After years of recovery from hurricane damage, Sea Rim State Park on the upper Texas coast is celebrating its grand reopening this summer.

After going without a four-legged mayor for several years, the unincorporated community of Lajitas has a new goat at the helm. Clay Moore Henry was elected earlier this month to lead the Brewster County desert town on the western edge of Big Bend National Park. He’s a direct descendent of the town’s first and famously beer-drinking goat mayor, Clay Henry.

Happy Birthday to Woody Guthrie! The folk troubadour was born on this day in 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma. At the age of 17, he moved to Pampa in the Texas Panhandle, where he experienced the hardship of the Dust Bowl—an event that made a lasting impact on his worldview and songwriting.

The Texas music scene is heading out west later this month—or at least a big chunk of it. About 55 Texas acts are making the trek to Alpine, Marfa, Fort Davis, Marathon, and Lajitas for the Viva Big Bend Music Festival, taking place July 22-27. 

Kayaking and canoeing are as popular as ever, as proven by the hot spots that get pretty crowded over the summer. Crowds don’t bother me, but sometimes, it’s nice to change the scenery.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has introduced its first new conservation-themed specialty license plate design in a more than a decade. Sales of the plate, which depicts a campfire and tent under a starry sky, help fund state parks. The camping plate won the department’s online survey last year, garnering more than 6,000 votes.  

Unlike last year when many Texas peach orchards struggled to survive the unusual, late-season freeze, recent rains have proven that this year’s Texas Hill Country peaches are going full throttle. 

An aloof cat contemplates the purpose of art in society; dripping-wet otterhounds partake in a moment of respite from their midday hunt; a small black cat nestles into the chest of composer Igor Stravinsky; a menacing dog leaps onto the hood of a car in modern-day suburbia. Scenes like these, reflecting the historically fluid roles of our favorite pets, make up the Blanton Museum of Art’s newest exhibition, In the Company of Cats and Dogs. 

July 4th celebrations are all about family, friends, fireworks and food. While we can't help you with the first three (sorry), we have you covered on the last.

Avast Ye! LEGOLAND Discovery Center Dallas/Fort Worth plans to launch an interactive waterpark called Pirate Beach.

After 30 years with Texas Highways, as photo contributor and including six years as Photography Editor, Griff Smith is retiring from the magazine. We just wrapped up the August issue, our last issue with Griff.

It's baby season at the San Antonio Zoo. Yesterday, zoo officials announced the birth of two warthog piglets on June 14, and a female blue duiker calf was born on June 21.