Throughout 2014, official travel magazine of Texas shares readers’ favorite places to visit

AUSTIN — In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Texas Highways magazine announced another round of the Texas Top 40 favorite destinations as chosen by its readers.  

The announcement places Brazos Bend State Park at No. 12, Mount Pleasant at No. 11 and Palo Duro Canyon at No. 10.  

The August issue of Texas Highways offers a feature on Possum Kingdom Lake, a favorite family destination that was threatened by fires in 2011. Today, the area offers numerous activities, including hiking, biking and watersports.  

Also featured in the August issue is the new Lucy and Ian Family Garden at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The garden, which opened in the spring, was designed by landscape architect W. Gary Smith with the goal of offering hands-on play for children and adults.  

Writer Gene Fowler and photographer Will van Overbeek also take readers on a historical journey to discover the legacy of the Guerra family who first arrived from Spain in the early 1600s and ultimately colonized vast territories in far South Texas. Over the past 400 years, the family has amassed an incredible private collection of art and antiques, some of which is on display at the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio.    

There’s much more in the August issue, including bats at Bracken Cave, boots in El Paso, barbecue in Tyler and even coonskin caps at the Alamo. 

Subscribers began receiving the new issue on July 8; the digital edition was released on July 11; and the hard-copy issue is on sale today at hundreds of newsstands statewide, including H-E-B, Target, Walmart, Randall’s and Barnes & Noble.           

About Texas Highways magazine

Founded as a travel magazine in 1974, Texas Highways is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2014. Today, Texas Highways has nearly 400,000 monthly readers across the United States and around the world.

 Texas Highways’ mission is to encourage travel to and within the state. According to preliminary estimates from the Texas Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism division, travelers to and within Texas in 2013 spent more than $67 billion, an increase of 3 percent over 2012. This directly supported 599,000 jobs and generated $4.7 billion in state and local taxes.

To learn more about Texas Highways, visit www.texashighways.com. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/texashighways and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/texashighways.