Georgetown, Texas

Georgetown, Texas is not on the Texas Hill Country Trail but is well worth a visit! Dubbed “The Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas”, which is saying a lot because there are a lot of cute town squares in central Texas. I’ve seen several!

But Georgetown lives up to its nickname with a stately central courthouse and surrounding streets filled with fantastic shops, restaurants, and wineries, and sculpture. And there are no laws against open alcohol containers. So it’s legal – and encouraged! – to stroll the square with a glass of wine or beer in hand.

Make sure to stop in at the Texas visitors’ center right on the square. Helpful guides will load you up with lots of ideas of what to see not just in Georgetown, but all over the state. It’s the lady here that gave me all I needed to drive the Hill Country Trail and told me about Palo Duro Canyon in the top part of the state, which I plan to visit.

The Williamson Museum

One attraction on the square is the Williamson Museum, and it’s completely FREE! The hours are limited, I just happened by on the right day. It’s housed in a grand old bank building and you can go into the old vault and everything. Other exhibits have to do with the county, notable women of the area, and Victorian funeral customs. There’s a great section about law enforcement with a puzzle just for kids to solve.

The Williamson Museum also gives tours of the copper dome of the courthouse, but not during Covid. There is a cute little gift shop here whose proceeds support the museum.

Sweet Lemon Kitchen

There are a lot of great places to eat on the square but I just loved Sweet Lemon Kitchen. It’s quick, has lots of outdoor seating, options are fairly healthy but with killer bakery desserts. The lemon bars are supposed to be excellent, and I really enjoyed the lemonade. Hours are breakfast to lunch most days and open through dinner on the weekends.

Blue Hole Park

Blue Hole Park is right on the edge of the downtown grid. It mainly serves as a swimming hole for hot Texans during long summers but is an enjoyable walk any time of year. I especially liked the short Pickett’s Trail along the river bluff.

Google has a hard time getting you there, however. It wanted me to park in a neighborhood and jump off a cliff. Direct your GPS to El Monumento restaurant instead, there’s a good parking area behind it.

San Gabriel Park

San Gabriel Park is a larger public park on the San Gabriel River, with playgrounds and ball fields (and a really nice bathroom!) I think there’s swimming here too, besides lots of walking paths. In fact, paths connect all the parks along the San Gabriel River. The entire mostly-paved trail is 6.6 miles long. I also found a fun sunken garden here full of local plants.

Lockhart

I’m going to tack on another cute small town onto this post because I want to mention it but didn’t explore it enough to make a post of its own. I showed up in Lockhart for Black’s Barbeque, considered the best BBQ in Texas. (It was really good. Definitely get the brisket.)

A further exploration into town revealed the prettiest courthouse I have ever seen! It’s surrounded by some cute-looking shops too, but I didn’t get out and explore. Apparently, this courthouse has been used in several movies and TV shows. I don’t doubt it.

Bastrop

While I should have walked off my BBQ, instead I was in a mood to drive, so I drove to nearby Bastrop. I didn’t find much downtown to interest me, but there is Bastrop State Park nearby with miles of winding park road along a ridge. In fact, you can keep driving on Park Road until you reach another park, Buescher State Park. It’s a fun drive, especially in the late evening.

Texas really teems with cute small towns, and these are some of the best!