As a Houston native, trips westward to the Texas Hill Country as a child revealed an entirely new landscape - one filled with hills as the name would suggest. What a lot of out-of-towners don't know is that Fort Worth has quite a few hills of its own. Said hills roll more fervently as you make your way southwest, where we planted this year's Dream Home - in the up-and-coming La Cantera development.
Bryan Braswell built a unique Hill Country contemporary that's a little bit Fort Worth, a little bit Hill Country and even a little bit Horned Frog. From the purple wine closet, to the children's loft, to the views of the downtown skyline, this home is truly a dream. And the vendors are a who's who of local homebuilding. Take a tour of the expertly planned space on page 52.
This month's second feature takes us on yet another tour with more downtown views as we travel to Whiskey Ranch - the new Firestone & Robertson distillery. Writer Courtney Dabney scored an early peek of the 112-acre property and the former home of the storied Glen Garden Country Club. There's still golf. There's still greenery. There's still a clubhouse. But, the new owners created what might be the most unique 19th hole ever. Read more about the space, sure to become one of the city's most popular attractions, on page 146.
Finally, I must mention that while we were concentrating on building a Dream Home, many other Texans were losing theirs, no thanks to Hurricane Harvey. Our hearts have been heavy at Fort Worth Magazine watching the devastation. As I mentioned, Houston is my hometown, and many other staffers have ties to South Texas. Creative Director Craig Sylva's family lives in Port Lavaca. Video Producer Steve Reeves grew up in Houston. Senior Account Executive Marion Knight has family there. And, FW Inc. Executive Editor Scott Nishimura regularly wears a Hawaiian Astros shirt (I didn't know it existed either), thanks to time he spent visiting family in Houston as a child.
Sadness was the initial reaction to the devastation, but pride is where we landed, thanks to the images of Texans helping Texans. Now, we also see Texans helping Floridians post Hurricane Irma. We had long planned on featuring the Florida Keys in this issue, and we weren't going to let a hurricane stop us. So, we continued with the story to honor our country's southernmost point. You can find that on page 24.
One of our core values here at Fort Worth Magazine, one displayed on the wall every day for us to read, is to be philanthropic. So, we encourage you to read this issue. But, more than that, we encourage you to donate to those in need in our beautiful state of Texas and beyond.
On The Cover: The homeowner's daughter sits with her dog in the scenic backyard of this year's fall Dream Home. The downtown skyline can be seen just beyond the planters.