March 27, 2025 • 25 mins
What happens when you venture beyond the bright lights of Austin, the packed River Walk of San Antonio, or the urban sprawl of Dallas-Fort Worth? Texas reveals itself in ways no guidebook fully captures—through towns with characters as big as the state itself but too often overlooked by travelers chasing the obvious.
From Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas that has flown nine different flags across its 300-year history, to the Victorian charm of Waxahachie with its perfect replica of the Munsters' mansion, these ten destinations showcase the authentic spirit that makes Texas truly special.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Bob Bales (00:01):
Hi and welcome to the Traveling Fool, the show where
we explore the most intriguingaspects of travel, culture and
history.
I'm your host, Bob Bales,retired military, been to over
30 countries and I'm alwayschasing places that don't come
with a tourist trap attached.
Today I'm talking about 10Texas destinations you might not
(00:22):
have heard of.
Forget Austin's trendy bars orSan Antonio's crowded river walk
.
These are some of the places Ivisit when I'm after something
real, something that doesn'tneed a billboard to prove it's
worth my time.
There are towns and cornersthat don't get the attention
they deserve, but they've gothistory, character and a quiet
(00:44):
pool that makes you wonder whythey're so overlooked.
So settle in and let's getstarted.
(01:04):
You know Texas is a big state.
You got Houston, Dallas, Austintaking up all the space in
people's heads, but I'm not herefor the usual.
I'm interested in places thatdon't make the cut for most
travelers, the ones you'd missout on if you just stuck to the
(01:27):
main highways.
Well, this list is 10destinations in Texas that don't
get their due, and I'm going tolay out why they're worth a
visit More than just a quickglance.
Today I've got a little bitdeeper history people who left a
mark here and odd things to seeand do.
We're going to go through themone by one, talk about what's
there, why they're ignored andwhy I'd like to spend a day or
(01:52):
two there.
In fact I have.
I've been to these places, sojust hold on and we're going to
get right into it.
First up is Nacogdoches, theoldest town in Texas.
It's out in the piney woods ofEast Texas and people skip East
Texas for the hill country orWest Texas.
It's just too far off thebeaten path for most people.
(02:13):
Now, this place started in 1716with Spanish missions to block
the French from moving in.
Over 300 years of history arepacked into those brick streets.
It's flown nine flags.
You know you got six flags overTexas, but you got nine over
Nacogdoches, including Spain,France, Mexico, the Republic of
(02:36):
Texas and a few more.
More than anywhere else on thestate.
Now the Stone Fort Museum's arebuilt outpost from the 1700s.
It was originally set up bythis guy named Antonio Gil
Y'Barbo.
It doesn't sound right with myTexas accent, but that's his
name.
He ran the show back then,traded with the Caddo Indians
(02:59):
and kept things humming along.
Sam Houston got baptized herein 1833.
Yeah, that same Sam Houston,Texas legend.
He dodged getting baptized foryears but they dunked him in
Penn Creek supposedly because helost a bet.
Here's an unusual one that's outthere, the Stern Hoya House.
(03:20):
This house was built in 1830 byAdolphus Stern, a merchant who
helped fund the Texas Revolution.
It's still got its originalfurniture and little creaky wood
floors Looks like time stopped.
If you visit , you got LakeNacogdoches nearby, calm water,
(03:41):
tall pines and great fishing.
I'll tell you how I know thatin just a minute.
There's also the Ruby M MyersAzalea Gardens.
Eight acres of flowers.
East Texas has their gardens,man, and they do love their
flower gardens.
It blooms in the spring.
It was started by a local ladywho just loved the quiet beauty
of the area.
Now Nacogdoches isn't loud orcrowded.
(04:01):
It does have a universitythere, but you know it's really
not a university town, it's justa place that kind of hang out
waiting for you to notice it.
I lived in Nacogdoches for afew years.
In fact my youngest daughterwas born there.
That's how I know about thatlittle lake up there.
It's got some great fishing,I'll tell you A lot of good
(04:26):
outdoor activity, good, friendlypeople.
It's just a cool place to visitand you can say that you
visited the oldest town in Texas.
Now next up is San Angelo.
It's on the other side of thestate.
Out in West Texas, Marfa andBig Bend get all the notice out
there, but this place doesn'teven pop up for most people.
(04:46):
It started as a trading postacross from Fort Concho, built
in 1867 to guard the frontierafter the Civil War.
Yeah, you see, Apache raidswere just going rampant and they
were a big problem back thenand it was a rough stretch of
nowhere.
So the fort still there, gotwooden barracks, stone walls and
(05:08):
even a parade ground where thesoldiers drilled, plus a chapel
where they buried a few whodidn't make it.
The Concho River kept it alive.
Back in the early 1900s, folksthere dove for fresh water
pearls.
You didn't think of Texasproducing pearls, did you?
Turning mussel shells intobuttons for clothes, that lasted
(05:29):
up until the 1940s.
A fellow by the name of ElmerKelton, big western writer, was
born there.
He wrote the Time it NeverRained, knew to the dry plains
he described.
He died in 2009, but he left amark.
Now, one unusual site is MissHattie's Bordello Museum, a
preserved brothel from the 1900s.
(05:51):
It ran for many, many years.
In fact.
They shut it down in 1952 afterthe Texas Rangers raided the
place, but it's still got theold beds and wallpaper.
It gives you a peek into alittle bit of the wilder side of
town.
Add in, you got the San AngeloState Park, which is 4,000 acres
.
It's got bison roaming aroundon it and you got a place that's
(06:13):
more than just a pit stop.
Then there's the Chicken FarmArt Center.
It's an old farm turned toartist co-op.
Got an odd mix of sculpturesand chickens running around, but
it's simple and honest anddoesn't need to shout to get
your attention.
I'll tell you.
You can't go wrong visiting SanAngelo for a weekend.
Destination three Gonzales.
(06:37):
where the Texas Revolutionkicked off in 1835.
Everybody knows about the Alamo, but this is where it all
started.
First shots fired over a cannonthat the Mexicans demanded back
.
They had had this cannon inthat little town just to ward
off raids from Indians and stuff.
But the Mexicans, now thatTexas wanted independence, they
(07:00):
wanted their cannon back.
So October 2nd, which is theday they still celebrate.
Locals raised a flag sayingcome and take it and 32 men held
off 100 soldiers.
After the settlers firedseveral shots, the Mexican
officer just decided the cannonwasn't worth it and he retreated
.
It was a small fight but it hada huge spark.
(07:22):
Now they've got the MemorialMuseum there.
It's got the cannon story plusa bunch of old rifles and
letters from those days.
It's real stuff, not replicas,including a flag sewn by a local
woman.
Herman Marion Sweat grew up here, the first black guy to
challenge segregation.
At University of Texas LawSchool.
(07:44):
He won a Supreme Court case in1950 that cracked open education
laws.
Now an interesting site you got.
The Eggleston House, built inthe 1840s, survived the
revolution, wooden frame, bulletscars still standing, like it's
dared you to forget.
The Guadalupe River is rightthere.
Real cool place.
(08:04):
Got smooth water, old trees,great place for picnics and
tubing down the river.
Gonzales College started heretoo.
An 1850 school, trained some ofthe state's first teachers.
It's shut down now but it stillhas legacy.
Gonzales is a great little townto visit.
I went there.
I spent the majority of the daylooking over everything.
(08:28):
I tell you the museum is really, really cool If you like
history and you like Texashistory, it's got a lot of it
right there and there's just alot of other things to see too.
I mean, there's all kinds ofstuff right around the town
square where they still have ahuge come and take it flag
(08:48):
flying every day.
Let me ask you have you everbeen to a Texas spot that most
people don't visit but shouldSend me a note at
editor@thetravellingfool.
com or message me on Facebook.
I'd love to hear about it.
Might even bring it up on thenext podcast.
All right, let's keep going.
Number four Palo Pinto.
(09:09):
It's between Fort Worth and theHill Country, kind of tiny.
It doesn't connect to anythingreally big, so people drive
right past it.
But back in the 1850s it was astagecoach stop on the Fort
Worth to El Paso run.
You had cowboys, outlaws, thewhole deal.
It got a post office around1858.
(09:30):
Palo Pinto Mountains State Parkopened in 2023.
1,400 acres of hills, emptytrails.
It's got a view over Lake PaloPinto, where they found
arrowheads from Comanche campsthat go back centuries.
The courthouse is from 1882,and it's a standout.
(09:53):
It's got red brick clock tower.
It was built when the cattlemoney flowed through that area.
It's still got a jail cell inthe basement.
There's no real famous namesfrom there, but the jail museum
is right next door with itsoriginal cells, iron bars and
stories of horse thieves thatgot locked up in the 1890s.
(10:14):
Now while you're there, checkout Lover's Leap Bridge.
It's an old iron span over theBrazos River, tied to a local
tale about a couple jumping offof the 1900s.
It's rusted but it's stillstanding.
You got the Mineral WellsFossil Park.
It's close by.
It's free, full of 300 millionyear old sea critters that you
(10:38):
can dig up yourself.
This is a really cool place tovisit.
It's authentic Texas.
Nobody's rushing around, not alot of bumper to bumper traffic.
It's just a cool place to visit.
That's why it's good.
Number five you got Cuero Texas.
Now San Antonio and the coasttake up all the spotlight.
(11:00):
This place doesn't evenregister for most people.
It was a cattle hub in the 1870s, shipping beef up the Chisholm
Trail up to Kansas.
Thousands of head of cattlemoving north.
Big money back then.
But they have the TurkeyFestival which started in the
1960s.
Wild turkeys were everywhere.
The locals turned it into athing.
(11:20):
It draws several thousandpeople every October with turkey
races and everything.
It's got some cool museums.
You've got the Pharmacy Museumfrom the cattle era.
Old bottles, tools, even thesoda fountain that the old
cowboys used to use, and it'seven got a display on smallpox
vaccines from the 1880s.
They've got the Chisholm TrailMuseum there, which I visited.
(11:44):
It's a fantastic museum.
There was a fellow by the nameof Fred Gibson.
You may not know who he is, buthe wrote Old Yeller, turned it
into a movie, real famous.
He grew up nearby.
He was born in 1908, justoutside of town.
One unusual sight in Cuero isthe DeWitt County Courthouse
(12:06):
clock tower In 1886, it stoppedat 2:47 one night in 1894 when
lightning hit it.
It's still a little off kilter.
I'll tell you, if you've nevervisited Texas courthouses, when
you get out of the big citieslike Dallas, Houston, San
(12:27):
Antonio, you go to these smallerareas and you go to these
little county courthouses.
They're really architecturallysomething to look at.
They're really, really cool.
And Cuero, the DeWitt Countycourthouse that they have there,
it's a really beautiful-lookingcourthouse.
They always sit in a littletown square.
(12:47):
You got little cafe's andstores and everything all the
way around these things andthey're almost all identical
settings.
They're all in a town square.
It's really something to checkout.
You've also got the CueroHeritage Museum which has got
arrowheads, ranch gear.
It's a small town but it's gota lot to say and, like I said,
(13:09):
you've got the Chisholm TrailHeritage Museum with replica
check wagons and stories aboutthe drovers who died on the
trail.
I stopped by and visited acouple of years ago and it is a
great little museum.
Cuero is often overlooked butit's well worth a visit.
Now, as you notice, we'reskipping over a lot of the big
cities, a lot of the biglandmarks.
(13:31):
We're hitting those littleout-of-the-way places that have
interesting stuff andinteresting things to see and do
.
So let's keep going.
Destination number six Albany.
Not New York, but Albany, Texas.
It's in West Texas.
Lubbock and the big parks getall the focus out in West Texas.
(13:52):
This one's too small to evenmatter to most people, but Fort
Griffin was nearby 1870s.
The outpost had soldiers,gamblers, even Buffalo Bill Cody
passed through there in 1877 tohunt buffalo for the army.
The old jail art center is inan 1877 jail with stone walls.
(14:15):
It's now holding paintings andsculptures instead of inmates.
It feels kind of strange but itworks.
The center was started by alocal who wanted art in the
middle of nowhere, a fellow bythe name of Robert E Nail,
started what they call theFandangle here in 1938.
It is the oldest outdoormusical in Texas, still going on
(14:41):
every June, with locals actingout the frontier days, and it
was based on his family's ranchtales.
Now, when you're there, makesure you visit the Ledbetter
Picket House.
It's at the Fort Ruins.
It's a cabin made out ofvertical logs moved from a
pioneer's land.
It looks like it's ready tofall, but it won't.
(15:04):
You add, in the Aztec Theater,which is a 1930s movie house,
still shows films.
And you've just got layers andlayers of history.
The Albany News Office has awall of old headlines.
It talks about fires anddroughts and bank robberies from
the 1900s.
It's history you can touch andtoo often ignored.
(15:27):
Albany is definitely worth astop.
Well, we're halfway down Sixdown four to go.
So what do you think so far?
Any of these places pique yourinterest in visiting?
Let me know and let's keepgoing.
Number seven, from West Texas,let's head down south.
We're going to go to PortIsabel on the Gulf Coast near
South Padre Island.
(15:47):
South Padre gets all the springbreak and beach crowds, but
this place stays kind of in thebackground.
Used to be an old fishingvillage and then it was a Civil
War port.
Confederates ran guns throughhere in the 1860s dodging Union
ships, lost a few scooters tostorms.
The lighthouse is from 1852.
(16:08):
It's still standing, 72 feet,57 steps, the best view of the
Laguna Madre that you'll get.
It was lit until 1905 when itjust went out of service.
Didn't need it much more.
Jean Lafitte, the pirate legendhimself.
He hung around those parts.
Some say he buried gold nearbyin the 1820s.
(16:30):
It's still lost and treasurehunters are always out there
poking around looking for it.
One unusual sight is theTreasures of the Gulf Museum.
It's got shipwreck relics likecannonballs and coins from a
1554 Spanish fleet that sank offthe coast, three ships that
sunk in a hurricane, and thenyou add in the Queen Isabella
(16:53):
Causeway which has got greatfishing, Pelicans and birds all
over the place.
It's a solid stop.
Port Isabel Historic Museum isin an old store with fishing
gear and photos of the town whenit was just shacks.
It's coastal without all theclutter.
It's definitely worth your timevisiting.
Number eight, Glen Rose, northof the hill country and south of
(17:16):
Dallas.
Dinosaur tracks are one of thebig draws here but it's too far
off for most.
In 1908, they found footprintsin the Paluxy River of sauropods
and theropods 110 million yearsold, preserved in limestone.
They were first spotted by akid that was out there fishing
and now Dinosaur Valley StatePark got them, five miles of
(17:40):
trails plus fossil casts fromthe 1930s when they dug up a
dinosaur for the American Museumof Natural History.
Moonshiners used the cavesaround there during the
Prohibition.
They're still hidden up in thehills.
They were busted in the 1920sbut they left the barrels behind
(18:00):
.
You can check out Bernard'sMill, an 1850s gristmill turned
into an art museum, got thewater wheel still running and
everything.
It was built by a guy whofought at San Jacinto, the
battle where Texas defeated theMexican general Santa Anna and
won independence.
(18:21):
You add in the SomervilleCounty Museum with Civil War
gear, old photos and it's got alot more going for it than just
dinosaurs.
The Comanche Peak Nuclear Plantis nearby.
You take a tour of that place.
It'll show you how it powershalf of the state.
Odd contrast to the fossils.
(18:46):
It's old history meets Texasslow time.
There's nobody rushing aroundin Glen Rose.
It's a cool little town tovisit.
You ought to check it out.
All right, we're almost done.
Just two more to go Number nineLuling.
Luling is on the way to SanAntonio.
People just don't stop unlessthey smell the BBQ.
It's just like a little smallblip in the road.
Oil struck in 1922, and thetown went from nothing to a
(19:12):
boomtown in months, rigs poppingup like weeds.
Luling peaked around 400 wells.
I believe it was in the 1930s.
There's a place called CityMarket.
It's been smoking brisket theresince 1958.
And being good, texas properBBQ, there's no sauce, it's just
meat which stands alone.
(19:33):
The fellow there will tell you.
Well, if you need sauce thensomebody didn't know what they
were doing barbecuing that meat.
It was started by a localfamily there and that family is
still running it.
I've been to City Market manytimes.
They have a fantastic BBQ.
Now, William Taylor, which wasa rough rider with Teddy
(19:55):
Roosevelt lived there.
He fought in Cuba.
He came back a tough old manand worked as a cowboy.
He died in 1931 after years ofranching there.
If you visit the last fullweekend in June you can enjoy
the Luling Watermelon ThumpFestival.
It's been ongoing since 1954.
(20:17):
Live music, got a carnival,vendors set up a market to sell
their wares.
It's got a car show and, ofcourse, watermelon judging and
auction, a watermelon eatingcontest, and now this is just
for some of you, the WorldChampionship Watermelon Seed
Spitting Competition.
(20:38):
Now how often do you get to seeworld champion seed spitters in
action?
They've also got the ZedlerMill.
It's an 1880s cotton gin on theSan Marcos River.
It's now a park where the oldgear is rusting away.
the Luling Foundation Farms isa big surprise.
It's a 1920s experiment inbetter cotton.
(21:00):
Grow a lot of cotton down inSouth Texas and they are still
growing test crops there today.
It's small, it's got somethingoften overlooked and Luling is a
nice little stop and don't everforget to stop at City Market
for lunch.
You will not regret it.
And that brings us to number 10,Waxahachie, just south of
(21:22):
Dallas, and Dallas and FortWorth, of course, get all the
attention and this place juststays kind of quiet.
It boomed in the 1890s withcotton.
Cash built all those Victorianhomes in the red sandstone
courthouse in town.
It was finished in 1897 withcarvings of faces some say were
(21:43):
modeled after the architect'sexes who dumped him mid-project.
Ginger Rogers danced here as alittle kid.
She was born in 1911 inWaxahachie.
She won a contest at age 14,went to Hollywood and became a
star with Fred Astaire.
One unusual sight in town, andsomething that I know a lot of
you would love to visit, is theMunster Mansion.
(22:06):
It's a replica of the old 1960sTV show the Munsters.
Relying solely on show footage,these people have recreated
this mansion.
It replicates everything toexact detail and some of the
items were actually used on theshow and they've got them.
You can take a tour and theyalso hold a monthly murder
(22:30):
mystery dinner.
It's something to see.
You add in the Ellis CountyMuseum.
It's got old jail cells andcotton scales and a lot more.
It's a step back in time.
Take a walk through historicdowntown.
Make sure you also stop at therestored MKT Train Depot.
Waxahachie just has style andhistory.
(22:51):
It's a great place for aweekend trip.
A lot of great shopping there.
Old Victorian homes, historicarea downtown and of course you
got the Munster House.
You got to check that place out.
So that's your 10.
Nacogdoches to Waxahachie Allunderrated, all worth checking
out.
(23:12):
These aren't the Texas spotsyou see everywhere.
There's no bright lights, nooverpriced nonsense.
They're just places I stop atwhen I'm tired of the usual and
want something that feels solid.
It's got history, fromrevolutions to oil booms, people
who shaped it.
Weird stuff that keeps itinteresting.
Each one's got more than you'dexpect from a dot on the map.
Texas is bigger than the famousnames, and these show you how
(23:36):
much more there is if you'rewilling to look past the obvious
and you know what.
It doesn't matter what stateyou're in or what country you're
in If you get away from thosebig touristy attractions.
Every place has these littlenooks and crannies with
interesting history, odd thingsto see and do and big surprises
(23:57):
around every corner.
The smaller the town, the moreit's got to tell you.
Gonzales sparking a war,Luling's oil rigs still pumping,
Waxahachie's Hollywood tie,even Glen Rose's dinosaur tracks
it's all these little placesthat keep catching me off guard
with what they've got packed in.
They don't need any hype andthat's why I pick them over the
(24:20):
crowds every single time.
There's always something elseto find.
So that's it for this episode.
If you like this, leave areview wherever you're listening
to this, or drop me an email ateditor@ thetravelingfool.
com, and tell me about a Texasspot I might have missed.
And, who knows, maybe I'llmention it next time.
(24:41):
And if you haven't noticed bynow, you don't get some high,
slickly polished podcast on thisthing.
It's just me talking to you,but I appreciate you listening.
Thanks for joining me and untilnext time, safe travels.
Hi and welcome to the Traveling Fool, the show where
we explore the most intriguingaspects of travel, culture and
history.
I'm your host, Bob Bales,retired military, been to over
30 countries and I'm alwayschasing places that don't come
with a tourist trap attached.
Today I'm talking about 10Texas destinations you might not
(00:22):
have heard of.
Forget Austin's trendy bars orSan Antonio's crowded river walk
.
These are some of the places Ivisit when I'm after something
real, something that doesn'tneed a billboard to prove it's
worth my time.
There are towns and cornersthat don't get the attention
they deserve, but they've gothistory, character and a quiet
(00:44):
pool that makes you wonder whythey're so overlooked.
So settle in and let's getstarted.
(01:04):
You know Texas is a big state.
You got Houston, Dallas, Austintaking up all the space in
people's heads, but I'm not herefor the usual.
I'm interested in places thatdon't make the cut for most
travelers, the ones you'd missout on if you just stuck to the
(01:27):
main highways.
Well, this list is 10destinations in Texas that don't
get their due, and I'm going tolay out why they're worth a
visit More than just a quickglance.
Today I've got a little bitdeeper history people who left a
mark here and odd things to seeand do.
We're going to go through themone by one, talk about what's
there, why they're ignored andwhy I'd like to spend a day or
(01:52):
two there.
In fact I have.
I've been to these places, sojust hold on and we're going to
get right into it.
First up is Nacogdoches, theoldest town in Texas.
It's out in the piney woods ofEast Texas and people skip East
Texas for the hill country orWest Texas.
It's just too far off thebeaten path for most people.
(02:13):
Now, this place started in 1716with Spanish missions to block
the French from moving in.
Over 300 years of history arepacked into those brick streets.
It's flown nine flags.
You know you got six flags overTexas, but you got nine over
Nacogdoches, including Spain,France, Mexico, the Republic of
(02:36):
Texas and a few more.
More than anywhere else on thestate.
Now the Stone Fort Museum's arebuilt outpost from the 1700s.
It was originally set up bythis guy named Antonio Gil
Y'Barbo.
It doesn't sound right with myTexas accent, but that's his
name.
He ran the show back then,traded with the Caddo Indians
(02:59):
and kept things humming along.
Sam Houston got baptized herein 1833.
Yeah, that same Sam Houston,Texas legend.
He dodged getting baptized foryears but they dunked him in
Penn Creek supposedly because helost a bet.
Here's an unusual one that's outthere, the Stern Hoya House.
(03:20):
This house was built in 1830 byAdolphus Stern, a merchant who
helped fund the Texas Revolution.
It's still got its originalfurniture and little creaky wood
floors Looks like time stopped.
If you visit , you got LakeNacogdoches nearby, calm water,
(03:41):
tall pines and great fishing.
I'll tell you how I know thatin just a minute.
There's also the Ruby M MyersAzalea Gardens.
Eight acres of flowers.
East Texas has their gardens,man, and they do love their
flower gardens.
It blooms in the spring.
It was started by a local ladywho just loved the quiet beauty
of the area.
Now Nacogdoches isn't loud orcrowded.
(04:01):
It does have a universitythere, but you know it's really
not a university town, it's justa place that kind of hang out
waiting for you to notice it.
I lived in Nacogdoches for afew years.
In fact my youngest daughterwas born there.
That's how I know about thatlittle lake up there.
It's got some great fishing,I'll tell you A lot of good
(04:26):
outdoor activity, good, friendlypeople.
It's just a cool place to visitand you can say that you
visited the oldest town in Texas.
Now next up is San Angelo.
It's on the other side of thestate.
Out in West Texas, Marfa andBig Bend get all the notice out
there, but this place doesn'teven pop up for most people.
(04:46):
It started as a trading postacross from Fort Concho, built
in 1867 to guard the frontierafter the Civil War.
Yeah, you see, Apache raidswere just going rampant and they
were a big problem back thenand it was a rough stretch of
nowhere.
So the fort still there, gotwooden barracks, stone walls and
(05:08):
even a parade ground where thesoldiers drilled, plus a chapel
where they buried a few whodidn't make it.
The Concho River kept it alive.
Back in the early 1900s, folksthere dove for fresh water
pearls.
You didn't think of Texasproducing pearls, did you?
Turning mussel shells intobuttons for clothes, that lasted
(05:29):
up until the 1940s.
A fellow by the name of ElmerKelton, big western writer, was
born there.
He wrote the Time it NeverRained, knew to the dry plains
he described.
He died in 2009, but he left amark.
Now, one unusual site is MissHattie's Bordello Museum, a
preserved brothel from the 1900s.
(05:51):
It ran for many, many years.
In fact.
They shut it down in 1952 afterthe Texas Rangers raided the
place, but it's still got theold beds and wallpaper.
It gives you a peek into alittle bit of the wilder side of
town.
Add in, you got the San AngeloState Park, which is 4,000 acres
.
It's got bison roaming aroundon it and you got a place that's
(06:13):
more than just a pit stop.
Then there's the Chicken FarmArt Center.
It's an old farm turned toartist co-op.
Got an odd mix of sculpturesand chickens running around, but
it's simple and honest anddoesn't need to shout to get
your attention.
I'll tell you.
You can't go wrong visiting SanAngelo for a weekend.
Destination three Gonzales.
(06:37):
where the Texas Revolutionkicked off in 1835.
Everybody knows about the Alamo, but this is where it all
started.
First shots fired over a cannonthat the Mexicans demanded back
.
They had had this cannon inthat little town just to ward
off raids from Indians and stuff.
But the Mexicans, now thatTexas wanted independence, they
(07:00):
wanted their cannon back.
So October 2nd, which is theday they still celebrate.
Locals raised a flag sayingcome and take it and 32 men held
off 100 soldiers.
After the settlers firedseveral shots, the Mexican
officer just decided the cannonwasn't worth it and he retreated
.
It was a small fight but it hada huge spark.
(07:22):
Now they've got the MemorialMuseum there.
It's got the cannon story plusa bunch of old rifles and
letters from those days.
It's real stuff, not replicas,including a flag sewn by a local
woman.
Herman Marion Sweat grew up here, the first black guy to
challenge segregation.
At University of Texas LawSchool.
(07:44):
He won a Supreme Court case in1950 that cracked open education
laws.
Now an interesting site you got.
The Eggleston House, built inthe 1840s, survived the
revolution, wooden frame, bulletscars still standing, like it's
dared you to forget.
The Guadalupe River is rightthere.
Real cool place.
(08:04):
Got smooth water, old trees,great place for picnics and
tubing down the river.
Gonzales College started heretoo.
An 1850 school, trained some ofthe state's first teachers.
It's shut down now but it stillhas legacy.
Gonzales is a great little townto visit.
I went there.
I spent the majority of the daylooking over everything.
(08:28):
I tell you the museum is really, really cool If you like
history and you like Texashistory, it's got a lot of it
right there and there's just alot of other things to see too.
I mean, there's all kinds ofstuff right around the town
square where they still have ahuge come and take it flag
(08:48):
flying every day.
Let me ask you have you everbeen to a Texas spot that most
people don't visit but shouldSend me a note at
editor@thetravellingfool.
com or message me on Facebook.
I'd love to hear about it.
Might even bring it up on thenext podcast.
All right, let's keep going.
Number four Palo Pinto.
(09:09):
It's between Fort Worth and theHill Country, kind of tiny.
It doesn't connect to anythingreally big, so people drive
right past it.
But back in the 1850s it was astagecoach stop on the Fort
Worth to El Paso run.
You had cowboys, outlaws, thewhole deal.
It got a post office around1858.
(09:30):
Palo Pinto Mountains State Parkopened in 2023.
1,400 acres of hills, emptytrails.
It's got a view over Lake PaloPinto, where they found
arrowheads from Comanche campsthat go back centuries.
The courthouse is from 1882,and it's a standout.
(09:53):
It's got red brick clock tower.
It was built when the cattlemoney flowed through that area.
It's still got a jail cell inthe basement.
There's no real famous namesfrom there, but the jail museum
is right next door with itsoriginal cells, iron bars and
stories of horse thieves thatgot locked up in the 1890s.
(10:14):
Now while you're there, checkout Lover's Leap Bridge.
It's an old iron span over theBrazos River, tied to a local
tale about a couple jumping offof the 1900s.
It's rusted but it's stillstanding.
You got the Mineral WellsFossil Park.
It's close by.
It's free, full of 300 millionyear old sea critters that you
(10:38):
can dig up yourself.
This is a really cool place tovisit.
It's authentic Texas.
Nobody's rushing around, not alot of bumper to bumper traffic.
It's just a cool place to visit.
That's why it's good.
Number five you got Cuero Texas.
Now San Antonio and the coasttake up all the spotlight.
(11:00):
This place doesn't evenregister for most people.
It was a cattle hub in the 1870s, shipping beef up the Chisholm
Trail up to Kansas.
Thousands of head of cattlemoving north.
Big money back then.
But they have the TurkeyFestival which started in the
1960s.
Wild turkeys were everywhere.
The locals turned it into athing.
(11:20):
It draws several thousandpeople every October with turkey
races and everything.
It's got some cool museums.
You've got the Pharmacy Museumfrom the cattle era.
Old bottles, tools, even thesoda fountain that the old
cowboys used to use, and it'seven got a display on smallpox
vaccines from the 1880s.
They've got the Chisholm TrailMuseum there, which I visited.
(11:44):
It's a fantastic museum.
There was a fellow by the nameof Fred Gibson.
You may not know who he is, buthe wrote Old Yeller, turned it
into a movie, real famous.
He grew up nearby.
He was born in 1908, justoutside of town.
One unusual sight in Cuero isthe DeWitt County Courthouse
(12:06):
clock tower In 1886, it stoppedat 2:47 one night in 1894 when
lightning hit it.
It's still a little off kilter.
I'll tell you, if you've nevervisited Texas courthouses, when
you get out of the big citieslike Dallas, Houston, San
(12:27):
Antonio, you go to these smallerareas and you go to these
little county courthouses.
They're really architecturallysomething to look at.
They're really, really cool.
And Cuero, the DeWitt Countycourthouse that they have there,
it's a really beautiful-lookingcourthouse.
They always sit in a littletown square.
(12:47):
You got little cafe's andstores and everything all the
way around these things andthey're almost all identical
settings.
They're all in a town square.
It's really something to checkout.
You've also got the CueroHeritage Museum which has got
arrowheads, ranch gear.
It's a small town but it's gota lot to say and, like I said,
(13:09):
you've got the Chisholm TrailHeritage Museum with replica
check wagons and stories aboutthe drovers who died on the
trail.
I stopped by and visited acouple of years ago and it is a
great little museum.
Cuero is often overlooked butit's well worth a visit.
Now, as you notice, we'reskipping over a lot of the big
cities, a lot of the biglandmarks.
(13:31):
We're hitting those littleout-of-the-way places that have
interesting stuff andinteresting things to see and do
.
So let's keep going.
Destination number six Albany.
Not New York, but Albany, Texas.
It's in West Texas.
Lubbock and the big parks getall the focus out in West Texas.
(13:52):
This one's too small to evenmatter to most people, but Fort
Griffin was nearby 1870s.
The outpost had soldiers,gamblers, even Buffalo Bill Cody
passed through there in 1877 tohunt buffalo for the army.
The old jail art center is inan 1877 jail with stone walls.
(14:15):
It's now holding paintings andsculptures instead of inmates.
It feels kind of strange but itworks.
The center was started by alocal who wanted art in the
middle of nowhere, a fellow bythe name of Robert E Nail,
started what they call theFandangle here in 1938.
It is the oldest outdoormusical in Texas, still going on
(14:41):
every June, with locals actingout the frontier days, and it
was based on his family's ranchtales.
Now, when you're there, makesure you visit the Ledbetter
Picket House.
It's at the Fort Ruins.
It's a cabin made out ofvertical logs moved from a
pioneer's land.
It looks like it's ready tofall, but it won't.
(15:04):
You add, in the Aztec Theater,which is a 1930s movie house,
still shows films.
And you've just got layers andlayers of history.
The Albany News Office has awall of old headlines.
It talks about fires anddroughts and bank robberies from
the 1900s.
It's history you can touch andtoo often ignored.
(15:27):
Albany is definitely worth astop.
Well, we're halfway down Sixdown four to go.
So what do you think so far?
Any of these places pique yourinterest in visiting?
Let me know and let's keepgoing.
Number seven, from West Texas,let's head down south.
We're going to go to PortIsabel on the Gulf Coast near
South Padre Island.
(15:47):
South Padre gets all the springbreak and beach crowds, but
this place stays kind of in thebackground.
Used to be an old fishingvillage and then it was a Civil
War port.
Confederates ran guns throughhere in the 1860s dodging Union
ships, lost a few scooters tostorms.
The lighthouse is from 1852.
(16:08):
It's still standing, 72 feet,57 steps, the best view of the
Laguna Madre that you'll get.
It was lit until 1905 when itjust went out of service.
Didn't need it much more.
Jean Lafitte, the pirate legendhimself.
He hung around those parts.
Some say he buried gold nearbyin the 1820s.
(16:30):
It's still lost and treasurehunters are always out there
poking around looking for it.
One unusual sight is theTreasures of the Gulf Museum.
It's got shipwreck relics likecannonballs and coins from a
1554 Spanish fleet that sank offthe coast, three ships that
sunk in a hurricane, and thenyou add in the Queen Isabella
(16:53):
Causeway which has got greatfishing, Pelicans and birds all
over the place.
It's a solid stop.
Port Isabel Historic Museum isin an old store with fishing
gear and photos of the town whenit was just shacks.
It's coastal without all theclutter.
It's definitely worth your timevisiting.
Number eight, Glen Rose, northof the hill country and south of
(17:16):
Dallas.
Dinosaur tracks are one of thebig draws here but it's too far
off for most.
In 1908, they found footprintsin the Paluxy River of sauropods
and theropods 110 million yearsold, preserved in limestone.
They were first spotted by akid that was out there fishing
and now Dinosaur Valley StatePark got them, five miles of
(17:40):
trails plus fossil casts fromthe 1930s when they dug up a
dinosaur for the American Museumof Natural History.
Moonshiners used the cavesaround there during the
Prohibition.
They're still hidden up in thehills.
They were busted in the 1920sbut they left the barrels behind
(18:00):
.
You can check out Bernard'sMill, an 1850s gristmill turned
into an art museum, got thewater wheel still running and
everything.
It was built by a guy whofought at San Jacinto, the
battle where Texas defeated theMexican general Santa Anna and
won independence.
(18:21):
You add in the SomervilleCounty Museum with Civil War
gear, old photos and it's got alot more going for it than just
dinosaurs.
The Comanche Peak Nuclear Plantis nearby.
You take a tour of that place.
It'll show you how it powershalf of the state.
Odd contrast to the fossils.
(18:46):
It's old history meets Texasslow time.
There's nobody rushing aroundin Glen Rose.
It's a cool little town tovisit.
You ought to check it out.
All right, we're almost done.
Just two more to go Number nineLuling.
Luling is on the way to SanAntonio.
People just don't stop unlessthey smell the BBQ.
It's just like a little smallblip in the road.
Oil struck in 1922, and thetown went from nothing to a
(19:12):
boomtown in months, rigs poppingup like weeds.
Luling peaked around 400 wells.
I believe it was in the 1930s.
There's a place called CityMarket.
It's been smoking brisket theresince 1958.
And being good, texas properBBQ, there's no sauce, it's just
meat which stands alone.
(19:33):
The fellow there will tell you.
Well, if you need sauce thensomebody didn't know what they
were doing barbecuing that meat.
It was started by a localfamily there and that family is
still running it.
I've been to City Market manytimes.
They have a fantastic BBQ.
Now, William Taylor, which wasa rough rider with Teddy
(19:55):
Roosevelt lived there.
He fought in Cuba.
He came back a tough old manand worked as a cowboy.
He died in 1931 after years ofranching there.
If you visit the last fullweekend in June you can enjoy
the Luling Watermelon ThumpFestival.
It's been ongoing since 1954.
(20:17):
Live music, got a carnival,vendors set up a market to sell
their wares.
It's got a car show and, ofcourse, watermelon judging and
auction, a watermelon eatingcontest, and now this is just
for some of you, the WorldChampionship Watermelon Seed
Spitting Competition.
(20:38):
Now how often do you get to seeworld champion seed spitters in
action?
They've also got the ZedlerMill.
It's an 1880s cotton gin on theSan Marcos River.
It's now a park where the oldgear is rusting away.
the Luling Foundation Farms isa big surprise.
It's a 1920s experiment inbetter cotton.
(21:00):
Grow a lot of cotton down inSouth Texas and they are still
growing test crops there today.
It's small, it's got somethingoften overlooked and Luling is a
nice little stop and don't everforget to stop at City Market
for lunch.
You will not regret it.
And that brings us to number 10,Waxahachie, just south of
(21:22):
Dallas, and Dallas and FortWorth, of course, get all the
attention and this place juststays kind of quiet.
It boomed in the 1890s withcotton.
Cash built all those Victorianhomes in the red sandstone
courthouse in town.
It was finished in 1897 withcarvings of faces some say were
(21:43):
modeled after the architect'sexes who dumped him mid-project.
Ginger Rogers danced here as alittle kid.
She was born in 1911 inWaxahachie.
She won a contest at age 14,went to Hollywood and became a
star with Fred Astaire.
One unusual sight in town, andsomething that I know a lot of
you would love to visit, is theMunster Mansion.
(22:06):
It's a replica of the old 1960sTV show the Munsters.
Relying solely on show footage,these people have recreated
this mansion.
It replicates everything toexact detail and some of the
items were actually used on theshow and they've got them.
You can take a tour and theyalso hold a monthly murder
(22:30):
mystery dinner.
It's something to see.
You add in the Ellis CountyMuseum.
It's got old jail cells andcotton scales and a lot more.
It's a step back in time.
Take a walk through historicdowntown.
Make sure you also stop at therestored MKT Train Depot.
Waxahachie just has style andhistory.
(22:51):
It's a great place for aweekend trip.
A lot of great shopping there.
Old Victorian homes, historicarea downtown and of course you
got the Munster House.
You got to check that place out.
So that's your 10.
Nacogdoches to Waxahachie Allunderrated, all worth checking
out.
(23:12):
These aren't the Texas spotsyou see everywhere.
There's no bright lights, nooverpriced nonsense.
They're just places I stop atwhen I'm tired of the usual and
want something that feels solid.
It's got history, fromrevolutions to oil booms, people
who shaped it.
Weird stuff that keeps itinteresting.
Each one's got more than you'dexpect from a dot on the map.
Texas is bigger than the famousnames, and these show you how
(23:36):
much more there is if you'rewilling to look past the obvious
and you know what.
It doesn't matter what stateyou're in or what country you're
in If you get away from thosebig touristy attractions.
Every place has these littlenooks and crannies with
interesting history, odd thingsto see and do and big surprises
(23:57):
around every corner.
The smaller the town, the moreit's got to tell you.
Gonzales sparking a war,Luling's oil rigs still pumping,
Waxahachie's Hollywood tie,even Glen Rose's dinosaur tracks
it's all these little placesthat keep catching me off guard
with what they've got packed in.
They don't need any hype andthat's why I pick them over the
(24:20):
crowds every single time.
There's always something elseto find.
So that's it for this episode.
If you like this, leave areview wherever you're listening
to this, or drop me an email ateditor@ thetravelingfool.
com, and tell me about a Texasspot I might have missed.
And, who knows, maybe I'llmention it next time.
(24:41):
And if you haven't noticed bynow, you don't get some high,
slickly polished podcast on thisthing.
It's just me talking to you,but I appreciate you listening.
Thanks for joining me and untilnext time, safe travels.
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