizing into the tiny building known as The Burger Bar.

Bacon Cheese Burger at The Burger Bar

Burger #1

The Texas Bucket List Burger of the Season Fall 2017 – WINNER Top of the Hill in Benchley

It’s a bird! It’s a plain! No, it’s Superman, the superman burger from Top of the Hill that is. This burger truly is super, making it the number one burger on our list this season. Two hand pressed patties made with local beef, toasted buns, grilled house made jalapenos, bacon, cheese, and all the usual burger fixings make this burger my personal kryptonite.

The Superman at Top of the Hill

Seven Spooky Stops in The Lone Star State

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There’s no shortage of legends in Texas. From legends in history to modern football legends, the Lone Star State has a seemingly endless list of legendary places, people, and events. The legends we are interested in at this time of year, however, are the legends with a haunted twist. Here are a few legendary stops from The Texas Bucket List sure to send chills down your spin.

Thurber Ghost Town – Thurber, Texas

 

Thurber Ghost Town – There’s not much left of this once-bustling Texas brick manufacturing and coal mining town, but what is still here falls into the category of eerie. One of the very first cities in the United States with electricity in every home, running water, and natural gas went belly up thanks to the discovery of black gold nearby. When the town up and moved, people left a rather large cemetery behind. Today this cemetery is among the eeriest things we’ve ever seen in our travels across the Lone-Star State.

Watch Now: Thurber Ghost Town

Auntie Skinner’s Riverboat Club – Jefferson, Texas

Auntie Skinners – This hamburger hot spot in Jefferson is housed in a building built around 1866 as a warehouse for cotton. Great burgers aren’t the only thing haunting this historic building. A ghost named George likes to give people a good scare in the restaurant’s stairwell. Beware of the fifth stair, that’s where George likes to push people down. But don’t worry too much, your taste buds will be begging to be haunted by more burgers from Auntie Skinners after you give it a try!

Watch Now: Auntie Skinners

The National Funeral Museum – Houston, Texas

The National Funeral Museum – This museum in Houston is dedicated to preserving the history of kicking the bucket. Now if that doesn’t sound morbid and unnatural, I don’t know what does! Serving as the only funeral history museum in the nation, this exhibit features presidential hearses, part of Marilyn Monroe’s grave, and Walt Disney’s Death certificate among other eerily interesting things.

Watch Now:  The National Funeral Museum

 

Miss Hattie’s Bordello Museum – San Angelo, Texas

Miss Hattie’s Bordello Museum – Dedicated to the working women of the West, Miss Hattie’s Bordello once held the jewels of the West and entertained many a fellow looking for a rest and refreshment. Though we didn’t include it in our coverage of the Bordello, our crew definitely felt a presence from out of this world while touring the museum that gives them goose bumps just thinking about it.

Watch Now:Miss Hattie’s Bordello Museum

The Driskill Hotel – Austin, Texas

The Driskill Hotel – Part hotel, part historical landmark, and part museum, this is the perfect place in Austin to sleep off some spirits. This hotel has been part of the Austin skyline since 1886, and therefore predates the capital building. With a rich history, including a Texas shoot out in the lobby, it’s no surprise there are three legendary ghost tales attached to the Driskill. Though we don’t cover any of these tales in our segment on the Driskill, it is still well worth a stop for ghost hunters and none believers alike.

Watch Now: The Driskill Hotel

Dave’s Pawn Shop – El Paso, Texas

Dave’s Pawn – This place may not have a haunting ghost story, but the merchandise here is sure to excite those who love all things eerie. Items for sale include a resident mummy, Pancho Villa’s trigger finger, and something called a Fiji that is part fish, part person, and part bird.

Watch Now: Dave’s Pawn

Aurora Alien Grave – Aurora, Texas

This small community north of Fort Worth may be named for the glimmering light show seen in the sky, but it’s something that fell from the wild blue yonder that’s legendary in this little town. With a history rich in odd happenings, it should come as no surprise that this place finds itself on our list. For example, the small community once had a population of over 5,000, but an epidemic wiped out most of the population. While everything seemed to be going south in Aurora, a spaceship is said to have hit one of the windmills here.

Watch Now: Aurora Alien Grave

BONUS – Terrifying Texas Tunes: Check out this tune titled “Devil’s Song” by Shinyribs. It’s sure to leave you trembling.

Watch Now: “Devil’s Song” by Shinyribs

 

The Texas Bucket List – La Lomita Chapel

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MISSION, Texas – Just a few hundred yards from the slow-moving waters of the Rio Grande sits a small chapel. Since 1899 this small structure has sat here doing exactly what the priests that built it all those years ago had hoped for, inspiring and guiding.

Luis Contreras from the Mission Historical Museum has no problem speaking from the pulpit about this place.

“It’s important to me because of where I come from,” Luis said. “I was born and raised in Mission. This is the foundation. It’s the beginning of the story.”

Any long-lasting building or belief has to have a good foundation and for the origin of La Lomita, you have to go back to 1849, when Oblate priests from France brought their missionary work to Texas.

“They reached out to about Roma, which was a hundred-mile stretch, and provided services to a lot of the working folk, ranch folk, that lived and worked on the ranch properties,” Luis explained.

Known as the Cavalry of Christ, the priests served 65 ranches when the chapel was built.

Father Roy Snipes from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mission comes from the same line of Oblates that started their mission work here all those years ago.

“It was a continual, like a sacred, creative energy,” Father Roy informed us. “I hope we still have some of it, but they were free spirits. They were wild holly men, and there’s a lot of good stories about them.”

He relies on this old chapel for strength and guidance in his daily life as a priest.

“I go there all the time,” Father Roy said. “That’s where I go to pray almost everyday.”

It’s not hard to see that back then, life was a bit simpler.

“The world now is a little bit probably over institutionalized and sanitized and bureaucratized,” Father Roy says. “I’m sure those guys are telling us, ‘Get down off your damn high horse, and get a little bit more down to earth. Get a little bit more ranch style, a little bit more down home, a little bit more country style.’ We try to do that. Try to keep in touch with that.”

In 1912, the Oblates built the St. Joseph and Saint Peter Seminary, a site that was badly damaged by a fire in 2009.  Its façade still stands, barley, but there are hopes to revitalize the old Novitiate. For now, the small chapel remains as the strongest physical connection we have to the holy riders who took to the Rio Grande to spread their message of love to the lands.

“The beginnings are always so, so important,” Luis said. “The experience doesn’t just come in what you read. It’s in your environment, your surroundings, and when you can actually sit and visit a site that was touched by many hands, including the Oblate fathers that came through here to establish this, and start the story of Mission, Texas, it’s definitely a site to come out and see, and visit.”

So, make it your mission to visit Mission and connect with a powerful presence in the Lone-Star State that helped build the border region while establishing a message of peace and a Texan favorite, friendship.