Icons of Georgetown

by Charlotte Kovalchuk • SU photos courtesy Southwestern University

FROM POPULAR PARKS AND EATERIES TO A HISTORIC UNIVERSITY AND THE MOST CHARMING LIBRARY AROUND, GEORGETOWN IS HOME TO MYRIAD LANDMARKS AND COMMUNITY HUBS THAT MAKE OUR TOWN THE FRIENDLY, HISTORICALLY AND CULTURALLY RICH DESTINATION IT HAS TRANSFORMED INTO OVER THE YEARS.

THE SQUARE

At this beloved gathering place in the heart of Georgetown, visitors can shop, grab a bite to eat, catch a show at the Palace Theatre, learn about the county’s history at the Williamson Museum, or tour the 120-year-old courthouse. Don’t forget to check out a variety of events like Market Days every second Saturday and the annual Red Poppy Festival. visit.georgetown.org/events-calendar

MONUMENT CAFÉ

“Everyone is aware of how much this area has grown and how our little bitty sleepy town has grown up, and I think the café has been one of the institutions that has grown with the community,” Monument Café general manager David Schuler says of the retro diner just off the Square. He has enjoyed seeing people come for first dates or wedding pictures, as well as regulars who grew up in Georgetown and now bring their kids to the café.

The Monument Café opened in 1995 and, as Food Network Magazine writes, has become “a pillar of the Georgetown community and a tribute to all the Texas roadside eateries that have vanished over the years.”

500 S Austin Avenue

SAN GABRIEL PARK

Located where San Gabriel River’s north and south forks meet, San Gabriel Park was once a site for Tonkawa Indian encampments as well as a location along the Chisholm Trail cattle drive route. In 1933, the City of Georgetown bought the land that would become San Gabriel Park, and in 2012, it became one of nine parks to be designated as a Lone Star Legacy Park by the Texas Recreation and Parks Society during the organization’s inaugural year. The 180-acre park has been the setting for a variety of gatherings, including the Williamson County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo, Sertoma July 4 Celebration, Festival of the Arts, Field of Honor, and most recently, the Two Step Inn Festival.

 445 E Morrow Street

SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

While Southwestern’s roots date back to 1840, it was the Georgetown community that gave the university its permanent home in 1873. When the tower of the Main Building (now the Cullen Building) took a prominent place in the skyline 123 years ago, it bold ly proclaimed Georgetown as a University Town. “With a campus of more than 700 acres—bigger than Disneyland or UT Austin—Southwestern will continue to build on its iconic status as a marketplace of ideas, creativity, cultural enrichment, and innovation,” says David Ochsner, vice president for integrated communications and marketing.

Southwestern President Laura Skandera Trombley says the histories of Georgetown and Southwestern University have been deeply intertwined for 150 years. “Through the years the university’s leaders, faculty, staff, and students have been integral in the development of the community’s rich cultural life as well as its values and aspirations.”

 1001 E University Avenue

RED POPPIES

Shortly after World War I, Henry Purl "Okra" Compton, who was serving in the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, sent a packet of red poppy seeds to his mother in Georgetown. The seeds found a home at the Compton family garden on Seventh Street and began multiplying throughout Georgetown. Today, the scarlet wildflowers continue to bloom all over town each spring, earning Georgetown the title, the Red Poppy Capitol of Texas, by the Legislature in 1990. Georgetown is one of the few locations in the United States where red poppies reseed themselves from year to year. Each April, as the poppies bloom, the city celebrates with the annual Red Poppy Festival on the Square.

Catch a glimpse of Georgetown’s famous flower in the poppy-rich downtown area where they spring up along streets and in parks, vacant lots, and residential yards.

PALACE THEATER

In 1925, the Palace was built and operated as a “moving picture” theater until the late ’90s, when a group of community members began an effort to save and refurbish the historic movie house. Today, the Palace is a thriving nonprofit organization that continually produces an array of live musicals and plays while offering year-round theater workshops for kids and adults. The theater has also developed several inclusive programs that cater to individuals with special needs through sensory-friendly performances, adaptive classes, assistive technology, and movement programs to ensure everyone can enjoy the magic of live theater.

 810 S Austin Avenue

INNER SPACE CAVERN

One of the underground worlds that make up the Texas Cave Trail, Inner Space Cavern draws nostalgic visitors and curious newcomers alike. “You wouldn’t believe the number of people who say, ‘I came here as a child on a field trip, and I want my child to experience that,’ or ‘I’ve been driving by this place for 30 years and I finally decided to stop by,’ ” geologist Patty Perlaky says.

In addition to awe-inspiring formations, Inner Space features prehistoric animal bones and artwork, as well as an exhilarating view of the hill country from 130 feet up in the air on the Saber Tooth Zip Ride.

 4200 S I-35 Frontage Road

BLUE HOLE PARK

Every year, Lindsey Cram drives from Taylor several times to cool off at Blue Hole Park with her family. “It’s nice because it is free and I have four children so everything’s expensive,” she says while relaxing at a picnic table on a scorching summer afternoon at the park. “To find this oasis in the middle of a bustling little town is just really refreshing. It’s nice to bring family and friends here to check it out and find something new to explore outside and get out of technology for a little bit.”

A scenic lagoon bordered by limestone bluffs along San Gabriel River, Blue Hole Park offers picnic areas, trails, and opportunities for swimming and fishing. Nature enthusiasts can check out other popular parks around town: San Gabriel Park, Garey Park, and Berry Springs Park and Preserve. To learn more about these nature gems, check out our Parks and Trails story on page 18.

 100 Blue Hole Park, entrance at Second and Rock streets behind El Monumento restaurant