When you fantasize about summer day trips to central Texas, chances are your dreams transport you to pools, lakes, and swimming holes. Places to cool off.
There is another type of day trip that can tickle the mind and calm the body at the same time, if you know how to do it right.
Of the dozens of day trip destinations within easy reach of Austin, we picked these five historic spots to get your engines started.
Monument Hill in La Grange
(Round trip time: 2 hours)
You may have noticed this high point when passing through La Grange on Texas 71. To the south rises a hill above the Colorado River that stands out like no other. Head there.
Elegiac Monument Hill, a Texas State Historic Site, is shaded by trees that are sometimes monuments themselves.
So the first order of business might be a refreshing meal at one of the many discreetly spaced picnic tables. On my last visit, I purchased a huge “Back Porch Sandwich” from Back Porch BBQ, located at the intersection of Texas 71 and US 77.
A lot of history and nature can be found in this park. Recognized early as a place of meditation, it was selected in 1848 as a cemetery for the Texans who died in the Dawson Massacre (1842), along with the dead of the Texan expeditions of Santa Fe (1841) and Mier (1842), and those captured during General Adrián Woll’s raid on San Antonio (1842).
You see, the 1840s were an unstable decade for the new republic, as Mexico and Texas asserted their territorial claims without engaging in decisive battles. In 1936, during the Texas Centennial, a towering Art Deco slab, decorated with some figures in low relief, was added to the renovated tomb for the dead of these conflicts.
Further:Texas History: Detailing Life on a 19th Century Texas Plantation
To discover how disputes were resolved during the Mexican-American War in the late 1840s, visit the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum to see its current exhibit on the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
The hill hides other historical treasures: a few dozen meters away is the solid Kreische house, furnished and decorated with pieces that reflect how its inhabitants lived in the mid-19th century.
In a low spot below the house are the extensive remains of the Kreische brewery, which can be seen from an elevated viewing point or quite close up, although with restrictions. (414 Texas 92 Spur, La Grange, thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/monument-hill)
Courthouse Square in Mason
(Round trip time: 4 hours)
Mason is one of those Hill Country towns that, so far, hasn’t been spoiled by overly curious tourists. The round-trip travel time to and from this county seat is longer than the other hikes recommended here, but the route through the rugged landscape is a pleasure in itself.
The main magnet these days is the Mason County Courthouse, completely rebuilt in 2023 after an arsonist set fire to the structure in 2021. For me, one of the most exciting thrills of recent years was watching a new dome over the courthouse. , as virtually the entire city cheered on all four sides of the long square, many of them protected from the elements by the generous shade structures placed in front of the older buildings.
Further:Texas History: Learning about the state’s past in the Hill Country town of Mason
This is not the only Mason County courthouse lost to a fire. The first, which was on the northeast side of the courthouse, also caught fire.
“The first burned on January 21, 1877, during the Hoodoo War,” said local historian Fran Hoerster in 2023. The extended conflict, sometimes called the Mason County War, was actually a series of feuds and lynchings involving cattle rustling that sometimes pitted German-Americans against Anglo-Americans. “People rushed to grab the land records. They kept most of them. But we lost trademark records, marriage records, probate records. We had to start all over again,” Hoerster said.
“There was a second courthouse somewhere there (pointing toward the western side of the courthouse grounds), but we don’t know exactly where, between 1879 and 1909. It was torn down. This one was finished in 1910.”
Mason is home to two historical museums, one on the square, which displays one of the county’s famous topazes. Another is a magnificent old rock school; a pre-Civil War fort; an excellent modern library with a permanent exhibit on “Old Yeller” author Fred Gipson, a local; and a lot of art.
There is plenty to eat and drink around the court square. If you get the chance, visit the ornate Seaquist House; Check tour times and dates in advance.
Main street in Bastrop
(Round trip time: 1 hour)
Bastrop is not just a suburb of Austin. It’s a relatively recent role for this city that’s older than Austin and just a few votes shy of becoming the capital of Texas.
Not long ago, I explored historic districts with Ken Kesselus, a Bastrop native, former mayor, retired Episcopal minister, and community historian. Among the places we visited were the Bastrop County African American Cultural Center, the Bastrop Casino (an old German meeting place), and Calvary Episcopal Church.
Further:Elgin-bound: There’s more than barbecue and bricks in this Texas town
The Bastrop County Historical Society Museum and Visitor Center (904 Main St.) is a good place to start. I wrote the following about this excellent little museum: “Each exhibit is clear, properly lit, and, as far as I could guess, historically accurate. Among other things, two excellent exhibits cover the local coal industry, which I knew almost nothing about. nothing, and the cotton industry. boom, including a map of the county’s freedom colonies, with background on slavery and emancipation.”
Kesselus and I shared a meal on the city’s historic Main Street, which comes to life, especially on weekends when the weather is nice, and many buildings offer awnings or other shading devices. Several newcomers have opened shops and restaurants along this main stretch. We had lunch outdoors at Paw-Paw’s Catfish House, which serves fried breaded catfish that’s light as air and tender like a mother’s love.
Stagecoach Inn in Salado
(Round trip time: 2 hours)
If you grew up in Texas, you’ll remember this former landmark, now situated along Interstate 35 north of Austin, as an inn and restaurant suspended in amber. For decades, nothing changed. Recently, it has undergone a series of upgrades that make it 1) a luxury resort of sorts, 2) a gateway to the revitalized Salado arts and crafts district, 3) an even more authentic expression, to me, of its former origins.
Further:‘Destino’ Hotel Comes to Historic Fredericksburg Strip, a Hotspot for Texas Day Trips
I wrote this recently about the place: “Part of the existing complex on Salado Creek dates back to the 1860s, when it was a real stagecoach stop known as the Shady Villa Hotel. Its restaurant was founded in the 1940s and was known for its immutable menu and staff. A nearby modernist motel rose along the interregional highway during the 1950s; it also seemed trapped in amber. The next layer was laid during the past decade: a successfully reinvented restaurant and a tempting luxury hotel complex. to one. spend the night.”
Please note that the restaurant, which is surrounded by refreshing greenery, has gone through a series of temporary name changes, but will always be Stagecoach Inn.
Pearl District in San Antonio
(Round trip time: 3 hours)
I know, I know, Interstate 35. How do you get around that monster of a freeway that becomes a psychological barrier to visiting the other half of our rapidly merging “megametro”? If you leave early on a weekend morning, at least the trip to South Africa will be less stressful.
Once there, many of the historic attractions are within easy reach. A cluster of downtown attractions includes the Alamo campus, including the new Ralston Family Collections Center, the main plaza, with the Cathedral of San Fernando and the Governor’s Palace, along with, of course, the magical Riverwalk and its various destinations historical.
Another historic excursion to San Antonio requires a car in the summer, unless you have recently been trained by the French Foreign Legion (see the 1999 film “Beau Travail”): The Mission Trail south of downtown, which includes the other four Spanish churches of the 18th century. complex, each with its own discrete history. If you don’t do it this time, do it later.
Further:Meet me in San Austin: It’s time to explore the idea of an Austin-San Antonio ‘mega-subway’
To fully combine history and refreshment, perhaps head north of downtown to the Pearl District.
The centerpiece of the Pearl District these days is the luxurious Emma Hotel located in the 1894 building that once housed the San Antonio Brewers Association, which produced Pearl beer. Opened in 2015, the hotel includes an elaborate lobby bar filled with elements of the structure’s former industrial function, as well as carefully curated local restaurants on the ground floor. (Try any of them!)
Surrounding the plaza are an indoor food market, a thriving bookstore, new condominiums, a music venue housed in a circular building that once served as a stable, a riverside amphitheater, and several other restaurants, one of them associated with the San Antonio base. from the Culinary Institute of America.
Are you still sweating? Sink into one of these oases for a long nap or stroll along the sprawling Riverwalk to the former Lone Star brewery that was converted, in 1981, into the impressive (and air-conditioned) San Antonio Museum of Art.
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