Across Texas, Brenham is known as the home of Blue Bell ice cream.
Founded by German settlers, this community is the gateway to Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, the home of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The city is also synonymous with Blue Bell, Texas’s biggest independent manufacturer of ice cream and visitors can tour the manufacturing plant. It’s as Texan as bluebonnets and two-stepping, and expatriates have been known to carry back picnic freezers full of Brenham’s product.
Brenham has a host of other, less fattening attractions as well, including a historic downtown that’s filled with antique and specialty shops, and residential streets that showcase splendid antebellum and Victorian homes.
Attractions
Blue Bell Creameries.
Blue Bell has been making ice cream since 1911, when it packaged its product in wooden tubs and delivered it by horse-drawn wagon. The “tasting room” here is an antique soda shop where visitors can choose from over 20 flavors. After a free dish of your personal favorite, you can have a look around the Country Store, where you can choose from Blue Bell T-shirts, mugs, kitchenware, toys, and other merchandise.
Fireman’s Park. Stretch your legs with a dog walk in this park, a popular picnic spot shaded by tall post oaks, and keep an eye out for the Antique Carousel. Housed in a round building, the carousel was built before 1910 by the Hershell-Spillman Company of New York, one of few carousels to be constructed for a traveling carnival.
Lake Somerville State Park and Trailway. Whether your dog is a water pup or a landlubber, he’ll find plenty of fun at this state park that’s divided between two units. Both the Birch Creek Unit and the Nails Creek Unit offer rental canoes, camping, picnicking, and plenty of lake fun. The two units are connected by the Lake Somerville Trailway which extends for 13 miles, a great hike for you and your dog to share on the western edge of the reservoir. Info: Birch Unit, 14222 Park Road 57. Somerville, Nails Creek Unit, 6280 FM 180, Ledbetter.
Pleasant Hill Winery.
Tours and tastings are offered inside the carefully reconstructed old barn at the top of the hill. Enjoy the spectacular view of the vineyard below. Spend some time studying the corkscrew collection and winery artifacts, or just enjoy the warmth and beauty of the barn’s interior. The tour will take you through the path of the grape as it makes its transformation from vine to wine. Gift shop with Texas wines and souvenirs for sale.
Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site.
Take a step back in Texas history at this park located between Brenham and Navasota. Located on the banks of the Brazos, this quiet park is shaded by acres of walnut and pecan trees. Washington is known as the birthplace of Texas, the place where, on a cold March day in 1836, founders gathered and signed the Declaration of Independence, establishing Texas as a sovereign nation. From 1842 to 1845, Washington served as the capital of the Republic, also gradually becoming a commerce center on the busy Brazos, one that eventually dwindled with the growth of the railroads.
To reach this community, alternately called Washington and Washington-on-the-Brazos, take TX 105 northeast of Brenham for 14 miles, then turn right on FM 912.
The town dates back to the days of a ferry landing on the Brazos River that operated at the site from 1822. Washington has become best known, however, as the birthplace of the republic of Texas. On a cold March day in 1836, founders gathered here and signed the Declaration of Independence, establishing Texas as a separate country.
From 1842 to 1845, Washington served as the capital of the republic, also gradually becoming a commerce center on the busy Brazos. Thus, when the seat of government was moved to Austin, the town hung on, kept alive by its position on the river. Eventually, though, in the 1850s, Washington was bypassed by the railroads, and the community dwindled to a tiny dot on the map.
The park includes a state-of-the-art Visitors Center which traces the history of this site through interactive displays. Travelers can learn more about the 59 men who gathered here on a cold March day in 1836.
Near the center, the Star of the Republic Museum, built in the shape of a star, highlights the history of the Republic of Texas with exhibits and special collections Exhibits also cover all aspects of commerce during the 19th century, including displays on the general store, blacksmithing, steamboats, and carpentry.
The park also boasts an interpretive trail which winds from Independence Hall, a replica of the original building where the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence took place, to the historic Washington townsite.
To reach Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historical Park from Brenham, take TX 105 northeast of the city for 14 miles, then turn right on FM 912 to reach the park.