Texas nightlife

Texas' fine cities have everything to offer in the way of nightlife that you could possibly desire: Austin has music, Houston culture, Dallas a unique blend of fine dining and sweaty sports, whilst San Antonio's twinkling cityscape is very easy on the bleary eyes of night owls.

Spain, France and Mexico are just three of the countries that have tried to lay claim to Texas over the years. From a distance, the Lone Star State, America's second biggest just behind Alaska, might look like an arid landscape dotted with errant steer, granite-chinned cowboys and oil wells spurting into lucrative life. Look a little closer though, and you'll see why nations fought to call it their own.

While such landmark sites as The Alamo can draw over two and a half million visitors a year and should definitely be on your list of things to see, point at and get photographed in front of, it's the vibrant and diverse nightlife of Texas' cities that will demand your attention as the day's light cools. From Austin's enigmatic and willfully eclectic music scene to the extensive and glittering haute cuisine eateries of Dallas, the extensive art houses of Houston and the sublime delights of San Antonio, Texas will make you put your preconceptions on hold, leaving you to marvel at your surroundings as the sun finally goes down and the state really begins to light up.

Austin

The Live Music Capital of the World is home to almost 200 venues and hosts the annual music industry shindig SXSW as well as the Austin City Limits Festival at Zilker Park. Though the city has numerous bars and restaurants, with seven distinct music districts, Austin has all the best tunes.

It's seen better days, but the city's infamous Sixth Street district is still home to the acclaimed Parish Room, a venue that famously played host to an impromptu super-group that included The Who's Pete Townshend and mop-topped guitarist Slash

Antone's was originally the first club on Sixth, but has now moved across to Fifth Street on the borders of Market and the Warehouse and Downtown districts. Thirty-four years after it opened, this unassuming blues venue - you'd imagine that it might have fallen out of the sky - is still going strong. It helped foster the reputation of stars like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

If you fancy something a little more rowdy or punk rock, stroll over to the Red River district where Emo's should meet your needs. Johnny Cash popped in there in the 1990s. The bar stool he sat on still hangs from the ceiling; it's that kind of place.

Dallas

There's nothing quite like watching a baseball connect with a bat then enjoying the spectacle of the diminishing red and white sphere describing a wide arc out of the Rangers Ballpark and into the dome of the starry Texan night. After a long day of shopping and sightseeing, a beer and a hotdog in the balmy Texan evening is hard to beat.

If you want something more than a hotdog, then this most well heeled of Texan cities is also for you. The celebrated and very successful Stephan Pyles Restaurant is down in the Dallas Arts district. Pyles made his name cooking on Good Morning America with his ‘new millennium Southwestern cuisine' - go and see why.

Fine dining of the new-American cuisine kind can be found at the acclaimed Bolla restaurant, linger in the art deco bar first; its vibrant décor will only be enhanced by working your way through the extensive cocktail list.

Finally, bring your wallet and perhaps someone else's too, and visit (deep breath) the Mansion Restaurant at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek for more exquisite new-American cuisine. Try to wangle one of six places at the ‘Chef's Table' where the chef conjures up unique meals, seemingly on a whim.

Houston

As night falls, the sound inside Kicks sports auditorium can reach deafening levels and the language becomes so colourful that it runs right off the spectrum and that's just on the track. Welcome to Roller Derby Houston where all-girl teams with names like the Psyche Ward Sirens, Burlesque Brawlers and  - perhaps most pleasingly - the Machete Betties struggle to impress their femininity on their fellow racers as they jostle for position around the oval track, or failing that, chip someone's tooth. This neon lit, lipstick-smeared spectacle is great fun and perfect entertainment for those of you who were disappointed when the Romans stopped pitting fighters against each other in gladiatorial combat.

From the ridiculous to the sublime, and Texas' biggest city is a cradle for the arts, with four world-class companies; the Houston Symphony, the award winning Houston Grand Opera, Alley Theatre and the Houston Ballet are all prominent features of the city's social landscape.

San Antonio

San Antonio is home to basketball stars the Spurs, so take in an evening game at the AT&T Center and marvel at the gangly dexterity of the former world champions. Then, out into the night, try a cocktail or two at Bar Rojo, situated in the Grand Hyatt San Antonio, a setting so ornate and vibrant you'll be lucky not to lose an eye.

If it's the first Friday of the month stroll down to Southtown - an area that acts as an enclave for artists - where you'll find galleries open until late and the streets filled with vendors selling food and crafts.

Try the famed River Walk at night, the bars and restaurants twinkling beneath strings of multi-coloured fairy lights. Pop into Dick's Last Resort and swoon over nachos laden with chili tequila queso and sour cream washed down with draught beer. Avoid taking an unintentional dip in the still (and sometimes unfenced) waters and head to Market Square and the 24-hour Mi Tierra Café y Panaderia, or if you'd rather the quiet life, take the elevator to Bar 601 near the summit of the Tower Of The Americas and watch the city fall away and glimmer silently beneath your feet.

Author: Philip Wilding

01 May 2009

---