If you’ve heard of the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Broadway musical and movie, then you’ve heard of La Grange. The small, quiet town was in the spotlight with the unveiling of the Chicken Ranch. The infamous Ranch is long gone now, and today La Grange makes a good base to explore area lakes and parks.
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Area Attractions
Monument Hill–Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites. This park is two in one, all perched on a 200-foot bluff high over the town of La Grange. Monument Hill Historical Park is the burial site for the Texans who died in the Dawson Massacre and the Mier Expedition, two historic Mexican conflicts that occurred in 1842, six years after the Texas Revolution. The Kreische Brewery State Historic Site recalls a far more cheerful time in Texas history. Heinreich Kreische, who immigrated here from Germany, purchased the hilltop and the adjoining land in 1849, including the burial ground of those Texas heroes, for his brewery site. Before closing the brewery in 1884, Kreische became the third-largest beer producer in the state. Your dog can’t enter any of the buildings at the site but you’ll find several trails to explore together including the Brewery Lane, Kreische Woods Nature Loop, Scenic and Historic Trail and more. Open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Info: 414 State Loop 92; www.tpwd.state.tx.us.
Oak Thicket Park. This 64-acre LCRA park welcomes pets in the camping and cabin sections (although only one pet per cabin). Located on the shores of Lake Fayette, the park is a popular fishing and swimming destination. Info: 4819 W. State Highway 159, Fayetteville; www.lcra.org.
Park Prairie Park. Located on 2,000-acre Lake Fayette (a cooling lake for the Fayette Power Project), Park Prairie welcomes dogs for a day of fun or camping at unimproved campsites. Info: 1250 Park Prairie Rd.; www.lcra.org. Fee.
White Rock Park. On the east bank of the Colorado River, just south of La Grange, this is one of the largest parks on the lower Colorado. Developed by the LCRA but operated by the City of La Grange, this day-use park welcomes your dog on leash for some river fun (there’s even a canoe launch), hiking on trails, and picnicking. Info: Mode Lane. From La Grange, take US 77 (Jefferson St.) south to Elbin Road, and continue about three-quarters of a mile to Mode Lane (CR 134). Take a right on Mode Lane and travel about a quarter mile to this park; (979) 968–5805; www.lcra.org.
Gone but Not Forgotten
For over a century, Prause’s barbecue overlooked the Fayette County square–until Covid resulted in the sale of the longtime meat market in 2020.
When you stepped inside Prause’s, you walked up to the long meat counter to place your order for fresh meat cuts, or headed back beyond the green lattice to order brisket and sausage. The brisket was tender and imbued with smoky flavor, the sausage slightly spicy and peppery.
But if you ever visited, you’ll remember that you just couldn’t plan to just stroll into Prause’s at any time. When those folks ran out of barbecue, they closed the doors. We once went by at one o’clock one Saturday afternoon and found the place locked. And on Sundays, you’d find the sign reads “Gone to Fish.”
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