Anna Mazurek

There are two types of people in the world: those who love Jefferson and those who’ve never been. It’s nearly impossible to resist the charm of this small East Texas town, whose walkable streets are filled with antiques shops, restaurants serving up cornbread sandwiches and chicken-fried steak, and historic Greek Revival–style houses now operating as bed-and-breakfasts.
In its mid-nineteenth-century heyday, this inland riverport town on Big Cypress Bayou, in Marion County about a thirty-minut...

Nearly 1.4 million people plan to trek to Cambodia’s 900-year-old Angkor Wat temple complex this year, but 68 miles northeast is a site once considered “the center of the Angkorian world,” says archaeologist Sarah Klassen. Koh Ker, home to Cambodia’s largest pyramid, is the country’s newest addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List and one of the nation’s many historically significant archaeological marvels often missed by travelers. Here are four lesser known sites built by the prosperous K...

Texas boasts 367 miles of coastline spread along the Gulf of Mexico and its barrier islands. To enjoy the beaches here, a four-wheel-drive vehicle is almost as important as sunscreen; you’ll find uncrowded areas perfect for relaxing and exploring on some of the state’s remote shorelines.
While Texas’s sands are enticing, wildlife is another draw. Avian enthusiasts flock to the coastal region for unparalleled birding thanks to its location on fall and spring migratory rou...

Curtains
With the help of CG&S Design-Build, the color consultant transformed her home into a vibrant space comprising 60 different hues of paint.
Thanks to her fashion designer mother, homeowner Genie Norris spent her childhood memorizing the color wheel instead of the alphabet. Color is comfort to Norris, the architectural color consultant behind ColorGenie. When she decided to renovate her 4,175-square-foot, three-story Rollingwood home, the rainbow-hued result encompassed 60 different pai...

There was a line when we arrived at La Cocina. The yellow walls were covered with Beatles posters and the date 1977, the year the Buenos Aires empanada restaurant opened. I pointed to the chalkboard menu and suggested the picachu, an onion-and-cheese-filled pastry with red pepper flakes, to my friend Rolando. It was his first trip to South America and my first visit back to the Argentine capital since the pandemic began. I smiled as we grabbed the last free sidewalk table, grateful that my fa...

An unassuming neon sign hangs outside the grounds of the Commodore Perry Estate in Austin. Behind a stone wall and wrought-iron gate is one of the most unique places in the city, a 10,800-square-foot Gatsby-era manor with 10-acres of European-style gardens.

The estate was recently restored to its former glory and given a new life as a luxury boutique hotel. How did this hidden 1928 mansion survive Austin’s seemingly endless surge of growth and development? Keep reading for a look at the histo...

Five tepees came into view as I pulled into the parking lot of El Cosmico, a luxe bohemian hotel and campground in Marfa, Tex. The circular complex was dotted with yurts, safari tents and a rainbow of vintage trailers with names such as Battleship and ’49 Mansion, all for rent. Because the tepees were booked, I checked into a spacious safari tent with a comfortable double bed and electricity.

El Cosmico is one of Marfa’s many unique attractions. The small southwest Texas town, population abou...

One of Austin’s not-so-hidden secrets is the Barton Creek Greenbelt, an 803-acre outdoor adventure playground. The 7.5-mile hiking and biking trail winds through South Austin along the banks of Barton Creek with a handful of climbing walls scattered along the way. It is also home to some of Austin’s top swimming holes, with a variety of spots to cool off on those sizzling summer days.

As I drove north on Highway 12, the scenery along the two-lane paved road transitioned from a tidal red cedar forest with patches of tall pine trees to salt marsh and towering sand dunes. My fascination with the remote corners of the world had taken me to Mongolia, the Himalayas and now to Ocracoke on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Accessible only by ferry or private plane, the 16-mile-long barrier island has one main highway and a single village, Ocracoke, with a population of 797, accor...

The Big Bend region of West Texas is the ultimate frontier — vast open spaces filled with rocky plateaus and desert mountains covered in a blanket of short grasses and dotted with sotol, yucca and agave plants. Roughly 33,000 acres of this rugged mountainous landscape are home to one of the largest ranches in Texas, Cibolo Creek Ranch. Founded in the mid-19th century, the ranch was extensively restored and renovated in the 1990s to return it to its former glory and introduce it as a luxurious five-star resort.

Texas bluebonnets are always a welcome sign of spring. These annual blue wildflowers are the common name for a few different species of lupines that grow across the state. Believe it or not, more than 5,000 species of wildflowers grow along the side of the state’s roadsides and the Texas Department of Transportation buys and sows 30,000 pounds of wildflower seeds each year.
In 1901, the bluebonnet became the state flower of Texas. And since a Highway Department landscaping and beautification ...

My rental car shook violently as it slowly crept down the bumpy dirt road along the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico. When the road ended, I set out on foot up a dirt path that led to the gray-and-white Los Morrillos lighthouse, built on the edge of a cliff in 1882. The windows and doorways were the same shade of turquoise as the water crashing into the rust-red sandstone cliffs below.

The lighthouse was my first stop along Puerto Rico’s west coast in early November. After spending a few days ...

Home Tours
A playful collection of oddities were the focus of this 1920s home renovation.
Inspired by a mutual love of taxidermy and horror movies, homeowner Liz Lake and architect/designer Jeanne Schultz embarked on a renovation to infuse Lake’s home with color and character. The 2,340-square-foot traditional bungalow in the Hancock neighborhood underwent a six-month rehaul.
“The vision I gave to Jeanne was that I would love a space that gave off a cool Berlin grungy cafe vibe,” says Lake, w...

The smell of truffles lingered in the air as I wandered up the steep cobbled streets toward the ramparts that lined the edges of Motovun, a fortified medieval hill town on the Istria peninsula in northwestern Croatia. The view was stunning; the green, rolling hills were dotted with vineyards, olive groves and forests, the source of the truffles.
It was the second day of my September visit to Istria — my first international trip in 17 months — and it had already exceeded my expectations. I was...

Houston is the perfect location for exploring Southeast and Central Texas. Within a 150-mile radius, there is a range of things to do, including award-winning barbecue restaurants, the largest antique show in the U.S. and NASA’s mission control center.
Whether you're looking for a place to hang on the beach, chow down on Texas-style barbecue or visit historical sites and attractions, there’s a spot on this list of day trips from Houston for everyone.
Galveston Island
This Gulf Coast barrier i...