Chet Garner is Trippin'

There's a state you don't know out there

​Texas is filled interesting, hidden treasures -- delicious food, historic locations, interesting people that don't toot their own horn. And Chet Garner is hell-bent on finding each and every one of them. A lawyer by training, Garner left the legal game behind and decided to turn to his attention to The Daytripper, a PBS show that chronicles the joys of backroad travel in Texas.

From the best in Texas barbecue (Garner compiled the list of Top 50 barbecue spots in the state for Texas Monthly), to tiny wineries, to the natural wonders found in out-of-the-way state parks, swimming holes that only the locals know about The Daytripper focuses on locales that regular tourists might never find out about.

Garner, who describes himself as "hormone free, cage free, but definitely not grass-fed," says the show is designed to "highlight all the natural and man-mad wonders that lie throughout the state and to enrich the lives of our viewers by inspiring them to venture out on day trip excursions of their own to explore the great wonder that is Texas!' Each show centers on a single location that can be reached with just a few hours travel from one of the state's major cities.

"Every town in Texas has something that makes it unique, something that sets it apart. Sometimes it's obvious, and sometime you have to look a little deeper, but it's there," Garner says.

A recent show focused on Waco, known for being the home of Dr Pepper and Baylor University, where Garner found 60-year-old burger joint Camp, a pizza place that serves Texas-shaped pizzas and some great Central Texas mountain biking. Upcoming shows include areas along the Gulf Coast.

You can find Garner and The Daytripper at 3:30 p.m. Saturdays on HoustonPBS Channel 8. For information, including viewing complete episodes, visit www.thedaytripper.com