People come to the Visitor Center in Downtown Brenham (115 West Main Street) for various reasons. Some are just passing by. Others just moved to the area. Some were told specifically to stop by. And others just want to see the Simon Theater or use the restroom. Many have questions. Some just want to look around. Others need a map, or want a souvenir.
We get visitors from all over - locals and Texans make up the majority of our visitors, but we do get a lot of people from out of state and even from overseas! I've been here almost 2 years and I've met people from Germany, England, Scotland, New Zealand, and many others. My first question to them is always, "What brings you to Brenham?!" Usually they are passing through from one big city to the next on a grand tour of Texas or the U.S., but others are here for work, wedding, family gatherings, Blue Bell, and so on.
The large majority of people who come in have very specific questions, and often it's the same question as the group before them, so I decided we need to have an FAQ series on the blog. Today will answer the question, "We've been to Blue Bell, now what?"
First of all, yes,
Blue Bell Creameries is here in Brenham. And yes, it IS the best ice cream in the country. :-) Started in 1907, you can still get an outside glimpse of the original creamery just east of Downtown Brenham on your way to the present and ever-growing creamery for a tour or to see the Visitor Center, ice cream parlor, and Country Store. Over 150,000 people visit Blue Bell each year with the largest number of visitors during spring break and the summer months. Tours are given Monday-Friday from 8:30am-3:00pm at various times depending on the foot traffic. For group tours, call ahead, otherwise just show up with a hunger for ice cream!
Of course, Brenham has more to offer than just Blue Bell! So after you tour the creamery, what is there to do? Well, naturally a lot will depend on the day of the week, the time of day, and the weather, but these are some general suggestions to help you find something to do around the area (not a full list). Let's tackle this by day of the week...
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Toubin Park in Downtown Brenham
A history of our cisterns from the 1800s
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MONDAY:
It's true, life is a little slower and more quiet on Mondays, but that just means there's more space for you! If you plan your Blue Bell tour in the morning, then come
downtown for lunch, maybe stroll and shop a bit (there are some shops that are open!), and while you're strolling go over to
Toubin Park and learn about Brenham's cistern system. Next stop,
Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. The grounds of the State Park are open every day of the year from 8am to sunset. The visitor center and gift shop is open 10-5, Star of the Republic Museum 10-5, and Barrington Living History Farm 10-4:30, all of which are open
nearly every day of the year.
If it's late in the day (say 3 or 4), go to
Independence and walk around the rose gardens of
Antique Rose Emporium (open 9-5). Or enjoy a walking tour of the
Old Baylor Parks to see the beginnings of Texas' oldest university. Back in Brenham you and the family can also go to
Horseshoe Junction and play games! Mini golf, go-carts, a climbing wall, arcade and more await you and your family to have fun and make memories. Next door is also a 6-screen movie theater and K-Bob's Steakhouse, a great place to grab dinner.
TUESDAY:
Tuesday offers a little more, but can still be a bit quiet in Downtown Brenham. A lot of the shops are open, but you'll still find some that are closed until Wednesday. You can grab an iced or hot coffee or tea from
Independence Coffee, conveniently located next door to our Visitor Center. If you want, go straight to Burton to explore the
Texas Cotton Gin and Museum. They give tours of the gin Tuesday through Saturday at 10am and 2pm. The Museum is open Tues-Sat 10-4 and is free to enter. They have a movie for you to introduce you to cotton, from seed to bale, as well as a little gift shop and super knowledgeable staff.
Also in the area is
Saddlehorn Winery, open Tues-Sat 11-6. Stop by for delicious tastings as an appetizer to lunch or dinner.
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| Mrs. Sam Houston's House |
Independence Baptist Church & Texas Baptist Museum is open Tues-Sat 9-4. The oldest continually active Baptist church in Texas sits right there on the corner of FM 50 and FM 390 and is beautiful to see. It's also fun to see the pew where Sam Houston and his family sat! Across the street is Mrs. Sam Houston and her mother's graves. And a little farther up the street is her home! There are also plenty of other historic buildings to see, as well as the Independence Visitor Center, general store, and even some fun geocaching opportunities!
WEDNESDAY thru
SATURDAY:
All of the above suggestions work for Wed-Sat. In addition, Downtown Brenham is much busier as all the shops are open. Also open Wed-Sat is
Windy Winery, located just 10 minutes north of Brenham off of FM 50. The third winery that completes our area is
Pleasant Hill Winery, open Sat & Sun only (sometimes Friday afternoon, depending on the time of year).
Brenham Heritage Museum opens Wednesdays at 1pm. You can also tour the museum Thurs-Sat 10-4 and bonus, it's only $1 and kids are free!
Chappell Hill also opens for business on Wednesdays. The Historical Museum is open Wed-Fri 10-4, Sat 11-3 and Sun 1-4. In addition to the museum, Chappell Hill also has a few great eateries, shops, and historic buildings.
Washington County has two lavender farms that are open weekends March-October.
Chappell Hill Lavender Farm is open Sat & Sun.
Lavande Lavender Farm is open Saturday only.
Blue Bell Aquatic Center is a great place to hang out during the summer. The aquatic center has various hours depending on the day and season.
Blue Bell Creameries is open on Saturdays from 10-4 to visit the Visitor Center, ice cream parlor and Country Store. You can get a scoop of ice cream Mon-Sat in the parlor for $1 - the best deal in town!
Unity Theatre has live performances throughout the year Thursday-Sunday. Plays typically run 2-3 weeks with performances Thurs at 7:30pm, Fri & Sat at 8pm, and Sun at 4pm.
Attend a festival or special event! Most of our events happen on the weekends, so check the
calendar on our website for details around the time you want to visit. Live music is often found on Fri & Sat nights with festivals on Sat & Sun.
SUNDAY:
Things start to slow down a bit on Sundays. Some downtown shopping is available, Washington-on-the-Brazos is open, all the wineries are open after noon, Chappell Hill Lavender Farm is open March-October. Walking tours in Independence are accessible. Toubin Park in Brenham is accessible. The Blue Bell Aquatic Center and Horseshoe Junction are also open on Sundays if you need to blow off some steam!
Have a dog with you? You can take your furry loved ones to
Animal Friends dog park, open from sunrise to sunset Tues-Sun. The park features separate areas for large and small dogs, agility equipment, swimming ponds, bathing stations, water stations, and more.
Outside Washington County:
We also recommend several other fun things even though they are just outside Washington County. Not a far distance from Brenham, you can stay in town and use Brenham as your home base if you want to make a week or weekend out of it and include these other attractions as side trips.
Of course you are always welcome to stop by and ask, "What now?" before or after your Blue Bell tour, but I hope this helps give you somewhere to start if you like to plan your adventures. :-)
See you soon!
Jenny Mills :-)
Visitor Center & Website Manager
Brenham/Washington County Chamber-CVB
Around 5pm the streets get blocked off and the cars that are in the car show for that week are allowed in to park. People start arriving with their folding chairs, blankets, kids, and even dogs. They mill around, talking to each other and maybe shopping a bit. Those who like to dance or feel that beat in their chest stake their claim for their favorite spots up front, plant their chairs and grab their beverages of choice while patiently waiting for 7pm to arrive. Others know there's plenty of room and they focus on socializing with their friends as they walk up and down the streets looking for others to catch up with.
This year we had some different food options than before. We had BBQ, corn dogs, funnel cakes, and Texas-sized portions of fresh cut potato chips. There were plenty of other treats, too, like snow cones, pizza, beer, and other adult beverages. Surrounding restaurants chimed in and served plenty of hungry people and kids enjoyed rides on the street train.
New this year the Brenham/Washington County Chamber-CVB staff set up shop on the street with a prize wheel and a variety of giveaways. We had a lot of fun helping people win. Our purpose was to gather information about the attendees - Are you local or not - and then reward them for answering our questions! Each person who stepped up to the table filled out a short form, dropped it in the entry bin, and then spun the Prize Wheel. "Everyone's a Winner!" was our motto and every person definitely won! Prizes were coupons, gifts, postcard fans, and discounts.
After that hot sun goes down the night isn't too hot anymore, but the tunes are always cool and fun, all evening long. If you haven't come to Hot Nights, Cool Tunes before, mark your calendar for next year. Every Saturday night in July. We guarantee you'll have a good time and we might even give you something free! :-)
