Heritage, 2008, Volume 1 Page: 28
31 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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.It A I' Z re6 so r x
Historic Hotels of Texas By Liz Carmack
Reviewed by Dale WeismanMy Texana library abounds with guidebooks on driving tours, hiking
trails, state parks, rivers and lakes, museums, historic landmarks,
bird-watching, wildflowers, and even "mysteries and miracles." But,
oddly, until recently not a single guide to historic hotels in the Lone
Star State has graced my bookshelves.
Kudos to Austin writer Liz Carmack for remedying this gap in essential
Texas travel literature with her new book, Historic Hotels of
Texas: A Traveler' Guide (Texas A&M University Press, $23). At last,
we have a comprehensive guidebook for Texas travelers who eschew
humdrum hotel chains for the quirkiness, charm, and romance of
historic inns.
The lack of up-to-date Texas hotel guides may be understandable
when you consider the magnitude of Carmack's two-year undertaking.
Driving more than 17,000 miles and flying nearly 3,000 miles,
Carmack visited 64 historic hotels across the state, from Jefferson to
El Paso and from the town of Panhandle to McAllen.
Carmack's first-hand research has resulted in a traveler's resource
that's detailed, useful, and reliable. Have you ever stayed in some
"agony inn" on the seemingly trustworthy advice of a guidebook
and wondered, "Did the author even visit this dump?" No worries
about the accuracy and veracity of Carmack's profiles. She heaps appropriate
praise on stately landmarks such as Austin's Driskill Hotel,
Galveston's Hotel Galvez, and Dallas' Adolphus, while offering a few
cautionary notes, such as the "funkiness, dust bunnies, and cobwebs"
or lack of keyed bedroom locks at certain smaller, more modest inns.
Rather than including every form of historic accommodations (such
as bed and breakfasts and state and national park inns), Carmack profiled
only those hotels that are at least 50 years, have been operated
as inns for most of their existence, and are open for guests today. The64 hotels are conveniently grouped by geographic region: Big Bend
Country, Gulf Coast, Hill Country, Panhandle Plains, Piney Woods,
Prairies and Lakes, and South Texas Plains.
The opening chapters provide a wealth of advice to help travelers
choose the right hotel for their tastes, interests, and getaway plans.
There are hotels that cater to honeymooners, hunters and anglers,
motorcyclists, history and architecture buffs, pet lovers, business travelers,
and even would-be ghost busters (eight of the hotels are supposedly
haunted).
With each hotel profile, Carmack conveys a sense of history, place,
and architectural significance that will appeal to both inveterate and
armchair travelers. Her guestroom descriptions-from period furnishings
to bathroom amenities to color scheme-are meticulous.
Each profile contains maps, photographs (many taken by the author),
and an "Essentials" sidebar with contact information, number
of rooms, amenities and facilities, pet and smoking policies, and "Author's
Tips" (nuggets of advice, such as where to eat or shop, whether
to book ahead, or if complimentary earplugs are available to block
train noise).
Carmack and her publisher, Texas A&M University Press, pulled
out the stops in creating a lavishly illustrated guidebook that is as
much a pleasure to behold as it is to read. The book lover in me hesitates
to take this attractive volume on the road as I might a dog-earred
roadmap. While I hate to scuff up my beloved books, this essential
traveler's guide will surely be put to good use as I plan my next Texas
outings.
Dale Weisman is an Austin-based writer who contributes frequently to
Texas Highways and Texas Parks & Wildlife magazines.HERITA GE - Volume 1 2008
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, 2008, Volume 1, periodical, 2008; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45359/m1/28/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.