Will you accept this yellow rose?

The Bachelor host Chris Harrison dumps Hollywood digs to return to Texas

Chris Harrison with Tayshia Adams, the most recent Bachelorette.

The Bachelorette/Facebook

The cavalcade of celebrities relocating to Texas continues. This time, it’s a homecoming of sorts for the longtime host of ABC’s The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Chris Harrison. The Dallas native appears to be moving to Austin.

The New York Post’s Page Six reported December 29 that Harrison is building a home in West Austin’s high-end Barton Creek area for himself and his girlfriend, Entertainment Tonight host Lauren Zima. Many of the homes in the Barton Creek area sell for well over $1 million.

Why Austin (or at least Texas)? Here’s one clue: His son, Joshua Harrison, attends Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, roughly 190 miles north of Austin. On top of that, the senior Harrison is an investor in Dallas’ Steam Theory Brewing Co., and his mom is Dallas real estate agent Mary Beth Harrison.

The new digs in Austin are “partly because of a recent partnership deal he struck with a local brewery," TMZ quoted production sources as saying.

Harrison hasn’t confirmed or denied that he’s joining podcaster Joe Rogan and actor James Van Der Beek in making the move to the Austin area.

In early December, corporate relocation consultant John Boyd said in an interview that Texas in general and Austin in particular maintain a top-notch reputation as a magnet for talent, innovation, and wealth.

“I expect we will be seeing more and more celebrity CEOs, media figures, pro athletes, and famous entertainers relocate to low-tax Texas in the months ahead,” Boyd said.

Harrison’s pending move to Austin comes amid thorny rumors that he’s exiting The Bachelor and The Bachelorette franchise. The relocation to Austin from Southern California, where the reality shows are taped, adds fuel to that speculation. However, TMZ seemingly extinguished the rumors with its exclusive report that Harrison is staying put as host.

In May, Harrison suggested that production of the next season of The Bachelorette might shift from California to another state — mentioning Texas by name — due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that season wound up being taped in a coronavirus “bubble” in Palm Springs, California.

Dallas-Fort Worth fans of the show got worked into a tizzy last season when a disagreement between DirecTV/AT&T and TEGNA resulted in a blackout of WFAA-Channel 8 through much of December. They came to an agreement late last month, in time for the new season premiere at 7 pm Monday, January 4.

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Giving Back

21 North Texas museums offer free admission to military families this summer

Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum presents Rise Up

Photo courtesy of Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

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Nearly two dozen Dallas-Fort Worth museums are honoring active duty military personnel and their families with free admission through the Blue Star Museums initiative, May 20-September 4, 2023.

Established by the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the U.S. Department of Defense, the Blue Star Museums program annually provides military families free access to 2,000 museums nationwide throughout the summer. The program begins yearly on Armed Forces Day in May and ends on Labor Day.

Free admission is extended to personnel currently serving in the U.S Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard (including those in the Reserve), and all National Guardsman. Members of the U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps and NOAA Commissioned Corps are also included in the program.

Those who qualify can use their military ID to bring up to five family members - including relatives of those currently deployed. More information about qualifications can be found here.

There is no limit on the number of participating museums that qualifying families may visit. Admission for non-active military veterans, however, is not included.

According to the National Endowment for the Arts website, the initiative was created to help "improve the quality of life for active duty military families" with a specific focus on children. The site states 2 million have had a parent deployed since 2001.

"Blue Star Museums was created to show support for military families who have faced multiple deployments and the challenges of reintegration," the organizers say. "This program offers these families a chance to visit museums this summer when many will have limited resources and limited time to be together."

In Dallas-Fort Worth, participating institutions include well-known art, science, and history museums, as well as smaller museums outside the city limits. Here's a look at all the museums in North Texas that are participating in the Blue Star Museums initiative this year.

In Dallas:

In Fort Worth:

In Garland:

Heritage Crossing – Garland Landmark Museum

In Irving:

Irving Archives and Museum

In Mesquite:

In Cleburne:

In Krum:

Krum Heritage Museum

In Sanger:

Sanger Area Historical Society Museum

More information about Blue Star Museums and a full list of participants can be found on arts.gov.

museums dallas fort worth

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