Rating: 
Summary: below average guide to a great state
Review: I sat down at Book People this morning and read the section on Austin and the Hill Country, and I have to wonder how much time the author has really spent in my part of the state. The restaurant recommendations were just terrible - it's almost as though he just looked some places up in the yellow pages and stuck them in the guide. A relative Austin neophyte could've provided better recommendations. I felt such pity for potential visitors that I felt like giving out my home phone number to steer them away from LP's recommendations and toward the truly great restaurants in my part of the state. I also didn't care for restaurant recommendations in Houston and San Antonio.Aside from restaurants, the Austin section was decent but still nothing special. I guess my primary recommendation to visitors is not to trust this Lonely Planet guide just they've enjoyed Lonely Planet guides for other locations. I've absolutely loved LP guides to San Francisco and New Orleans(both written by the same author, btw), but this one isn't up to snuff. The picture of the Longhorns on the cover and the beautiful burnt orange trim (Hook'em Horns!) almost moved me to give the guide an extra star, but that wouldn't be fair to potential travelers. My advice to travelers is just to research Austin and the other major Texas cities on Citysearch and to pick up a decent regional guide in a bookstore after arriving for information on rural locales. Austin visitors should also pick up a copy of the Austin Chronicle upon arriving in town. Austin and San Antonio (and the rest of the Hill Country) are definitely the best places to visit in the state, but the two national parks and some of the coast and border towns are definitely worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: below average guide to a great state
Review: I sat down at Book People this morning and read the section on Austin and the Hill Country, and I have to wonder how much time the author has really spent in my part of the state. The restaurant recommendations were just terrible - it's almost as though he just looked some places up in the yellow pages and stuck them in the guide. A relative Austin neophyte could've provided better recommendations. I felt such pity for potential visitors that I felt like giving out my home phone number to steer them away from LP's recommendations and toward the truly great restaurants in my part of the state. I also didn't care for restaurant recommendations in Houston and San Antonio. Aside from restaurants, the Austin section was decent but still nothing special. I guess my primary recommendation to visitors is not to trust this Lonely Planet guide just they've enjoyed Lonely Planet guides for other locations. I've absolutely loved LP guides to San Francisco and New Orleans(both written by the same author, btw), but this one isn't up to snuff. The picture of the Longhorns on the cover and the beautiful burnt orange trim (Hook'em Horns!) almost moved me to give the guide an extra star, but that wouldn't be fair to potential travelers. My advice to travelers is just to research Austin and the other major Texas cities on Citysearch and to pick up a decent regional guide in a bookstore after arriving for information on rural locales. Austin visitors should also pick up a copy of the Austin Chronicle upon arriving in town. Austin and San Antonio (and the rest of the Hill Country) are definitely the best places to visit in the state, but the two national parks and some of the coast and border towns are definitely worth seeing.
Rating: 
Summary: Best guidebook to Texas I've come across
Review: I've traveled around my back yard in Houston, Galveston, and Corpus with both this book and the Moon Texas Handbook. Lonely Planet is pretty much on the mark with what attractions they've included and which they haven't (as well as with the ones they've dissed). From reading Moon, you'd never know that Moody Gardens in Galveston is a total rip; You'd also think that it would be worth the time and the shelling out of $3 to visit the Institute of Oriental Cultures in Corpus, the home of a few exhibits randomly strewn together with very, very minimal interpretation. As far as restaurants go, it appears to me that the listings in Lonely Planet concentrate on rather hip places with cheap prices, regardless of the quality of the food, while Moon tends to imitate the listings in the Houston Chronicle and Houston Press. I guess which you would prefer depends on whether you're a 'foodie' or if you just want a cheap place to nosh. One deficiency of this book is the lack of coverage of outdoor activities. Moon definately surpasses Lonely Planet in this regard. If you enjoy both outdoor and urban activities, you might need both guides. The only thing that irritated me about this guide (I almost couldn't get past it)was its constant bashing of Houston and the climate. Several 'insights' the writers had to the area were based on faulty assumptions, but, I guess, at least they had an opinion. Furthermore, Houston's climate is a tad bit milder than nearby New Orleans, and they didn't bash that city for its climate. But that's a minor complaint compared to how useful I found the guide. (And the maps are also excellent --- showing the location of most of the text.)
Rating:
Summary: A Necessity for Visitors to the Lone Star State
Review: Lonely Planet's Texas does an admirable job of covering the Lone Star State. The book is well balanced, and its entries are complete, yet concise. The painstakingly researched "Facts about Texas" section makes an excellent introduction to Texas traditions, as its Food and Arts subsections explain the state's culinary and cultural offerings well. LP Texas breaks the state down into nine distinct geographic regions, which makes trip planning much easier given the Texas' long driving distances. All major towns and tourist destinations boast entries, and their respective attraction, accommodation and food listings are ample. One of the book's greatest selling points is the local slant the authors have applied to the regional sections and the individual town and attraction entries. The guide's only drawback is the writing in some parts, where the author's tone is at times preachy and at others downright condescending. On the whole LP Texas makes an essential companion for anyone visiting the state.
Rating:
Summary: A Necessity for Visitors to the Lone Star State
Review: Lonely Planet's Texas does an admirable job of covering the Lone Star State. The book is well balanced, and its entries are complete, yet concise. The painstakingly researched "Facts about Texas" section makes an excellent introduction to Texas traditions, as its Food and Arts subsections explain the state's culinary and cultural offerings well. LP Texas breaks the state down into nine distinct geographic regions, which makes trip planning much easier given the Texas' long driving distances. All major towns and tourist destinations boast entries, and their respective attraction, accommodation and food listings are ample. One of the book's greatest selling points is the local slant the authors have applied to the regional sections and the individual town and attraction entries. The guide's only drawback is the writing in some parts, where the author's tone is at times preachy and at others downright condescending. On the whole LP Texas makes an essential companion for anyone visiting the state.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't go to the Lone Star State without your LP
Review: LP Texas provided tons of information about Texas, that cater to a variety of interests in the many different parts of this large state: Texas facts & history, music, cuisine, culture, West Texas cowboy country to the coast, both urban and rural. Hostel and camp ground information kept me surviving. Bottom line: Don't leave home with out you're LP. Use most other "travel guides" to start a campfire.
Rating:
Summary: Don't go to the Lone Star State without your LP
Review: LP Texas provided tons of information about Texas, that cater to a variety of interests in the many different parts of this large state: Texas facts & history, music, cuisine, culture, West Texas cowboy country to the coast, both urban and rural. Hostel and camp ground information kept me surviving. Bottom line: Don't leave home with out you're LP. Use most other "travel guides" to start a campfire.
Rating:
Summary: I love Lonely Planet
Review: The best travel series ever. I'm Californian and have the California/Nevada book. The Texas book is no exception. While other books focus on only cities like Dallas, Austin, and Houston, LP writes about the smaller cities. It's a concise book for anyone who wants to get off the beaten path of the bigger cities.
Rating: 
Summary: Yankee
Review: This book forgot to mention the bars on the coke machines at every rest stop in Texas and the filth and general depressed nature of lots of those small towns like Waco and Hillsboro. Oh and the "go home" attitude of the Texans if you happen to have a license plate from a Northern State. Safety should be an issue while visiting. Some areas white folks are the minority, too but I don't see that mentioned in these wonderful travel books. I would love to see a real story of some of these states. Been there and was not impressed.
Rating:
Summary: Yankee
Review: This book forgot to mention the bars on the coke machines at every rest stop in Texas and the filth and general depressed nature of lots of those small towns like Waco and Hillsboro. Oh and the "go home" attitude of the Texans if you happen to have a license plate from a Northern State. Safety should be an issue while visiting. Some areas white folks are the minority, too but I don't see that mentioned in these wonderful travel books. I would love to see a real story of some of these states. Been there and was not impressed.
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