Road Tripping Texas Style—Exploring Three Trip Worthy Towns in the Lone Star State

Exploring Three Trip-Worthy Towns in the Lone Star State

By Sharon Kurtz

As Texas continues to creak open its doors after months of staying close to home, many of us are becoming restless and seeking ways to explore locally and safely. Discovering places that don’t make it on most tourist radars – my husband and I decided to head out on a road trip from Dallas to look for adventure in our own backyard. Along the way, we uncovered tidbits of colorful Texas history, visiting three road-trip-worthy towns less than a two-hour drive from home.

Where the west begins

Our first stop was our closest neighbor to the west, Fort Worth, the City of Cowboys and Culture. Fort Worth was one of the most important stops along the Chisholm Trail, which connected cattle ranches in Texas to Abilene, Kansas, shortly after the Civil War.

The Fort Worth Stockyards remain as a National Historic District, and visitors can watch authentic cattle drives twice a day, a holdover from the days when this city earned its nickname “Cow Town.” It’s the best way to experience the essence of what this historic western town once represented.

Soaking up the Texas sunshine

Along with the stockyards, we explored the beauty of the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, one of the oldest and largest botanical gardens in the U.S. The Japanese Garden, completed in 1973, is worldrenowned. It is seven and a half acres of winding paths, filled with cherry trees, Japanese maples, scenic bridges, and numerous ponds home to over 1,200 Koi fish.

Next, we visited the Fort Worth Zoo; USA Today named it the #1 Zoo in the Nation. The zoo is home to more than 7,000 animals and 12 incredible exhibits, ranging from the African Savannah to the Australian Outback. The zoo currently required advanced reservations, limiting attendance, and staggered entries. Visit here to find out more.

World-class museums abound

Masterpieces are plentiful in the Fort Worth Cultural District museums, one of the finest collections of museums in America. In a single, parklike setting, you can span the entire history of art, from priceless antiquities to Impressionist milestones to modern artworks. My favorites include the Kimbell Art Museum and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. My husband was disappointed that the Sid Richardson Museum, located in historic Sundance Square and featuring Remington and other late 19th century works about the American West, was closed. The museums have all adopted pandemic safety measures; find out more by clicking here.

Small-town Texas with room to breathe After an early dinner, we headed southwest over softly rolling hills that are high enough to see for miles. This area is squarely in the central plains, often called the North Texas Hill Country, which is best known for its ranching and farming. The beauty

Photos (L-R): Fort Worth Stockyards ©visitFtWorth; Japanese Gardens; Fort Worth Botanic Gardens; Cedar Cabin Front Porch

of the ranch land is not only in the land but also in Texas’s nostalgic bygone days.

Dinosaur capital of Texas

Small-town Glen Rose filled with history, food, and nature, was certainly trip-worthy. There was no better place to start exploring than the town square, with a detailed limestone courthouse, completed in 1893 in the center, surrounded by antique shops, small cafes, and coffee shops. Entering the oldtimey Shoo-Fly Soda Shop, shimmying up to the original counter with twirling stools, and ordering a handmade milkshake was like stepping back in time.

The Storiebook Café was an excellent find for a lunch stop, with a great story. Located just off the square, it has made a cozy home in the old rock building converted from a 1940 era gas station. Owner Storie Sharp shared, “We actually started as a bookstore, offering one sandwich and soup a day. When we became more café, we found our niche with the lunch crowd of locals and visitors.” The atmosphere is fun and friendly, with books and teacups on the walls. The ABC sandwich (that’s Avocado, Bacon & Cheese) was delicious, and as the doorway sign prompted us, we did “enter as strangers, leave as friends.”

Nestled in the trees on the Paluxy River

At the edge of Glen Rose on the Paluxy River and less than 10 minutes from Dinosaur Valley State Park are the Paluxy River Bed Cabins, a refuge from the world we left behind. Our two-story Cedar House Cabin was our private retreat in the trees, the balcony off the upstairs master bedroom perfect for stargazing. My favorite place was sitting in the comfy rocking chairs on the porch at sunset, gazing at the river.

Walking in dinosaur footprints

Long ago, dinosaurs roamed the area around Glen Rose and left lasting impressions in what is now the bed of the Paluxy River. We walked in these same tracks preserved in the rivers’ limestone bottom at the Dinosaur Valley State Park, complete with two 50-foot tall dinosaur statues at the park entrance. The Tyrannosaurus Rex and sleepy-looking Brontosaurus were created for an exhibit at the World’s Fair in New York City in 1964 and found a perfect home at the park.

View from horseback perspective

The highlight of our day in Dinosaur Valley State Park was a guided horseback trail ride at Eagle Eye Ranch, a livery concession in the park. Saddling up to explore the scenic 150 acres of equine trails under gorgeous Bur oaks and pecan trees, we enjoyed the spectacular views as our trail guide Levi shared the area’s history. Being on the back of a horse gives you a different perspective of the park’s untouched beauty and a connection with the past while imagining dinosaurs roaming here more than 100 million years ago.

Wildlife safari, Texas-style

Since I couldn’t go on my planned African safari this year, we did the next best thing and headed to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. With animals from six continents, including giraffes, cheetahs, zebras, emus, and American bison, their mission is the conservation of species in peril, scientific research, and public education. With safety measures and some restrictions in place, it’s necessary to purchase tickets in advance.

Rough Creek Lodge and Resort

With 10,000 acres in the middle of rolling hills and grassland prairie, Rough Creek Lodge has plenty of “elbow room” to spread out, which is part of the allure. We suspected from its stellar reputation of being luxury on the prairie that we were in for a lavish treat.

After settling in our Lone Star Suite, complete with a private pool table and patio rocking chairs overlooking the tranquil Mallard lake, we set out to discover some of the outdoor pursuits, including fishing, miles of nature trails, horseback riding, and more.

Award-winning chef Gerard Thompson creates his menus daily and uses locally sourced meat and produce to concoct some out-of-this-world dishes. His talents and culinary interpretations of rustic American Cuisine have earned him superlative reviews, and the dining room has been named one of the best restaurants in the country. Putting ourselves in his skillful hands, we savored the fivecourse chef’s tasting menu, each course more sumptuous than the last, paired with a 2016 Benton Lane Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley. From the high-ceilinged dining room’s rustic elegance to the savory, imaginative dishes, the dining experience was the highlight of our Texas road trip adventure.

The best historic small town in America

We circled back to Dallas along the meandering bend of the Brazos River, where we discovered the City of Granbury dripping with historical interest, small-town charm, and did I mention ghosts? Named Best Historic Small Town in America two years in a row, Granbury was the first city in Texas on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hood County Courthouse anchors the picturesque town square, with an imposing three-story clock tower. With limestone buildings dating to the 1800s, cafes, live music, shops, and local art galleries, a simple stroll lets visitors know that this town has stories to tell.

The quaint Travis Street Cottages were a perfect home base, composed of three charming cottages on a beautifully landscaped property, just steps from the historic town square along a shady hike-bike trail, passing the city park complete with fountains, ponds, and mature trees.

Dining, haunting stories, ghostly encounters

We enjoyed a delightful dinner on the covered patio of Farina’s Winery and Café, located in a historic red

brick building on the square. It has an expansive menu ranging from artisan cheese plates, salads, pasta, pizza, and steak, with a well-stocked wine cellar.

Rumor has it that outlaw Jesse James would sit in his rooms upstairs in this very building, watching the bank directly across the street. Why? Not because he was planning to rob it, but because it was the only bank in town where he deposited his own money.

Not many people would expect a charming town of fewer than 12,000 residents to be rife with paranormal activity. Established after the Civil War in the 1800s, Granbury’s small town has had time to stock its streets and historic buildings with ghastly tales and haunting stories.

Brandy Herr, the author of Haunted Granbury, delves into Granbury’s most haunted locations’ devilish history and delivers a healthy dose of a frightening and mysterious past. We joined Brandy near the courthouse as she led a small group on a one-hour ramble around the square. She regaled us with ghostly encounters, wild west legends, and tall tales on The Granbury Ghosts and Legends Tour. If your bedtime allows, take the nighttime tour. When the square is veiled and shadows loom, it’s the perfect time for a haunting. And with any luck, you’ll catch a glimpse of a ghost.

Photos (L-R): African Savannah exhibit Fort Worth Zoo; Dinosaur Valley State Park; Fossil Rim Wildlife Center ©VisitFtWorth; Dinosaur Track Site ©Zack Riggs; Granbury Courthouse ©ShadRamsey; StorieBook Cafe; Cedar Cabin Front Porch; Shoo-Fly Soda Shop; Seared Diver Scallop; Oak Grilled Quail