Happy New Year!

There are several festivities happening around Washington County for New Year's Eve. If you happen to find yourself in this area with no plans, consider one of these!

New Year's Eve Bash

8pm-1am

Ant Street Inn, 107 West Commerce in Downtown Brenham

Celebrate the old year and the new at Ant Street Inn's New Year's Eve Bash! Music by The Argyles, food provided by Design II

BYOB with set ups included in ticket price. Complimentary Champagne Toast at midnight! $100+tax per person for open seating or $900+tax for a reserved table of 8. Call Ant Street Inn (979-836-7393) to purchase your ticket today!

$100+tax
979-836-7393
www.AntStreetInn.com

 

 

New Year's Eve Gala

7:30pm

Round Top Festival Institute, 248 Jaster Rd.@ HWY 237, Round Top, TX

The party begins at 7:30pm with delectable appetizers, sparkling beverages and festive company in the Menke House Parlors, followed by a scrumptious dinner at 8pm. After dinner, dance away 2013 on the Festival Concert Hall stage with The Jackie Myers Band, whose original compositions are influenced by jazz, blues, funk and pop music.

Welcome in 2014 with a complimentary glass of champagne, sparklers, ringing bells, fireworks (conditions permitting) and an invigorating sing-along of Auld Lang Syne. A cash bar will be serving fine wine and beer.

Don’t feel like driving home after the party? Rest easy in one of our cozy rooms for an additional fee, which includes New Year’s morning coffee, juice and yummy pastries in the Menke House Dining Hall.

$60 or $125
979-249-3129
www.festivalhill.org/calendar/details.php?id=112

 

 

NYE Dinner & Music

6-10pm

R-Place, Washington-on-the-Brazos, FM 1155, Washington

Join us New Year’s Eve for a great dinner and live music! We have tables still available. To make a reservation call us at 281-744-4195. Dinner and music begins at 6pm. Reservations can be made for dinner any time between 6-10pm. Hope to see you here!

www.rplacetexas.com

 

 

Robbie Wooten Band

NYE Dance

8pm

The Kenney Store, 811 Loop 497 South, Kenney, TX

Enjoy Country Boys Sausage and black eyed peas as the Robbie Wooten Band plays great music. Dance the night away and ring in the new year!

$20
www.TheKenneyStore.com

 

 

NYE Dinner at Ernie's

5-9pm

Ernie's American Bistro in Downtown Brenham, 103 South Baylor Street

Come enjoy dinner at Ernie's on New Year's Eve featuring the guitar stylings of John Beland. We will be open from 5-9pm. Call to reserve your seat!

979-836-7545

5 on FRIDAY: Dec 27-29, 2013

Happy Friday, y'all!

Things are quieting down a bit now that Christmas is over, but there is still plenty to enjoy in the area. Here are some suggestions for this weekend...

1) Enjoy after-Christmas sales in Downtown Brenham and other retail stores throughout Washington County.

2) Live music at The Kenney Store on Fri & Sat nights.

3) Geocache the Birthplace of Texas GeoTour (or spend a few minutes learning about it!) AND...

4) Relax and smell the roses - literally & figuratively! Enjoy a stroll through the Antique Rose Emporium, swing on the tire swing at Old Baylor, enjoy a picnic under the big trees, take a leisurely drive through the country, etc.

5) Treat yourself to a delicious Saturday night out: R-Place makes up a yummy Saturday night dinner, this week being peppered beef stroganoff - yumm!


We have a number of New Year's Eve celebrations happening, too, but you'll need a reservation. If you want more info, check out the calender of events for Dec 31.

5 on FRIDAY: Dec 20-22, 2013

With Christmas only a few days away, you might be needing to do last minute shopping. But if your shopping and decorating and baking is done until the day of, maybe you'd like to go out this weekend and have a little fun!

Here are our TOP 5 suggestions for things to do this weekend around Washington County...

1) Make a reservation to eat dinner at R-Place on Saturday night. Click on the picture for details  ~>

2) See "Nuncrackers" at Unity Theatre - this is the last weekend to see this delightfully funny show. Call the box office to see if any tickets are left for Fri or Sat at 8 or Sun at 4.

3) Live music at the Kenney Store on Fri & Sat.

4) Historical presentations at Washington-on-the-Brazos this weekend feature "Bundled Against the Cold" on Saturday and "Sod & Thatch: Prairie Home Construction" on Sunday. Presentations are at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.

5) Enjoy hot chocolate and tasty treats in Independence as you enjoy a candlelit stroll through eight live nativity scenes created by area churches. Enjoy the festivities Sun & Mon from 6-8pm. "Bethlehem in Independence" is brought to the public free of charge. (Donations are welcome.)

A fun activity you can enjoy during the day is geocaching! There are many caches hidden around Washington County, including 26 specific ones that make up the Birthplace of Texas GeoTour. Geocaching is practically a free activity that the whole family can enjoy and it will take you to many fun and historical places that Washington County has to offer so you can enjoy the sites and geocache at the same time!

Learn more about geocaching at VisitBrenhamTexas.com. If you are already a geocacher, learn about our GeoTour on Geocaching.com.

Have a fun and safe weekend!

GeoTour is Live!

Birthplace of Texas GeoTour

Get your boots on, grab your GPS, print your Passport and start searching... the first official GeoTour in Texas is now live! Our tour is a 26-cache trail around Washington County and incorporates a lot of fun and historical places along the way.

Whether you're a die hard retiree who lives to be the First to Find on all new area caches, or a weekend cacher with your family of five, this tour will please you all! There is no time limit so you can do a few here and there and finish the tour within months or you can bound right through them all in one long day - whatever fits!


The trail includes four existing caches (yes, you have to visit them again!), 21 new traditionals and one new multi. You need a Passport if you plan to claim any prizes. You can download and print it at home or you can pick one up in the Visitor Center or Chamber of Commerce in Brenham.

Inside each cache container is a code letter - that's the letter you record in your Passport to prove you found the cache. You can earn points by caching, eating, sleeping and shopping. Just show copies of your receipts to earn points. Once you find at least 10 caches or earn 25 or more points you will get a prize!

Whatever speed you like to cache in, we encourage you to enjoy the journey. Geocaching in Washington County will take you over miles of rolling hills, past farms and ranches and bluebonnets, to ice cream factories and wineries, and to the actual birthplace of Texas - the very spot Texas declared her independence from Mexico in 1836. There is much to see, enjoy and learn - happy caching & enjoy exploring!

If you have no idea what geocaching is, please visit our website to learn more or Geocaching.com. You may have just found your next hobby! :-)

5 on FRIDAY: Dec 13-15, 2013

We've highlighted a lot of Christmassy activities on our website, and this weekend includes a lot of those! Here are our TOP 5 suggestions for fun in Washington County this weekend...

1) Live music will help you unwind from a full week of work and Christmas parties. Nathan's, Kenney Store and Buffalo Creek all have offerings Fri and/or Sat. Details

2) Christmas Country Homes Tour in Chappell Hill - Sat 10-4, Sun noon-5; Tour historic homes, churches, and sites. On the schedule is the lovely 1845 Myrtle Providence House, 1901 Chappell Hill United Methodist Church, and more. Call 979-836-6033 for more info. Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 at the door.

3) Christmas on the Brazos, Barrington's Candlelit Christmas are going on all day Saturday.

Christmas at Winedale is Saturday noon-4pm only.

Both events take you back in time to the 19th century and show you traditions and customs unique to that time. A truly festive & fun time for all!

4) Unity Theatre presents "Nuncrackers: A Nunsense Christmas Musical" - a fun show to put you in the Christmas spirit! :-)  Performances are Thurs-Sun through Dec 22.

5) Wine & Crystal Trail - tour all the wineries along the Bluebonnet Wine Trail, tasting delicious wines and appetizers along the way. Tickets are $30 for one or $50 for two and are good for both Sat & Sun at all eight wineries.

You can also enjoy tours & tastings at Brazos Valley Brewery located at 201 West First Street in Brenham. The patio will be open Sat 1-8pm with tours at 2, 4 & 6pm and Sun noon-5 with tours at 1 and 3pm!

However you spend the weekend, have fun and be safe!

See you soon,

Brenham/Washington County Chamber-CVB Staff

Christmas Starts Early in Washington County...

If you're like the rest of us, your Christmas tree is up, an inflatable snowman is in your front yard and there may even be presents already stashed in closets or under the bed.

In all the hustle and bustle of planning your Christmas events, we're here to remind you to slow down and enjoy it all. There are lots of opportunities in the coming weeks to gather as a family and enjoy the little things like caroling, sipping cider while strolling the streets of small towns, driving around town to see lights and finding that perfect little gift for someone you love.

1) Enjoy a performance of "Nuncrackers" at Unity Theatre - a musical that will surely put you in the spirit! Performances are Thurs at 7:30, Friday and Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 4, December 5-22.

2) Downtown Brenham's Christmas Stroll, Lighted Parade, Pet Parade, Scavenger Hunt, Pearl Harbor Remembrance, Live Music, pictures with Santa, ice skating and so much more! The fun starts Friday at 6pm and continues through the weekend. 

The Jingle Bell Market is at Ant Street Inn this year. Free admission and lots of vendors to help you find gifts for those "hard to shop for" people on your list. Free gift wrapping will also be available from 4-7 at Ant Street Inn.

3) Tour the Wine & Crystal Trail on Dec 7-8 and 14-15. Your trail ticket allows you to enjoy two EIGHT wineries on the trail. Get Tickets
specially-selected wine tastings, paired with a terrific holiday appetizer sample at

4) Christmas Fayre in Chappell Hill is Saturday from noon to 7pm. A fun, and FREE, event for the whole family! Downtown Chappell Hill comes alive with various activities like shopping, wine tasting, live music, train rides, teddy bear parade, live reindeer, and fun & games for the kids. Santa will pay a visit, too!

5) Christmas at the Depot & Home Tour in Burton is Sunday from 11-5. More Info

As an added bonus to our downtown Brenham festivities, the Brazos Valley Brewing Co. on First Street is hosting an open house Friday 4-10 and Saturday 3-10. This new local brewery welcomes you to come tour the brewery, learn about the process and taste their beer!