Travel Guide to Bryan College Station, Texas and the Brazos Valley

The twin cities of Bryan/College Station are in the middle of a geographic triangle formed by the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex to the north, Houston to the east, San Antonio and Austin to the West. The two cities are in the heart of Stephen F. Austin's original colony. The "Brazos Valley," as the seven county area is called, features Texas A&M University as its primary economic engine. Texas A&M consistently ranks year to year as one of the five largest universities by enrollment. The university's home town, College Station, is roughly one and a half hours by car from Waco and Austin, two hours from Houston, and three and half hours from San Antonio and Dallas/Ft. Worth. Daily commercial flights are available to and from Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and DFW. Many sights and attractions are in the area, making Bryan/College Station a cheap vacation spot for the majority of Texas residents.

Perhaps you are in town for a football game at the 80,000+ capacity Kyle Field. Maybe you are visiting the 10,000+ capacity Reed Arena for an NCAA basketball game. Perhaps you're attending A&M's Fireman Training School, or maybe you're taking an emergency responder course at Disaster City. Whatever the reason, while you are in town be sure and visit some of the interesting attractions on the Texas A&M campus.

First and foremost, you'll want to stop by the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum. The museum offers a wealth of information about the elder Bush's presidency, featuring a huge section of the Berlin Wall, which fell during his term in office. Rotating exhibits ensure repeat visits are fresh and interesting.

Also while on campus, the Sam Houston Sanders Corp of Cadets Center is well worth a visit. The days when Texas A&M was an all male military school are long gone, but the Sanders' Corp Center offers several entertaining exhibits detailing the school's past. Don't miss the Sanders-Metzger rare gun collection, featuring 600 exotic firearms.

Across University Drive from campus, the Northgate district offers a vibrant nightlife, with several restaurants and watering holes. A quick drive north on College Avenue will lead you to historic downtown Bryan, which offers dining, antique shops, and several seasonal events such as the Texas Reds Steak and Grape Festival, an annual celebration of food and Texas wines. The first Friday of every month is special in downtown Bryan. Shops stay open late for an evening of fun and music. Concerts and plays are held in the open air Palace Theater, horse drawn carriage rides are available, and shuttle busses from the TAMU campus frees up parking.

While downtown, be sure and drop by the Bryan Carnegie Library. Built in beautiful Greek Revival style, the building has been restored to its turn of the 20th Century grandeur. Now part of the Bryan College Station Public Library System, it has been renamed the Carnegie Center of Brazos Valley History. The building houses local historical documents, maps, photographs, and genealogical records. Of the 13 Andrew Carnegie Library buildings remaining in Texas, Bryan's is one of only four still serving in its original capacity.

If you are staying longer than one day, the LaSalle Hotel is a registered historic landmark restored to its Roaring Twenties splendor, along with modern amenities and luxury. The LaSalle is an excellent place to host family reunions, business parties, wedding receptions, or to simply stay overnight while visiting.

Also downtown you'll find two must see museums well worth visiting. The Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley has lots of fun and educational activities for the younger crowd, and the Brazos Valley African American Museum offers exhibits on local history and artifacts, as well as historical and genealogical records.

Just outside of Bryan is the fabulous Messina-Hof Winery. Featuring several award-winning labels, the winery hosts a restaurant, a bed and breakfast, and offers tours, tastings, and regular events throughout the year.

Not far from Messina-Hof is the Brazos Museum of Natural History. Featuring pre-historic exhibits as well as modern Texana, the museum offers an educational and entertaining look at the natural world in and surrounding Central Texas.

If you are heading north out of town on Highway 6, you'll pass through Hearne, site of the annual Sunflower Festival. At the crossroads of highways and train lines, Hearne now boasts an historic railroad depot which serves as a museum. A World War II POW site, Camp Hearne, housed German soldiers in the 1940s. It has since become an archeological dig for Texas A&M and has been featured in television documentaries on American POW camps. Memorabilia from both the railroad's halcyon days and the POW camp can be found in the depot, in the center of town.

A few more miles up the road is Calvert, one of the largest towns in Texas in the late 1800s, and once considered a contender for the state capital. Now, Calvert is famous for antique shops lining its main street with well preserved Wild West facades. Take a stroll through Calvert's historical district to see several beautiful houses hearkening back to the town's glory days. Some of the homes were assembled by kits purchased from the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog, and are still standing today. The Calvert Tour of Homes, the Victorian Gala, and the Antique Saleabration are regular annual events.

East out of Bryan on S.H. 21 toward I45 you'll find the town of Madisonville, home of the Texas Mushroom Festival each fall. West on 21 leads to Caldwell with the Burleson County Czech Heritage Museum and the annual Kolache Festival.

West on F.M. 60 out of College Station is the town of Snook, famous for Czech kolaches and sausages as well as the annual Chilifest, a fundraising celebration of food and live country music featuring A-list stars from Nashville, held each year just outside town.

Nearby is Lake Somerville, with several parks offering opportunities for fishing and water sports. As a side note for water lovers, Gibbons Creek Reservoir and Lake Bryan also offer aquatic recreational opportunities.

If you head south out of College Station on S.H. 6 toward Navasota, you'll pass the Texas World Speedway, one of only seven "super speedways" in the US. Famous racecar drivers like A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti set several records on the track in years past. Today it is home to concerts and private car races, and has served as a site for TV commercials and other events.

Nearby off Highway 6 is the Museum of the American G.I., displaying a large collection of military equipment and uniforms. Interesting events held at the museum include World War II reenactments. Not far away is Santa's Wonderland, featuring a drive-through Christmas exhibit over the holidays with over two million lights.

Further south on 6 will lead to the town of Navasota, famous for being built near the area where the French explorer LaSalle was killed. A statue of the explorer was donated to the city by the French government. Many fine Victorian homes have survived to present day. Annual celebrations include Heritage Days in the spring, and the Navasota Blues Festival each summer.

From Navasota, you'll have the opportunity to go three different ways depending on the sites that interest you. In the fall, you will probably want to head over toward Magnolia on S.H. 105 and stop by the Texas Renaissance Festival. If it's not that time of year, consider driving to Anderson on S.H. 90 and visit the Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site. The former stagecoach stop offers history, tours of the inn, and the chance to ride in an authentic stagecoach. Finally, turning west on S.H. 105 leads to perhaps the most important state park in Texas, Washington-on-the-Brazos.

The little town of Washington-on-the-Brazos is where Texas declared its independence from Mexico. Here the first Texas Constitution was signed. The town served as capital until annexation as a state by the U.S. in 1845. The site features the Barrington Living History Farm, home of the last President of the Republic of Texas, Anson Jones. Also, Independence Hall is an historically accurate recreation of the building in which the Constitution was signed. Finally, the Star of the Republic Museum is a state-of-the-art facility housing important artifacts and interactive displays chronicling the birth of Texas and its early years. The building itself is in the shape of a five point star.

Further west on S.H. 105 is the Monastery of St. Clair Miniature Horse Farm. Each Franciscan Poor Clair monastery must be self sufficient, and this one earns income through the sale of miniature horses. Their website offers visiting hours, tourist info, and current horses for sale.

Washington County is widely considered the most attractive of the seven counties comprising the Brazos Valley, and S.H. 105 leads to Brenham, its county seat. Brenham offers several antique shops and bed and breakfast establishments. It is the home of Blue Bell Ice Cream and tours of the creamery are offered throughout the week. Brenham also hosts Blinn College, two wineries, a working farm children can explore, and various resorts that are easy driving distance from Houston and Austin. Find out more at Brenham's official website. Nearby Chappell Hill boasts a bluebonnet festival in the spring and a scarecrow festival in the fall.

Head back on 105 to just outside Brenham, where F.M. 50 intersects. Take 50 to the little village of Independence, Texas. Here you will find the famous Antique Rose Emporium. Roses you buy these days have been cultivated over the years for a certain size and shape. In the old days, roses were much hardier and smaller. The founders of the Antique Rose Emporium rescued varieties from old homesteads that are proven to withstand the harsh Texas climate, and you can buy these hardy specimens from the store in Independence or by catalog. As an added bonus, the grounds are very beautiful, with several historic buildings onsite. The Antique Rose Emporium has been used by brides for wedding pictures many times through the years.

Cross the road and take a look at the ruins of Old Baylor. Few people realize Baylor University was not always located in Waco. It started life in Independence, though nothing much remains now except the ruins and some historical markers.

From Old Baylor, take F.M. 390's gently rolling hills to Burton. This is one of the prettiest routes to drive in the Brazos Valley, especially during wildflower season, and F.M. 390 has been designated a scenic highway by the state of Texas. Burton has its annual Cotton Gin Festival, and the Cotton Gin & Museum is worth a visit.

From Burton you'll want to cross U.S. 290 and head over to Round Top, off F.M. 237. Although in Fayette County, and therefore not technically in the Brazos Valley, Round Top is close enough that it's worth the trip. For someplace out in the middle of nowhere, this tiny village (the smallest incorporated town in Texas, by the way) offers an incredible lineup of cultural events, tourist attractions and a bevy of bed and breakfast choices. First stop is the International Festival Institute, featuring facilities for weddings, business retreats, and conferences. Most prominent among the many buildings on the 210 acre Festival Hill campus is the world class 1000+ seat concert hall with symphonies, concertos, and other performances held throughout the year.

In Round Top proper, the Henkel Square Museum Village offers walking tours of several buildings from the 1800s. Royer's Round Top Café in the center of town is renowned for good food and excellent pies. They ship pies to customers around the country.

On the way out of town, stop by the village of Winedale. The Winedale Historical Center, on land donated to the University of Texas System by famed philanthropist Ima Hogg, features an outdoor museum of early Texas life. Included is a barn setting transformed periodically into a Shakespearean theater, where fans of the bard can watch UT drama students perform his plays.

Tens of thousands of people visit Warrenton, Round Top, and the surrounding areas twice a year during their antique festivals. In general, these run on the first full weekends of April and October, though in recent years vendors and buyers have also been showing up many days before and after those dates. Several miles of pastureland along F.M. 237 are devoted to flea markets, junk sales, and fine antiques. Tents are erected, and sellers set up tables out in the fields. The fields are mowed and the fences are often taken down to ease pedestrian traffic. Of course, the usual antique shops in the area are hopping, too. Be prepared to walk, and don't expect to see everything all in one day. You'll need to book far in advance if you want to stay overnight, as local B&Bs and hotels fill up quick.

If you live in one of the major cities in Texas, hopefully this travel guide to the Brazos Valley has offered some ideas for your next day trip. Wherever you decide to go in the areas in and around Bryan and College Station, your visit will be well worth the time. Since you can't see it all at once, you'll want to keep going back, and experience something new each time you visit.