Road Trip

Road Trip

If you live near the Austin area, this road trip we took yesterday was really fun and easy to do in a 12 hour span.

We traveled first to Martindale, Texas, a small town about 20 minutes from South Austin, east of Interstate 35.  There’s a custom furniture store on the main road, Native Furniture Works, that’s worth a look, because the craftsmanship is amazing.  Across the street is the Cottonseed Deli.  We plan to go back and eat there soon, because we were told the best pecan pie in the world is served there!

As we headed toward Lockhart, we drove the back roads through Fentress, TX and Joliet, TX.  There wasn’t much to see in those towns except some old buildings and houses, but we enjoyed the drive.

As we neared Lockhart, we were hungry because we had brought our picnic lunch (which included chicken slaw wraps, dill pickle chips, fruit, and tasty snacks.  We came upon a little Baptist church with a pretty cross (with a fountain) and picnic tables in the warm sun, just waiting for us to come sit!  My husband didn’t want to intrude, so he saw one man working at the church and asked if we could picnic on their grounds.  The man was super nice and invited us to use their facilities, and make ourselves at home, even while he left to go into town –what a friend!    We ate, looked at their new building and found out the church was really growing – even though it was in the middle of nowhere!  They had a cool baptistery built out of rock in the front corner. This was Mineral Springs Baptist Church.

We arrived in Lockhart, right in the middle of a vintage car show on the square. The guys looked at the cars, while my friend and I walked the square.  Lockhart has a pretty courthouse and few cute stores, and eateries.  Before we left Lockhart, we drove by their small airport, parked and watched an old plane do some fancy sky work – what a treat!

We headed on to Seguin, Texas (home of world’s largest pecan).  What a cute, clean town.  We parked downtown on the square and walked several blocks to an antique store.  Jon found an old tool (he collects them) – so he was excited!  There’s a pretty fountain in the middle of the downtown square that has colored lights at night.  We drove to Max Starcke Park, just on the edge of town and it’s beautiful!  What a pretty river, golf course, and scenic drive.  We also visited some of the old buildings downtown, Los Nogales, and Sebastopol Historical Park.  Get there before they quit having tours – pretty cool history! 

Finally, we ended the evening with dinner at the Seguin Power Plant Grill – an excellent choice – for the setting and food! It’s housed in an old power plant, across a river, with cool dining areas inside and out.  This is a must see and a must eat if you make this trip!  We had pecan crusted fish, and street tacos.  Their chips and guacamole were delicious!  After dark, the place is lit up, and the river setting is even more beautiful at night! 

This is a great day trip because it’s a short one, but full of fun.  Lockhart also has a Gaslight Theater and GREAT bar-b-que to be eaten, if you so desire!

All you need is a road map, a picnic lunch, and good friends!