Originally founded in 1716 in eastern Texas, Mission San Juan Capistrano was transferred in 1731 to its present location. In 1756, the stone church, a friary, and a granary were completed. A larger...
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
Starlite Drive-In in Schertz
The ticket booth and marquee are still standing. In its day, capacity was around 200 cars. photo by Noel Kerns
Brenham
Brenham, the county seat of Washington County, is on U.S. Highway 290 seventy-two miles northwest of Houston. The Hickory Grove community changed its name in 1843 to Brenham in honor of Republic of...
Chappell Hill
Chappell Hill is a small rural community in the eastern portion of Washington County, Texas, United States. It is located along U.S. Highway 290 roughly halfway between Brenham and Hempstead...
Between Rosebud And Wilson
The road from Rosebud to Wilson has some of the prettiest ranches and farmland I’ve ever seen. This particular ranch was gorgeous. I saw no cattle there, and the grass has been allowed to grow...
Lake Buchanan Lighthouse
The Lake Buchanan Lighthouse is a privately owned lighthouse that is near Buchanan Dam. It can be seen as you drive along at the south end of Lake Buchanan on Hwy 29. Photo Jeffrey Spencer
Driftwood
Driftwood, seventeen miles northwest of San Marcos in central Hays County, grew up in the 1880s as a supply center for neighboring ranches and farms. Pioneers settled in the area, then known as...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Frio River in the Hill Country
The word frío is Spanish for cold, a clear reference to the spring-fed coolness of the river.
Historic Migl House in La Grange
The Migl House was constructed in 1890 by the family of František Migl. Most of the construction materials were 1 x 12 long-leaf pine boards for the outside walls, beaded tongue-in-grove internal...
Johnson City Feed Mill
I don’t know the story behind the shoes on this wall, but here in Texas we have boots on fence posts, bicycles on barns, trees and on fences… seems anything is fair game to try out a new...
Old Barn in Weimar
The barn was old when I was young – as far as I know it was built before the war. Its really showing its age these days, but I dare say it is aging quite gracefully. As for the rusty implements...
St. Stanislaus in Chappell Hill
In 1888, Rev. James Grabinger, announced that a church would be built in Chappell Hill — St. Stanislaus. The great hurricane of 1900 that devastated Galveston destroyed this first church. The...
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...
Old barn in New Bielau
Photo Rob Sneed