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Uvalde is a town still reeling from the unimaginable tragedy that took place in May 2022 — a school shooting that claimed the lives of 22 people, most of whom were children. Murals dedicated to the victims, crosses that bear the children’s names in the middle of town square, and a persistent presence of police, mean any visit to Uvalde will be met with reminders of what happened. The trauma the community experienced is a trauma that may never fully go away.
But businesses are open, coffee is being served, and taco stands are making great tacos. Down the road from where we stayed — a modern and minimalist Airbnb behind a realtor’s office in downtown — is Taco Bliss Express, where the Spam and egg breakfast taco piqued my curiosity. Despite a face of disgust from my traveling partner, I ordered it, ate it, and loved it. But be forewarned, their breakfast tacos are quite large and contain enough eggs to make two or three omelets.
Traveling to Beeville, and remaining south of San Antonio, the day was spent entirely in the South Texas Plains; I’ve heard others call it brush country. Covered in tall, sharp grasses; prickly pears; thorny shrubs; and short mesquites that hardly exceed the height of a basketball goal, this is a dry, sparsely populated land. Its thick neon greenery can feel inviting, but even the briefest of trips into the brushland will result in cuts, scrapes, and puncture wounds.
Sticking to the roads, we come out unscathed and make our way to Beeville, where my traveling partner and I are staying in a cabin next to a pond — another Airbnb find. Contrary to popular belief, the town is not named for our honey-making friends but for Barnard E. Bee, who shuffled through numerous cabinet positions (secretary of treasury, secretary of state, secretary of war) during the short-lived Republic of Texas.
Beeville is an hour’s drive from the coast, so we make our way to Rockport the following morning. At a gas station along the way, a man selling knives out of a truck strikes up conversation and asks what we’re up to. After disclosing our journey, he tells me “Texas is a never-ending thing you can write about. And I’m not just talking about new stories that haven’t been told. People don’t mind you retelling the same Texas stories over and over.” When I ask how he likes the area — he’s originally from North Texas — he says, “It’s nothing wonderful down here, but at least it’s warmer.”
Texas’ Gulf Coast is a little dichotomous by nature. If it were a person, I suspect it’d be a man with a handlebar mustache in a Hawaiian shirt. Though marshy, riddled with petroleum plants, and free of any sense of the tropics, the Gulf Coast’s beaches are serviceable, and its beach towns are, well, beach towns. When it comes to the coast, Texas is just happy to have one.
Onward to East Texas, the immensity of Houston, at least in some form, was unavoidable. So, rather than take one of its many loops to bypass the sight of skyscrapers, we head right into downtown for a bite to eat and a single glass of wine at the city’s oldest bar, La Carafe, which also occupies the city’s oldest commercial building.
Texas Road Trip Map Day 5-6
Things to See and Do
1. Longhorn Museum Massive collection of Texas historical artifacts and taxidermy in Pleasanton
2. Boot Hill Cemetery Burial ground for those whose deaths exemplify the Wild West in Tilden
3. Historic Oakville Jail Well-preserved ghost town in Oakville
4. The Big Tree One of the largest live oaks in the world on display in Rockport
5. La Carafe The oldest bar in Houston
Where to Eat
1. Taco Bliss Express Filled-to-the-brim tacos in Uvalde
2. Sammy’s Burgers & Brew Burgers, cheesesteaks, and beer in Beeville
3. CC’s Smoothie Coffee Tea Funky coffee and breakfast spot in Beeville
4. Chew Chew Bar-B-Q Food truck serving barbecue next to brewery in Rockport
5. La Calle Classic tacos and tortas in downtown Houston
Where We Stayed
Uvalde: Casita Modesta, minimalist Airbnb in downtown
Beeville: Cabin by the Pond, an Airbnb cabin with beautiful patio on stilts sitting in a pond
