Central Texas

Central Texas

Central Texas truly is the heart of Texas. Lying roughly east of San Antonio and Austin almost over to Houston, this is a beautiful region of rolling hills, green pastures, stands of oak and pecan trees crossed by three major rivers. There are charming small towns that are seldom visited by out of state tourists. This is also where much of the legendary Texas history took place. An excellent choice for a day trip out of San Antonio, Austin or Houston it is a favorite with native Texans as a get away from the big city.

Central Texas Places

Cities

With some planning, several of these cities can be visited on the same trip. Stick to the back roads and the scenery is spectacular and there are many historic places along the way. Make getting there a part of the trip.

Gonzales Founded in 1825 as the capital of the Green-DeWitt land grant, Gonzalez is one of the oldest towns in Texas. It has Texas history to rival San Antonio and architecture that rivals Galveston. This is where the Texas Revolution started. The first shot of the Texas Revolution was fired at Gonzalez by the Texian militia. Many important figures in Texas history lived in Gonzalez. Off the main highways and well worth the trip. http://www.gonzalestexas.com/

Luling With three major oil fields around the town and one right under it and with the Texas Oil Patch Museum Luling is the place to go to see how the oil industry begins. These fields are some of the oldest in Texas, so the history of the industry is here. See old derricks and well heads up close. Luling also has some great down home bar b q in the historic downtown and a renowned pottery maker. A good stop on the way to or from Gonzales. http://www.lulingcc.org

Schulenburg Home of the famous painted churches. The German and Czech settlers tried to reproduce the art of grand cathedrals of their homelands. Lacking the marble and exotic stone and the master artists of Europe they created their own painted faux stone from wood and decorated their churches with elaborate and charming folk art. Set in the countryside surrounding Schulenburg, the "painted churches' as they are known are a wonderful day trip. http://www.schulenburgchamber.org/

Yoakum is the leather capital of Texas. With 10 leather companies, this is the place to go to find fine hand made western styled leather goods. From hand tooled briefcases to purses to belts, if it is made from leather you can find it here. Tours of the leather goods companies are available where you can see the craftsmen at work creating hand made saddles and other leather goods. Off the major highways and undiscovered by most tourists, Yoakum has a nice unspoiled small town Texas downtown with a few nice twists such as good shopping. http://www.yoakumusa.com

Shiner A nice small town. Home of the famous Spoetzl Brewery, founded in 1909, Texas' oldest independent brewery. The Spoetzl Brewery is one of the rare small breweries left that hand crafts each batch. Tours of the brewery and samples of the beer are worth the trip. http://www.shinertx.com

Columbus This is the kind of town where they left the big oak trees in the middle of the streets. With a nice historic downtown, some great restaurants and a civil war museum it is worth the trip. Don't miss the restored opera house and judge "Three Legged Willie's" hanging tree (it is real and not myth) on the main square. Closer to Houston than San Antonio, it is a long trip from San Antonio. Texas is big. http://www.columbustexas.org

Cuero The wildflower capital of Texas. Located where several soil and environment zones come together, the surrounding area has the largest variety of wildflowers in a state noted for wildflowers.

Lockhart Home of the most famous Bar B Q joints in Texas. Nice architecture too.

YorkTown Founded in 1948, Yorktown is one of those Central Texas towns that still has the feel and look of old Texas. http://www.yorktowntx.com/history.htm

New Braunfels One of the most popular tourist destinations in Texas for Texans. Two spring fed rivers in one old German town. Lots to see and do. http://www.nbcham.org/website/index.asp

Gruene Famous for music, dinning and shopping, Gruene is a time capsule of German Texas from around 1920. It has the oldest dance hall in Texas that is a favorite venue for the biggest stars in country and Americana music - a small Nashville in the middle of Texas. It also has the Museum of Art and Music and other Texas music scene related stores and venues. With several renowned restaurants and unique boutique shops and art galleries it is a special place. http://www.gruene.net/ http://www.gruenehall.com/

San Marcos On the Camino Real with a nice historic downtown and good shopping, San Marcos is a major part of the music scene in this region. http://www.sanmarcostexas.com/ http://www.continuing-ed.swt.edu/aquarena/

La Grange On the Colorado river. The Monument Hill State Park here is nice. On a high cliff overlooking the river and the town, it has the ruins of an old German brewery, historic houses and buildings and lots and lots of scenery and views.

Bastrop On the Camino Real, Bastrop has a nice historic district on the river with shops and restaurants. Butcher State Park borders on the town and is a unique pine forest in the middle of the rolling prairies that surround it.

Round Top see the listing in the Culture section. Claiming a population of only 81, Round Top is special. Most of the buildings are the original mid 1800s structures and are restored. It has become a cultural center for the fine arts and performing arts. How many towns this size have regular sold out performances of classic music, symphony orchestras and Shakespeare festivals?

Independence So much history it needs a web site of its own. Where Sam Houston was baptized, Hood's Texas Calvary mustered for the Confederate Army and much more. Right in the middle of the most scenic country in Texas and the center of the best wildflower region in Texas. Almost every house in this very small town has a major historical marker.

Washington on the Brazos Now a State Park. Where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed and the seat of the Texas Government during the Revolution. Just a few miles from Independence. It has a nice museum and historical displays and programs all year around. Closer to Houston and a long drive from San Antonio. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/washingt/washingt.htm

Historic Places

The First Shot in the Texas Revolution. Just south of Gonzalez. Also the Guadalupe river bank where the Spanish and the Texians shouted negotiations across the river just to the north. The Spanish wanted the cannon that the Texians used to fire the first shot and got the cannon ball instead. On the historic road to San Antonio.

The Goliad Spanish Mission and Fort Unlike the San Antonio missions, the mission in Goliad is still out in the countryside - not surrounded by urban city. Site of many important events in Texas history, it is perhaps best know for the Goliad massacre during the Texas Revolution. The city itself is a unspoiled time capsule of small town Texas. A place where main streets often have no curbs and huge trees are left growing in the middle of streets it is a special place. Lots of Texas history to see and touch. The site of the Battle of Coleto is just east of town. Well off the beaten track and lightly visited.

The Camino Real Follow in the footsteps of history on the oldest road in Texas. This tour takes in frontier ranches, German farms, river crossings, the cities of New Braunfels, Bracken, Solms, Gruene, Hunter and San Marcos. A scenic drive down winding back roads on the original route of the old Spanish road. Good food, historic dance halls, shopping, Hispanic cemeteries filled with folk art, world class museums and more. See the Cyber Tour on our Camino Real Home page for a sample of this tour.

Culture

Round Top With the Festival Hill performing arts center with symphony orchestras, classical music performances by distinguished artists, the annual Shakespeare festival and fine art galleries Round Top is a true cultural center. Not bad for a town that claims a population of 81. Truly historic with dozens of picturesque buildings. Also home of one of the largest antique festivals in the nation every spring. A favorite get away place for the Houston and Dallas elite. http://www.roundtop.com/roundtop.htm

The Painted Churches around Schulenburg. Charming folk art in picturesque country settings. Already famous and popular with day tours from Houston and San Antonio.

Rodeos Small town rodeos are special. Popular during the summer in small towns, every region has a rodeo arena.

The New Braunfels -San Marcos Music Scene. Centered between Gruene and San Marcos, with a dozen or more clubs and dance halls featuring the best performers and music every night of the week, this region is one of the hottest spots in the USA for country and Americana music. Home of the oldest dance hall and the oldest bar in Texas along with other legendary music venues the "scene" is a Texas version of New Orleans or Nashville. See the Music Page for more.

Museums, in almost every town From the Smithsonian affiliated New Braunfels Museum of Art and Music and the Oil Patch Museum in Luling to small one room museums of circus art, almost every town has a museum of one kind or another. Some are great, many are a hoot to visit. All are fun and worth trying.

Nature

Wildflowers Central Texas is famous for the spectacular display of bluebonnets and wildflowers in the spring. Roadsides and pastures are covered with color. The height of the season if from late March to middle April. See Cuero above.

Aquareana Springs In San Marcos, this state park is a former tourist park now owned by a partnership of the State Park system and Texas State Univerisity. Built around the springs that give rise to the San Marcos river and with a major nature center, aquarium and a museum it is must for naturalists. http://www.continuing-ed.swt.edu/aquarena/

State Parks There are a number of state parks in Central Texas that provide excellent nature trails and wildlife viewing. Palmetto Park near Gonzales and Butcher Park near Bastrop are the two best. Brazo Bend State park near Houston is my personal favorite. Set in a swamp and wetlands along the Brazos river and a short distance from the gulf coast, it has hundreds of birds, both coastal-wetland and woodland and lots of alligators - all up close.

Bird Watching and Nature Tours Having someone who knows the back roads and where to go saves time and effort. In rural areas it is also nice to have someone who knows where to get decent food and decent places to stay.

Eagle Lake A bird watchers dream in the spring and fall. A historic town surrounded by rice fields and prairies with bottoms woodlands and lots of creeks and small lakes. The goose hunting capital of the world. Right under the main migration routes from Canada and the east coast, with all the wetlands, in the fall and spring the region is rich with waterfowl and birds. The snake hunting is pretty good too. A long drive from San Antonio, but worth it if you want to see huge flocks of waterfowl and other birds. http://www.elc.net/city.of.eagle.lake/