Summer 2021: Fire and Ice

The 45 spiciest dishes in the city, plus 46 great icy treats In this issue, tackle the Five-Alarm Burger Challenge, have family fun all summer long, getaway at the coolest cabins in Texas, and when it's all said and done, go to the dentist.

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

Read This Now

The Complicated Backstory of Bushwick Bill

A new book about the Geto Boys rapper's life is all substance, no sugarcoating.

06/14/2021 By Chris Vognar

On The Town

What to Do and See This Summer

Don't miss the reopening of The Children's Museum, plus a group exhibition assembled by CAMH’s Teen Council offers a revealing look into young people's inner lives through the pandemic.

06/01/2021 By Chris Gray

the festival fest

Our Dream Festival Lineup

With no fests in sight for the summer, we're thinking about who'd headline the ultimate H-Town Music Festival.

05/03/2021 By Gwendolyn Knapp Illustrations by Michael Byers

Eat & Drink

some like it hot

Your Go-to Guide to Houston's Spiciest Foods

Celebrating the hottest foods in our sizzling city.

07/16/2021 By Timothy Malcolm and Carlos Brandon

Some like it hot

We Tried It: The Charlie’s Five-Alarm Fire Burger Challenge

How to stomach Little Bitty Burger Barn's insanely hot burger

07/15/2021 By Timothy Malcolm

Some like it hot

Caliente 101: Know Thy Chile Pepper

What exactly is the Scoville scale?

07/14/2021 By Timothy Malcolm

Some like it hot

The Wide World of International Spicy Cuisine

From Mexican to Chinese, traverse the globe's spiciest flavor profiles right here in Houston.

07/13/2021 By Carlos Brandon

Some like it hot

Warm Welcomes: These Dishes Will Ease You into Heat

Spicy newbies read on.

07/12/2021 By Timothy Malcolm

A shift

How the Pandemic Changed Houston's Takeout Game

The takeout packaging boom is here.

07/05/2021 By Timothy Malcolm

Icy Treats

46 Absolutely Mind-Numbing Frozen Treats to Try in the Bayou City

It's finally time for an ice-cold Houston summer.

06/01/2021 By Timothy Malcolm, Gwendolyn Knapp, and Joanna O'Leary

Cherry on top

Our Favorite Date-Night Desserts

What’s a night out without giving your sweetie some sugar? These end-of-meal delights may be entirely cold-hearted—frigid to the core—but at the end of the day, it’s just dessert.

06/01/2021 By Timothy Malcolm, Gwendolyn Knapp, and Joanna O'Leary

Frozen in time

Houston's Most Nostalgic Ice Creams

Ah, those halcyon summer days in the buggy yard, the grass collecting in the kiddie pool, the ice cream truck’s jingle carrying on the breeze.

05/31/2021 By Timothy Malcolm, Gwendolyn Knapp, and Joanna O'Leary

Our favorite Standbys

There's so Much More to Summer Than Ice Cream

This summer, we're giving ice pops, raspas, snow cones, and more a taste.

05/31/2021 By Gwendolyn Knapp and Timothy Malcolm

For The Gram

The Most Instagrammable Ice Cream in Houston

In a city as Insta-obsessed as ours, it’s little wonder we have so many treats that aren’t just for refreshment; they’re actual, edible works of art. Add these to your feed.

05/28/2021 By Timothy Malcolm, Gwendolyn Knapp, and Joanna O'Leary

Just a Short Drive Away

9 Road Trip-Worthy Desserts

We know. we live in our cars. But picture it: A lazy hot day. A 30-minute jaunt to a different neck of the woods for what: Lunch? A soccer game? An outlet mall? The following destinations won’t just complete the journey—they are the journey.

05/28/2021 By Timothy Malcolm and Gwendolyn Knapp

Adults Only

Spiked Treats to Cool off Your Summer Happy Hour

The following drinks bring equal parts booze and chill—do call the sitter.

05/27/2021 By Timothy Malcolm and Joanna O'Leary

News & City Life

living color

Find These Avant-Garde Floral Designs All over Houston

Houston designer Bryson Black takes his floral creations to new heights.

07/24/2021 By Laura Furr Mericas

Bayougraphy

Meet the Local Skateboarding Prodigy Competing in the Olympics

Flipping the script on the sport, teenager Jordan Santana is part of the first-ever U.S.A. Olympic skateboarding team.

07/23/2021 By Carlos Brandon Photography by Eric Sauseda

Hidden Figures

Looking Deeper at the Massive New Juneteenth Mural in Galveston

Who and what will you find in Reginald Adams's Absolute Equality?

06/18/2021 By Emma Schkloven

Freedom On The Strand

How Galveston Is Honoring Its Role as the Birthplace of Juneteenth

The Juneteenth Legacy Project pays homage to June 19, 1865, with the new Absolute Equality mural.

06/18/2021 By Emma Schkloven

Field of Dreams

Everything We Learned on a Private Tour of Minute Maid Park

Book a stadium tour and you can uncover the mysteries of Houston's own ballpark too.

06/15/2021 By Catherine Wendlandt

Read the room

The New Partnership Fighting Houston's Illiteracy Problem

Thousands of adults in the city are functionally illiterate. Houston’s Adult Literacy Blueprint aims to address that.

06/03/2021 By Raven Wuebker

a nickel to spare

Moving up or Pushing out? How One Massive Project Could Reshape a Community

Community leaders have long grappled with gentrification in Fifth Ward. A monumental new development, East River, stokes their worst fears.

05/26/2021 By Mike Snyder Photography by Michael Starghill

Voter Fraught

What's Happening During This Year's Texas Legislative Session?

What Texas’s restrictive voting bills could mean for Houston.

05/25/2021 By Emma Schkloven

Style & Shopping

Now Think About Your Dad

This Father's Day, Find a Local Gift for Each Type of Houston Dad

A card and mug? Again? This Father’s Day (June 20), we promise to plop only perfectly curated presents into the gift bags of our very peculiar Houston dads—you know the ones.

06/07/2021 By Catherine Wendlandt

Travel & Outdoors

Happy Campers

20 Summer Camps Your Kids Will Love

School's almost out – here's where the kids can go.

04/08/2022 By Marianella Orlando and Brianna Benitez

Wanna Get Away?

New Nonstop Destinations from Houston

These are the latest nonstops from your favorite carriers and some new-to-Houston airlines, too.

07/29/2021 By Gwendolyn Knapp

Wanna Get Away?

5 Weekend Vacations You Need to Take

From Mexico City to Nashville, here are cities where you can pack it all in on a Friday through Sunday (or a Monday if you’ve got vacation days to spare).

07/28/2021 By Gwendolyn Knapp, Laura Furr Mericas, and Catherine Wendlandt

Post Covid Travel Guide

Learn to Fly (Again) in a Post-Coronavirus World

Returning to the airport in the middle of a pandemic puts a lot of questions up in the air. Here’s what you need to brush up on before venturing back—from terminal to tarmac.

07/26/2021 By Laura Furr Mericas