15 Towns in Texas With Must-Visit Main Streets
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Deep across Texas are several historic towns; many of these places have preserved the remnants of their glorious past. A stroll along their main streets feels like stepping back into time. These towns’ well-preserved centuries-old buildings and homes allow us a peek into their unique culture and history.
Here are some of the 15 towns in Texas that I recommend visiting. Exploring a part of these towns gives you a sense of history not just of these old towns but also of the state of Texas.
Texas Towns With The Best Historic Main Streets
1. Fredericksburg
In the mid-1800s thousands of Germans settled in Texas and as early as 1850 they constituted 5% of the total population of the Lone Star State. Most of these German immigrants settled in a fragmented belt across the south-central part of Texas. The German belt stretches from Galveston and Houston in the east, to Kerrville, Mason, and Hondo in the west. The belt ranges from the coastal plain to the hill country.
One of those towns in the German belt is Fredericksburg. The Germans settled in this area in 1846. Apart from farms, they built stone houses and buildings many of which stand to this day.
The main street is part of the National Historic District. Aside from history, the place is known for shopping and dining, where you can find more than 150 shops, boutiques, restaurants, galleries, and bars. Located in the Main Street is Marktplatz (Market Square) where the first church and school in Fredericksburg once stood. In its place, situated in the middle of the park is Verein Kirche, a replica of the old buildings that once stood in the area.
If you want to explore Main Street and the rest of the historical district, there is a city trolley that takes visitors on a tour across the downtown area.
2. Nacogdoches
Founded in 1779, it is considered the oldest town in Texas. There is so much history in this quaint little town located in East Texas. You’ll have the opportunity to discover its rich history when you explore its main streets.
The distinctive red brick paved street and the historically preserved buildings give the main street a distinctive Instagram-worthy look. There is currently a community-driven downtown master plan being prepared that aims to preserve the historicity of the Nacogdoches’ downtown area.
The Main Street Department is working hard to make the downtown area a year-round destination where visitors imbibe Nacogdoches’ rich history, culture, and commerce. On the main street and the surrounding downtown areas are chic boutiques, restaurants, and lots of historical buildings.
3. Llano
Located in the Hill Country, Llano is the seat of Llano county. It was established in 1856 as a frontier trading center.
The main street is in the middle of the Historic Business District. Since 2003 it has been a nationally accredited main street. Among notable structures within the main street/ downtown area include the Llano County Courthouse, Lantex Theater, the Southern Hotel, and Llano County Museum.
The Llano Main Street Program is currently revitalizing the downtown area with sidewalks, linear parks and face-lifting of building facades.
4. Waxahachie
Located in North Texas, Waxahachie is known for its captivating buildings in its downtown area. One of which is the Ellis County Courthouse built in 1895. Its walls are made of pink granite and red sandstone and makes it very picturesque, resembling a fairy tale castle.
The courthouse is a fine example of Richardsonian Romanesque (Romanesque Revival) architectural style which was named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson.
5. Granbury
The county seat of Hood County, the town was named after Confederate General Hiram Granbury and it prides itself as the town where “Texas history lives.”
There are many old buildings in the town center, and most of the buildings in the Historic District were built in the 1800s. The downtown square is the first town square in the state to be included in the National Register of Historic Places.
Strolling across its main streets is like going back to the 1800s as most of the buildings are restored and well-preserved.
6. Hico
Located in Texas Hill Country, Hico was named by its founder Dr. John Alford after his hometown in Kentucky. This quaint small town’s motto is “where everybody is somebody”.
The main street has an Old West feel to it. Along the downtown areas, you can see large murals painted on buildings perfect for Instagram photos, Also in the downtown area are restaurants and cafes that serve good food.
An interesting faux bronze statue located in the downtown area is that of the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid. Hico native Brushy Bill Roberts before his death in 1950 had claimed that he was the real Billy the Kid and the person killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881 was another person. In support of Roberts' claim, the town put up a Billy the Kid museum in downtown Hico. The small museum displays memorabilia of Brushy Bill and other Old West artifacts.
7. Gruene
Similar to Fredericksburg, the town of Gruene (pronounced Green) was settled by German farmers in the 1840s. Now it is considered as a district of New Braunfels. Across the downtown area of Gruene are old buildings that house antique shops, and breweries.
Noted attractions include the vintage Gruene General Store and Gruene Hall which was built in 1878 and is considered the oldest dance hall in Texas.
8. Pittsburg
Located in northeast Texas, Pittsburg is the seat of Camp County. In the mid-1800s American families from Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia moved and settled in this part of Texas. The town was named after W.H. Pitts whose farm comprised the corporate limits of the town.
Downtown Pittsburg is one of the first official Texas Main Streets listed in the Texas Historical Commission. The old historic buildings host an array of shops and offices.
Places to visit include the Northeast Texas Rural Heritage Museum, Witness Park and Prayer Tower, Pittsburg Hot Link Restaurant, and the Coca-Cola Mural which is the biggest Coca-Cola mural in all of Texas.
Towns In Texas With The Best Main Streets
9. Bandera
Dubbed as the Cowboy Capital of the World, Bandera located in the Hill Country was founded by Polish immigrants in 1855. It was the staging area of large cattle drives in the 1800s hence the title.
The downtown area has many old historic limestone buildings. The main streets remind you of an old west frontier town. While exploring the downtown don’t forget to visit 11th Street Cowboy Bar and sip your favorite cocktail while soaking up country music.
10. Paris
Paris, France is not the only place in the world named Paris that has an Eiffel Tower. A town in Northeast Texas also has that distinction (along with several American towns named Paris)
© https://texashistory.unt.edu/
Paris, the county seat of Lamar County, has a 20-meter replica of the Eiffel Tower as it has been a tradition of American towns named Paris. To differentiate it from other Parises (including the one in France) the Texan Eiffel Tower has a cowboy hat on top of it.
Its downtown area filled with historic old buildings makes Paris one of the most charming towns in Texas.
11. Calvert
This old cotton town located in Robertson County, east-central Texas traces its roots to Joseph Calvert who established a plantation in the area in the 1850s. An important railroad stop was established and a community grew around the area in the late 1860s.
Calvert has a sprawling historic district that encompasses 30 blocks and is a veritable museum of Victorian architecture. Most of the houses were built during prosperous times however the decline of the cotton industry threatened the future of these old houses. In the 1970s with the discovery of these legacy structures in Calvert, efforts were made to preserve them. A few Texas historic towns can compare to Calvert in terms of wide-scale preservation.
12. Alpine
The county seat of Brewster County, West Texas the town of Alpine is nestled at 1,364 meters above sea level. It had its origins as a campsite for cattlemen in the late 1800s. In 1882 a town of tents was created by railroad workers and from that tent town, it germinated into the present town of Alpine, dubbed the Hub of the Big Bend.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine,_Texas#
The historic downtown captures the essence of West Texas. Take a tour of an array of historic buildings, homes, shops, hotels, churches, and many other structures built in the late 19th century to the early 20th century. If you find yourself visiting this highland college town, this informative online self-guided walking tour will be of great help.
13. Georgetown
Twenty-five miles north of Austin is Georgetown, within its historic downtown is perhaps the most beautiful square in all of Texas. Established in 1848 as a trading center for farm products, downtown Georgetown is a captivating scenery composed of heritage Victorian buildings.
https://www.facebook.com/DowntownGeorgetown/
Its town square has one of perhaps the finest collections of Victorian architecture, red-brick paved sidewalks allow visitors to stroll around the historic downtown area where local shops, boutiques, cafes, and restaurants abound.
14. Boerne
The founders of the town named it after the German writer and satirist Ludwig Börne. Founded as a Latin Settlement by German Free Thinkers, the town of Boerne located in the Texas Hill Country is a charming small town that packs a lot of culture and history.
https://www.ci.boerne.tx.us/
The Main Street is home to dozens of boutiques, restaurants, galleries, hotels, and other places of interest. Among recommended go-to places include the Dienger Trading Company which has a boutique, bakery and a bistro located in a historic building. The Gallery 195 is a fine art gallery and another recommended attraction is Cibolo Creek Brewing Co. for a sip of their famed locally sourced beers.
Boerne was listed as one of the top 25 small-town main streets to visit in America by Oprah Daily. The only Texas location on the list.
15. Canadian
Incorporated in 1887, the town was named after the Canadian River which flows north of this town. This small town in Northern Texas located in the northeast portion of the Texas Panhandle boasts of a beautiful historic downtown area.
https://canadiantx.org/
Visitors can stroll along the remodeled downtown sidewalks and enjoy a variety of boutiques, specialty shops, restaurants, museums, and galleries. In 2017 the town created a Canadian Cultural District to provide vibrancy and unity among the town’s cultural and historical assets. The cultural district covers several blocks, particularly in the downtown area, and hosts festivals, music performances, art exhibitions, and other related events.
Main Street Program
Many of these towns are participants of the Texas Main Street Program under the Main Street America Program which seeks to preserve and revitalize the main streets of different towns across the state. The Texas Main Street Program (TMSP) is the oldest and largest main street program in the United States. It is a tool of reviving local communities and bringing together communities as a way of sustaining the preservation of these historic downtowns.
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