Home for the Weekend

Dallas-Fort Worth pitmasters fire up for Hill Country BBQ festival

Hurtado Barbecue will be firing up the grills at the Brownwood festival.

Hurtado Barbecue/Facebook

The small Hill Country town of Brownwood is going big for its 2026 Feels Like Home Festival, a barbecue and country music event scheduled for Saturday, October 3. A first wave of 10 participating pitmasters has been revealed, including a few familiar names from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The local restaurants represented will be The Original Roy Hutchins Barbecue in Trophy Club, Hurtado Barbecue of Fort Worth and Arlington, and Olmos BBQ of Fort Worth.

The first wave of pitmasters at the Feels Like Home Festival are:

Bosque River Taphouse (Stephenville, TX)
Brantley Creek Barbecue (Odessa, TX)
Hill City Chop House (Tolar, TX)
Hurtado Barbecue (Fort Worth and Arlington, TX)
Olmos BBQ (Fort Worth, TX)
Pody's BBQ (Pecos, TX)
Rossler's Blue Cord Barbecue (Harker Heights, TX)
Schoepf's BBQ (Belton, TX)
The Original Roy Hutchins Barbecue (Trophy Club, TX)
Victorian's Barbecue (Mart, TX)

Brownwood is located between Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and Abilene, about a three-hour drive from Dallas. Texas Monthly recently detailed some unique ways to spend the weekend there, a place that's "still obsessed with trains."

“Barbecue has been part of the Feels Like Home experience since day one, and we have always believed it deserves the same level of care and attention that we put into the music lineup,” said festival director Steve Clayton in a statement. “This is about making Feels Like Home more than just another concert or music festival. We want people to come to Brownwood and spend the day discovering incredible country music, eating barbecue from pitmasters they may have driven hours across Texas to try, and enjoying the kind of authentic hometown hospitality that makes this community so special.”

Blue Cord Barbecue Pitmasters at Feels Like Home have plenty of space to spread out.Photo by Levi Thompson

This year, the third for the festival, organizers have updated the barbecue portion of the experience to allow more time for attendees to try everything.

On the musical side, attendees can expect live performances from:

Gary Allan
Scotty McCreery
Mark Chesnutt
Jack Ingram
Caroline Hale

The period between noon and 4 pm will be open for complimentary sampling on the Grass Lawn, which is adjacent to the main stage and more accessible than the previous location. Fans will be able to watch from the barbecue area, so it won't be a tough choice between getting barbecue and enjoying the show. They can also move back and forth between the stage and the barbecue area.

Past attendees haven't just made the drive for a meal. Other activities include mechanical bull riding and axe throwing, and other small interactive elements will offer variety throughout the day.

Feels Like Home will be held at the Brownwood Event Center. Tickets (starting at $82, before a $45 unlimited barbecue add-on) are available at feelslikehomefest.com.

barbecue festivals music festival pitmasters hill country brownwood

Flying High

DFW Airport lands largest Admirals Club and more upgrades from American

Rendering courtesy of American Airlines

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Fresh off welcoming thousands of travelers for the World Cup, American Airlines has unveiled a batch of luxe upgrades coming to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Two new lounges — including the largest Admirals Club in the airline's history — and American's "Flagship" check-in experience are on the horizon for DFW.

The brand-new Admirals Club will encompass 37,000 square feet of space near the Skylink station in Terminal C. Guests can expect new "enhancements," such as ample space for relaxing, chef-inspired menu offerings and all-day food choices, and a premium beverage program.

"Thoughtfully designed with a variety of seating options, premium amenities and dedicated areas for work and relaxation, the lounge will serve as a modern home away from home for travelers connecting through American's largest hub," the release says.

The new club will join the first phase of DFW's long-awaited Terminal C expansion, which was unveiled earlier this summer. It includes new state-of-the-art electronic boarding gates, concessions, upgraded amenities, and more.

American will also build a Provisions by Admirals Club lounge in DFW's future Terminal F, which is expected to open in 2027. The release is mum on details, but says the Provisions lounge will serve as an efficient grab-and-go space for travelers to find high-quality food, drinks, and other travel necessities "in a streamlined setting."

And, finally, American will bring its exclusive "Flagship" check-in experience to DFW later this year. The dedicated space allows travelers to privately check in for their flights. It will be located near Terminal D's D30 security checkpoint, offering travelers easy access to security screenings and personalized assistance from American staff.

"We're investing in every stage of the premium travel journey at DFW, beginning the moment customers arrive at the airport," says Heather Garboden, American’s Chief Customer Officer. "Our Flagship check-in experience offers a more tailored and streamlined start to the journey, bringing together dedicated service, premium amenities and greater convenience for our most loyal and premium customers."

DFW will become the fourth U.S. airport to boast American's Flagship check-in experience; the others are in Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), and Miami (MIA). London Heathrow Airport is the only other American hub that offers the Flagship feature.

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