Charming Cities/Towns in Texas? (Houston, Dallas: bonnets, buildings, location)

[awecelot]

Jefferson
Winnsboro
Fredericksburg
New Braunfels
Rockport-Fulton

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by love roses

Prairies and Lakes: Bonham, Brenham, Centerville, Canton, Chappell Hill, maybe Cleburne, Columbus, Cuero, Frisco, Granbury, Hallettsville, Hamilton, Lewisville, Lexington (nice scenery), Lockhart, Luling, Mesquite, Navasota, Palestine, Paris, Plano?, Round Top, Salado, San Felipe, Schulenburg, Sealy, Seguin, Shiner, Smithville, Somerville, Stephenville, Sulphur Springs, Washington and Washington on the Brazos, Waxahachie, Yoakum, Yorktown.

Those are all in East Texas.

[itsajourney]

Originally Posted by houstoner

I'd recommend seeing a town or two in each region of Texas because the state is so vast. Charming towns can be found all over, but they're quite a distance apart! Where is WillysB to push the free Travel Texas guide when you need him?

I think he already pushed the Texas travel guide in one of my other posts,,,it's bookmarked on my computer!

[itsajourney]

Originally Posted by D-Towner

I would come during the second half of March through mid-April. The Weather will be the best then.

Check out the little town of West on I-35 between Hillsboro and Waco for the Czech Stop gas station and Bakery.

Some other cool towns are Bandera, Boerne, New Braunfels, La Grange, Kerrville, etc...

I had to time it when I did because I have to be at a trade show in Arlington on 3-22/23 and then one in Chicago 3/28,29,30. But thanks for the tip.

Thanks to everyone who has given suggestions so far--I really appreciate it!

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by D-Towner

I would come during the second half of March through mid-April. The Weather will be the best then.

Check out the little town of West on I-35 between Hillsboro and Waco for the Czech Stop gas station and Bakery.

I went to that same town. We went to a local bakery and had some great kolaches(sp?).

[NOTAM]

oh yeah, how could i forget Castroville in my list. i think they have wine tasting on the square or in the downtown area every Fri nite? it's very Alsatian..like a French province.
also Marble Falls, worth stopping at
but Salado would top my list on CHARMING

[Cowboybootnut]

I drove thru Mineola yesterday, it is a charming town. I didn't have time to stop but at the intersection of Hwys 80 and 69 there were a lot of vehicles for a Sunday morning downtown area. I think they were at the East Texas Burger Cafe. There are a lot of shops there.

Albany is a nice West Texas town too, northeast of Abilene.

[needsomeinfo]

I think around that time the blubonnets might start blooming- beautiful in the hill country. as others have said, fredricksburg, boerne, new braunfels, marable falls, are all great. I also know someone would loves salado, but I have never been there.

do you plan on eating good bbq on this trip? that could start a whole new destination discussion. I'd vote for coopers in llano (original location) and new branfels (just opened).

[tstone]

Originally Posted by love roses

Gulf Coast: Aransas Pass, Bay area of Houston (league city, seabrook, Kemah, galveston), Brazoria, Brazosport area (Lake Jackson/surfside areas), some areas of Corpus Christi, El Campo, Nederland looks interesting (according to the travel guide anyway), possibly some of the other port towns like Port Aransas, Port Arthur (although I hear mixed reviews), Port Isabel, Port Lavaca, Port Mansfield, Port O'Connor, Refugio, Rockport-Fulton, South Padre, Old Town Spring, Taft, Tomball, West Columbia

Port Arthur got mixed reviews? What charming things have you been told about this town? Massive refineries, dozens of blocks of boarded-up (crack) houses, abandoned & crumbling businesses, a completely abandoned & dilapidated downtown?

When I grow the cojones to drive through town from time to time, I see what used to be quite a charming town many, many ago. No one with any sort of mobility wants a refinery in their back yard, and after all the tropical storm issues they have had in recent years, it has been left to rot. Pleasure Island was the last decent (if remote) thing around here, and the damage from Ike did that in. Infrastructure wiped out, boats tossed around, and no desire to clean it up. There is nothing here a tourist would want to come see unless they were deliberately looking for the worst, most depressing town in the state.

Sunday’s Feature Fade: The Despair of Port Arthur, Texas - Robert Baptista « Fading Ad Blog by Frank H. Jump (http://fadingad.wordpress.com/2008/03/09/sundays-feature-fade-the-despair-of-port-arthur-texas-robert-baptista/ - broken link)

Not sure if the economic upswing from the past few years has helped any of this. It appears most people took their money to Nederland or Groves. And now the refineries' expansions are on a big downturn, along with the rest of the country.

[teatime]

Of course, my vote is for Abilene and the surrounding area. A C-D participant and her husband were here this weekend and I showed them around Abilene and Buffalo Gap. It's fun to look at your area from a tourist's point of view!

My other votes are for McKinney, near Dallas, and the towns of Mason and Brady, in central Texas between Abilene and Fredericksburg.