Freelance Writer in Austin
Travel Writer - Texas & Beyond
CYNTHIA J. DRAKE
RECENT ARTICLES
USA TODAY
SOUTHERN LIVING
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20 Best Things To Do in Jacksonville, Florida, January 2024
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20 Restaurants To Try For Your Next Houston Food Tour, September 2023
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A Pool Pass Is The Ticket To Your Best Staycation Yet, July 2023
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18 Best New Hotels In Texas—Plus 6 More Opening Soon, June 2023
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4 Small Texas Towns That Go Big On Wine, June 2023
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16 Best Lakes in Florida for a Sunny Escape, February 2023
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12 Southern Trips We Can't Wait To Plan For Next Year, November 2022 (also on Yahoo! Life)
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Finding the Pearls of San Angelo, Texas, September 2022
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Lubbock, Texas Comes Alive with Art, Wine, and Fine Cuisine, August 2022
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McAllen, Texas Delights with Innovative Cuisine and Vibrant Art, August 2022
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El Paso, Texas Is a Treasure in the Borderlands, August 2022
For more of my Southern Living articles click here.
TRAVEL + LEISURE
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America's Best Small Towns of 2023 (Port Aransas), August 2023
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Galveston, Texas: Home to Beautiful Beaches, Delicious Gulf Coast Eats, and the Birthplace of Juneteenth, March 2023
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Frisco, Texas, Is Having a Major Moment, February 2023
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The Best Texas Beaches for Every Kind of Traveler, January 2023
TEXAS MONTHLY
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Profile of comedian Vanessa Gonzalez, December 2023
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For a Houston Nonprofit, One Woman’s Trash Is Another’s Couture Skirt, November 2023
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Fort-Worth based Dickies celebrates 100 years, October 2022
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At Long Last, a Prom Night to Remember, April 2022
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Checking in to Funky Town (Fort Worth), a profile on entrepreneur Jonathan Morris, March 2022
See also: A Hotelier's Guide to Fresh Fort Worth. -
After a Year Off, Tamaladas Return to Texas, December 2021
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A Joyful New Read Celebrates Galveston’s Bygone Black-Owned Restaurants, August 2021
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When You Wish Upon a Meal (The Rose Table's Disney Dinners), July 2021
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7 Nostalgic Texas Hotels With Vinyl Record Collections, May 2021
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The Great Roadside Motel Comeback, April 2021
TEXAS HIGHWAYS MAGAZINE
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Where to Stay in Texas in 2024, Jan/Feb 2024
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Keep Your Kids Entertained With These Texas Holiday Activities, November 2023
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Texas Historic Bank Hotels, October 2024
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Restoring Gulf Coast Barrier Reefs One Oyster Shell at a Time, September 2023
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Stay in a Former Lutheran Chapel in Boerne, Texas, August 2023
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Coastal Que BBQ Is the Freshest Catch in Matagorda, June 2023
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Saddle Up in Bandera, the Cowboy Capital of the World, June 2023
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8 Overnight Adventures to Do with Kids this Summer, June 2023
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Six Essential San Antonio Cocktails to Try This Summer, May 2023
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San Antonio's Project Pollo, October 2022
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Nonprofit Hugs Café in McKinney Offers More Than Sandwiches and Cookies, January 2022
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Have Yourself a Merry Little Weekend in the ‘Christmas Capital of Texas,' Grapevine, December 2021
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Simple, Elevated: San Antonio's Carnitas Lonja, October 2021
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9 Unusual Ice Cream Flavors to Try in Texas This Summer, August 2021
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One Travel Writer’s Journey to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine Led to One of Her Most Memorable Texas Trips, April 2021
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The Owners of This San Antonio Bakery Are Carrying On Their Mother’s Legacy (San Antonio's La Panadería), March 2020
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13 Trips to Take in Texas in 2020, January 2020
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15 Small Towns to Visit Now, August 2019
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Mesquite bean flour from Cappadona Ranch, August 2019
For more of my Texas Highways articles click here.
AAA MAGAZINES
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Feature: 7 Totally Cool Texas Getaways, AAA Explorer, April/May/June 2024
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Feature: I Didn't Know That! Texas Brag-Worthy Attractions, AAA Explorer, April/May/June 2024
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7 Pueblo-owned hotels and resorts in New Mexico, AAA Explorer, September 2023
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10 green chile treats along the Walk of Flame, AAA Explorer, August 2023
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10 ways to celebrate New Mexico's piñon trees, AAA Explorer, July 2023
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Where to go glamping in Texas, AAA Explorer, June 2023
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Out & About in Texas, AAA Explorer April/May/June 2023
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Follow These Routes for a Retro Texas Road Trip, AAA Explorer, April 2023
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Exploring New Mexico’s Earthship community, AAA Explorer, March 2023
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6 Most Romantic Cities in Texas, e-newsletter, January 2023
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6 Ways to Learn About New Mexico's Pueblos, e-newsletter, September 2022
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New Mexico's Flamenco capital, AAA Explorer, July/Aug/Sept 2022
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Barbecue with Egyptian Flair, AAA Explorer, July/Aug/Sept 2022
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Feature: Georgetown Texas Food Crawl, AAA Explorer, April/May/June 2022
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9 Texas museums with jaw-dropping outdoor art spaces, May 2022
For more of my AAA articles click here.
FAMILY VACATIONIST
HOUSE BEAUTIFUL
TRAVEL MARKET REPORT
AUSTIN TRAVELS MAGAZINE
CRUISE CRITIC
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Just Back From A National Geographic Tulip Time River Cruise in Holland, April 2023
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Should You Take Your Kids on an Antarctica Cruise? January 2023
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Just Back From Adventures by Disney in Antarctica, January 2023
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These Are The 7 Largest Cruise Ship Suites At Sea, November 2022
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How to Save Money on Specialty Dining on Cruises, October 2022
For more of my Cruise Critic articles click here.
PARENTS
AUSTIN MONTHLY
MICHIGAN ALUM
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Book review: Everything I Learned, I Learned In a Chinese Restaurant, Winter/Spring 2023-24
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Miss Kim Sizzles With Culinary Accolades, June 2023
MATADOR NETWORK
ULTIMATE FAMILY VACATIONS
Best of the West, Summer 2021
AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Immersive art experience Hopscotch opens in San Antonio, September 2020 [pdf]
Rent your neighbor's pool with Swimply, September 2020 [pdf]
Wining, dining, peaching and climbing: Visiting Fredericksburg during COVID-19, July 2020 [pdf]
Touring Weetzie Bat's Los Angeles, 30 years later, March 2020 [pdf]
Exploring Ann Arbor, Austin's Michigan cousin, July 2019 [pdf]
A Quest for Authentic People and Eats in Shreveport, May 2019 [pdf]
Building a Dream: Austin's Wayback Cafe & Cottages, May 2019 [pdf]
A First-Timer's Guide to Lubbock, October 2018 [pdf]
Nashville: Made in Music City, May 2018 [pdf]
Alabama Gulf Shores: Off the Hook, February 2018 [pdf]
ALASKA BEYOND MAGAZINE
Enjoying Austin, February 2020
A Texas Holiday Season, December 2019
San Antonio: Rolling by the River, March 2017
WESTJET MAGAZINE
An interview with an Esther's Follies cast member, September 2019
Raise the Roof, August 2019
TRIPSAVVY
Top 12 Restaurants in San Antonio, December 2019
AARP
Texas Hill Country Getaway, May 2018
HERTZ UK
What's so Great About San Antonio? August 2018
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
THE POINTS GUY
THE COSTCO CONNECTION
Meal trains, January 2019
How to Play the Luggage Game, May 2017 (packing tips reprinted in May 2018 issue and Canadian edition)
WHERETRAVELER
SOUTHWEST: THE MAGAZINE
Spirit of Texas, April 2017
SAN ANTONIO MAGAZINE
Morgan's Wonderland, May 2018
History of San Antonio's Chili Queens, May 2018
EATER AUSTIN
SOUTHERN BRIDE
Newly Unveiled Trellis Spa Offers Jaw-Dropping Bridal Showers, September 2021
CONTENT MARKETING
Check out examples of my writing for national brands on my content marketing page.
ABOUT ME
My recent articles have appeared in Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, Texas Monthly, Parents, House Beautiful,
Good Housekeeping, AAA publications, Texas Highways, and Cruise Critic.
I wrote the book Budget Travel for the Genius in 2015.
I'm a proud member of
Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and
American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA).
