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Hey there, Texas dreamers! 🌟

Elijah Wood’s old Austin Victorian is back on the market, and the $3.2M plot twist feels like a tidy little headline for where Texas real estate is headed.

But before we step inside that time-capsule-meets-modern-luxury listing, here’s what else is on the docket: Kevin Durant is circling back to Austin with a restaurant built for game days and gathering, Caprock Canyons just earned dark-sky recognition for next-level stargazing, the Texas Gulf Coast is serving up a few adventures that sneak up on you, and the million-dollar home market just notched a new statewide record.

Now, let’s get to the main event, a house with a past, a glow-up, and a price tag that tells you Austin isn’t slowing down.

📰 Upcoming in this issue

• Elijah Wood’s Old Austin House Is Back — With a $3.2M Plot Twist 🏡✨

• Texas Keeps Pulling Kevin Durant Back 🏀🍽️

• Texas’ Hidden Night-Sky Kingdom at Caprock Canyons State Park 🌌🦬

• Texas Gulf Coast: 4 Adventures That Sneak Up on You 🌊✨

• Texas’ Million-Dollar Home Boom Just Hit a Record 🤠🏡 

📈 Trending news

• Who Owns the Most Land in Texas?

• 2Fifty Texas BBQ Cracks Washingtonian’s Top 10

• A Luxury Tiny Home Find on Amazon, Two Stories Included

• Kelly Slater’s Giant Surf Basin Is Coming to Austin

• Inside a 1,800 sq ft Alvarado Barndominium Build

Elijah Wood’s Old Austin House Is Back — With a $3.2M Plot Twist 🏡✨ read the full 783-word article here

Article published: January 22, 2026

In CultureMap’s “19th century Austin home once owned by Elijah Wood listed at $3.2M,” I found a celebrity real-estate story that’s really about time travel.

This article follows a Queen Anne–style Victorian from the 1890s that was literally moved—cut into four pieces—from Marlin, Texas to South Austin in 2008, then later bought by Elijah Wood in 2012.

Now it’s listed for $3,195,000, a jaw-dropping jump from the $1.075 million he paid 14 years ago, and it’s being pitched as “timeless and alive” with preservation that doesn’t feel museum-stuffy.

Inside, the house goes big: four bedrooms, each with an en suite bath, three stories, three living rooms, a pool, a screened porch, and even EV plug-ins—plus a downtown skyline view from the third-floor primary suite.

The part that sticks with me is how the home’s “historic” value is paired with modern decisions: a dusty pastel palette, patterned wallpaper sourced globally, and a neighborhood so walkable it feels like the real luxury.

Key Takeaways

• 🚚 A house that actually moved: Built in 1890 in Marlin, it was relocated to South Austin in 2008—four pieces, one Victorian reboot.

• 💰 The price leap is wild: Listed at $3,195,000—about $2.12M above Wood’s 2012 purchase price of $1.075M.

• 🛁 Luxury is hidden in the details: Four en suite bedrooms, pool, three living rooms, screened porch, EV-ready garage, and skyline views upstairs.

• 🎨 “Historic” got a modern makeover: Pastel repainting and bold wallpaper updates aim for lived-in charm, not preserved-in-amber perfection.

Texas Keeps Pulling Kevin Durant Back 🏀🍽️ read the full 513-word article here

Article published: January 14, 2026

In Black Enterprise’s “Kevin Durant Prepares To Open First Restaurant In Austin, Texas,” the real headline for me is how Texas keeps acting like Durant’s long-term home base, even as his NBA zip code changes.

This article places the center of gravity squarely in Austin—the city where Durant played his lone college season at the University of Texas and became the Collegiate National Player of the Year—and where he’s now planting his first restaurant flag.

The upcoming Austin Sports Club (expected Spring 2026) reads like a Texas-style convergence of sports, hospitality, and social life: a “timeless” restaurant with elevated food, intentional programming, and a space designed to gather and catch a game.

Even the supporting details reinforce the Texas thread: Durant donated $3 million in 2018 to build a UT practice facility that now carries his name, and now he’s returning with partners to build something public-facing in the same city.

It’s less “celebrity side quest,” more a bet that Austin’s cultural momentum can turn a restaurant into a hub—and that Texas loyalty still pays dividends.

Key Takeaways

• 🤠 Texas is the storyline, not the backdrop: Durant’s return to Austin ties his UT legacy to a new business footprint in the same city.

• 🌆 Austin as a lifestyle market: The concept targets modern “gathering” culture—food, games, and programming in a walkable, buzzy Texas hub.

• 🏟️ Deep UT roots: His $3M 2018 donation built a practice facility named after him, underscoring long-running investment in Texas.

• ⏳ A Texas-timed launch: Spring 2026 positions Austin Sports Club to ride Austin’s continued growth as a destination for culture and capital.

Texas’ Hidden Night-Sky Kingdom at Caprock Canyons State Park 🌌🦬 read the full 523-word article here

Article published: January 27, 2026

In Islands’ “Texas' Newest Internationally-Recognized Dark Sky Haven Is A Tucked-Away State Park Full Of Bison,” I found a Texas state park that sounds almost unreal until you picture the setting: wide-open Panhandle mesas, jagged canyons, and a horizon built for sunsets.

This article centers on Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway, a 15,000-acre pocket of the Llano Estacado where the Caprock Escarpment rises dramatically above prairie.

The park’s newest bragging right is big: International Dark Sky Park recognition in early 2026, essentially a gold star for protecting true night darkness from light pollution.

By day, the park is built for wandering—a multi-use trailway stretches across the landscape, with rangers, viewpoints, and a visitor center that even promises free coffee.

By night, it turns into a natural planetarium, with star parties and stargazing that doesn’t require fancy gear—just time, patience, and a willingness to look up.

Key Takeaways

• 🌠 Caprock Canyons is Texas’ newest dark-sky standout: An international designation means intentionally protected darkness for next-level stargazing in the Panhandle.

• 🏜️ The landscape is the experience: Mesas, canyons, and escarpments create big-geometry views that make even short hikes feel epic.

• 💵 It’s unusually accessible: $5 adult entry, kids free, plus camping from primitive sites to water/electric hookups for overnight skies.

• 🔭 The park programs the night: Ranger-led events and star parties (often with astronomy club help) turn stargazing into a guided, social ritual.

Texas Gulf Coast: 4 Adventures That Sneak Up on You 🌊✨ read the full ~940-word article here

Article published: January 27, 2026

In Outside’s “4 Ways the Texas Gulf Coast Will Amaze You,” I followed a simple dare: treat the coast like a choose-your-own-adventure map.

The article’s hook is range—quiet paddles through marshy water trails can sit on the same itinerary as kiteboarding, surfing, and offshore fishing.

I lingered on Mustang Island State Park, where kayak loops like the Shamrock Trail make it easy to wander without a shuttle, and wildlife sightings feel oddly likely.

Then the tone shifts into spectacle: the Texas Gulf Coast is a migratory superhighway, with whooping cranes overwintering at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

By the end, I’m convinced the “amazement” isn’t one big attraction—it’s the mash-up of birds, wind, water, and a coastline that keeps changing the rules.

Key Takeaways

• 🛶 Kayak Mustang Island’s marsh trails without shuttles; the Shamrock loop rewards slow paddles with birds, fish, turtles, surprise armadillos.

• 🐦 Chase whooping cranes at Aransas November–March; dawn tours boost odds, plus roseate spoonbills and reddish egrets appear seasonally.

• 🎣 Fish year-round across bays and offshore; spring–fall shines, and “cook your catch” spots like Doc’s turn hookups into dinner.

• 🪁 Go full watersports mode with kiteboarding winds at South Padre; surf near Corpus/Galveston, then reset with SUP yoga.

Texas’ Million-Dollar Home Boom Just Hit a Record 🤠🏡 read the full 276-word article here

Article published: January 22, 2026

In WRE News’ “Record Number of $1 Million-Plus Homes Sold in Texas,” I watched Texas luxury real estate stop being a niche and start acting like its own mini-economy.

This article says 14,418 homes priced above $1 million sold statewide between November 2024 and October 2025, up 12% year over year.

The money is equally loud: the combined value hit $24.5 billion, and the median million-plus sale landed at $1.37 million.

What surprised me is how concentrated the action is—about 90% of these sales clustered in the four biggest metros, led by Dallas-Fort Worth (38%) and Houston (27%), with Austin (19%) and San Antonio (5%) rounding out the core.

Even the supply side is inflating: Texas Realtors counted 32,793 homes priced above $1 million during 2025, up from 28,325 the year before, suggesting the “luxury” label is spreading faster than people admit.

Key Takeaways

• 💎 Luxury hit a sales record with 14,418 $1M+ homes sold (Nov 2024–Oct 2025), a 12% year-over-year jump statewide.

• 💰 Value surged to $24.5B total, while the median $1M+ sale price settled at $1.37M across Texas markets.

• 🏙️ Metros dominate the boom: ~90% of sales came from DFW (38%), Houston (27%), Austin (19%), San Antonio (5%).

• 📈 More homes are “luxury” now: 32,793 listings priced above $1M in 2025 vs. 28,325 the prior year.

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Why It Matters

Texas is shifting in real time, and you can see it in the details. A restored Victorian sells “walkability” as luxury, a superstar builds a public hub in Austin, and the $1M+ market keeps expanding across the big metros. At the same time, the best Texas still isn’t always in the spotlight; it’s in dark-sky parks, marsh trails, and acreage that lets you buy now and decide later.

That mix is the whole point of this newsletter, helping you spot what’s rising, what’s rare, and what’s still quietly available before everyone else catches on.

See you next edition. 🌵✨

Hannah Collinsworth
Editor-in-Chief
Houston, Texas
Texas Property Round Up

PS: Thinking about acreage this year? Timberview Preserve has 2 to 8+ acres from $139,900 in a gated Parker County community, 5 minutes from the Brazos River and about 20 minutes to Weatherford or Granbury, with mid-winter incentives and financing options mentioned. Call/text (866) 952-5398 (ask about the Mid-Winter Incentives) or click here to learn more.