Located in Gillespie County, Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. Old-time German residents often referred to Fredericksburg as Fritztown, a nickname that...
Central Texas
Central Texas is characterized by prairies and lakes, two lane roads that twist and climb, green valleys and limestone cliffs. It's rich in German heritage, wineries, abundant wildflowers, crystal clear rivers lined with cypress and oak, music, cafes offering ample country cooking, and history.
It's also a great outdoor destination for hiking, tubing, swimming, and camping.
Map of Central Texas Points
Things to See & Do in Central Texas
Stonewall
Stonewall is on the Pedernales River thirteen miles east of Fredericksburg in southeastern Gillespie County. The town was named after Confederate General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson. The settlement...
Virginia Field Park, Calvert
Virginia Field Park, a gorgeous green space within the Historic District of Calvert, originated in 1868 as a donation for park space from the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. The large red roofed...
24 Hour Pecan Pie Vending Machine
Vegas may have champagne-filled vending machines, but the South likes to do things a little bit bigger and (dare we say?) better.
Salado
The Village of Salado is the best small town in Texas! With several bed and breakfasts and only a short drive up I35, between Waco and Austin.
Dripping Springs
Winding roads, spectacular wildflowers, vineyards, breweries, shopping, artwork, wildlife, dancing, barbecue, all things Texas Hill Country start here. Dripping Springs, on U.S. Highway 290...
Comfort
From an architectural viewpoint, Comfort is extremely rich. Nearly the entire downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places. Many rock buildings and businesses remain in a splendid state of...
St. James Episcopal in La Grange
In 1885, St James Episcopal Church was built in La Grange on a lot donated by the Shropshire family for a parish formed in 1855.
Day Trippin’ in Dripping Springs
When people think of Dripping Springs, the “Gateway to the Hill Country”, many think of Hamilton Pool or West Cave Preserve. Both are spectacular outdoor spaces to spend a day. But there...
Old barn in New Bielau
Photo Rob Sneed
Bellville
Bellville was initially settled by Thomas and James Bell who immigrated from Florida in 1822, as some of Stephen F. Austin's earliest settlers. They donated over 145 acres to Austin County. Bellville...
Lawrence Chapel, Williamson County
Lawrence Chapel is off Farm Road 112 eleven miles southeast of Taylor in southeastern Williamson County. It was named for Adam Lawrence, a pioneer rancher and farmer and a veteran of the Texas...
San Fernando Academy in Pontotoc
A nearly deserted town an hour north of Fredericksburg in Mason County, Pontotoc was on the brink of becoming a boom town before a series of misfortunes. Settled in 1859, there was an established...
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Fredericksburg
Several black families were residing in Gillespie County by the 1870s. A schoolhouse was built in 1877 on property adjacent to this later church site. Blacks probably met in the school for worship...
Lake Belton
Belton Lake is located on the Leon River 16.7 miles upstream of the confluence of the Leon River and the Little River. It is in the northern part of Bell County, Texas about three miles north of the...
Bluff Dale
Bluff Dale, on U.S. Highway 377 and the North Paluxy River in northeastern Erath County, was originally called Bluff Spring by the pioneers who settled near the site’s artesian wells. Bluff...
St. Stanislaus in Chappell Hill
In 1888, Rev. James Grabinger, announced that a church would be built in Chappell Hill —Â St. Stanislaus. The great hurricane of 1900 that devastated Galveston destroyed this first church. The...
Texas Czech Center in La Grange
Like this oak near the Texas Czech Heritage Center, massive trees that are hundreds of years old were here before the streets of La Grange were laid out. In La Grange’s residential...