Day Trips

A good guidebook can take the place of a good friend who's merely along for the ride. Guidebooks can show you the most unique -- if not the best -- places to explore. These friends always have a story that makes the miles seem shorter. The landscape becomes interesting as well as beautiful with them around.

For the day tripper, there are a lot of good Texas guidebooks. The husband-and-wife team of Paris Permenter and John Bigley have been the most prolific travel writers in the state. They have completed two new books and updated a third, besides writing a long list of magazine and newspaper articles.

Texas Barbecue, by Paris Permenter and John Bigley (Pig Out Publications, $14.95), takes the reader exploring the smoky haunts that make Texas cuisine famous. The duo covers the entire state, but concentrates on the central and southern portions. This is a useful, fun book. Use it to start your own scrapbook of barbecue joints or to discover the new spots.

This is not just a guidebook, however; it's also a how-to book. You might feel inspired enough to try your own barbecue beginning with the recipes and suppliers listed in the book. And if nobody's barbecue tastes as good as yours, they also list cookoffs you can enter.

Day Trips from San Antonio and Austin, by Paris Permenter and John Bigley (Two Lane Press, $11.95) is the second edition of this book, first released in 1992. Updated and expanded, it packs a lot of information between the covers: From Mason to Mustang Island, from Round Rock to Laredo, the book covers an area of Texas larger than most states. The 34 trips described in the book include places to stay, eat, or play in over 100 towns. For newcomers to the area this is a beginner's guide. For longtime residents the phone numbers make it a good reference book.

Natural Wonders of Texas, A Guide to Parks, Preserves & Wild Places, by Paul and Sunita Cooke (Country Roads Press, $9.95) is a unique twist on the usual travel guide. Mrs. Cooke has a doctorate in biology and is a wildlife professional. The authors visit parks and preserves around the state pointing out unusual features and pertinent information.

The book divides the 175 million acres of diverse country in Texas into six regions. Covering areas from the Odessa Meteor Crater to the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, this book could be useful for all levels of outdoor recreation.

Coming up...

Cowboy Christmas Ball & Trail Ride at the Old Coupland Inn & Dance Hall brings a parade to Coupland, Dec.15-16. 512/856-2226.

Christmas Tree Lighting fills the LBJ State Park in Stonewall with candlelight and the sounds of the seasons, Dec.17. 210/644-2252.

Christmas lights: Fourth & Main in Taylor on weekends. Downtown Columbus, through Dec. 31, 409/732-2507. Courthouse and Plaza in Uvalde, through Dec. 31, 800/588-2533. Forest of Lights, Meridian State Park, Dec. 9-25, 817/435-2536.

America's Smithsonian includes 300 items from the Washington, D.C. museums in a free exhibition at Houston's convention center, one of only 12 stops, Dec.7-Jan.12. 713/853-8000. n