Melissa at Huckleberry Prairie is hosting The Great American Town Tour! This is going to be such a fun event. I'd like to share our little piece of heaven on earth, Georgetown Texas. Our little town was established by George Washington Glasscock in 1848. We have a beautifully restored town square, as well as numerous historic landmark homes. Georgetown has a wonderful sense of community. There are many events throughout the year, and boy do we love a parade! I think we have at least 5 every year, including the Red Poppy Fest Parade, the Sheriff's Posse Rodeo Parade, the Homecoming Parade, the 4th of July Parade and the Christmas Stroll Parade! Georgetown has also been named one of the best 20 towns to retire, one of the best 20 towns to live, and This Old House Magazine named Georgetown one of the best places to buy (and restore) an old home! Needless to say, all this attention has led to rapid growth. When we moved to Georgetown 27 years ago, the population was around 12,000. It is now estimated at approx 35,000! But we still manage to maintain our small town atmosphere and friendliness. Hope you enjoy your visit.
Driving into Georgetown via I35. We are located in Central Texas at the edge of the Hill Country. To the east is beautiful blackland prairie, to the West lies rocky, hilly terrain.
If you are lucky enough to visit in the spring, you will see masses of bluebonnets lining the roadside. It truly is a breathtaking sight!
Let's start by visiting some of our beautiful outdoor areas. This is blue hole park, a favorite swimming hole on the San Gabriel River. The park sustained heavy damage in a flood several years ago, but is slowly coming back to it's former glory.
Eden like scene on the river
Lake Georgetown is a great place to cool off on a hot summer's day
Georgetown is proud to be the home of Southwestern University, a premier Liberal Arts College. The campus is just beautiful!
Now we'll head into the "heart" of Georgetown, our beautiful courthouse square. The courthouse recently underwent a massive restoration. Isn't she a beauty!
Georgetown's new public library. When we moved to Georgetown, there was a very small library on the square. Several years later, a new facility was built. Guess what - we outgrew that one too! This is the most recent incarnation. A bond issue was passed several years ago to build this magnificent new library. DH joked that it would be cheaper for him to support the bond issue than to keep buying books lol. The library is an integral part of our community. Not only does it house stacks and stacks of books, it has art exhibits, lots of youth activities and several meeting rooms for local organizations. It even has a coffee shop!Now I'm going to take you on a little virtual shopping trip to some of the antique stores on the square.
Isn't this sideboard gorgeous?
Just look at these quilts!
We can visit art galleries . . .
Chocolate shops . . .
How about a great cup of coffee? Although with the heat we've been having, perhaps an iced mocha instead.
We can visit the prettiest little church building. This was the original Grace Episcopal Church. When the congregation outgrew this gem of a building, they donated it to the Georgetown Heritage Society. It was moved to it's current downtown location and can be used to hold weddings and other events.
We could catch a play at the beautifully restored Palace Theatre. The community formed a non profit to restore this gorgeous old theatre. They have done a wonderful job, and plays are performed throughout the year.
On the second Saturday of every month, vendors take over the town square for Market Days.And we know that spring is here when Red Poppy Fest rolls around! Georgetown is known as the Red Poppy Capitol of Texas and we have a festival every April to celebrate spring!
The Mighty Georgetown Marching Eagle Band! One of many parades these kids participate in throughout the year. Georgetown currently has one high school. That will be changing within the next couple of years as we add a second. It will be interesting to see how our little town handles supporting two high school teams!
Georgetown is blessed to have a school district that has an incredible fine arts department. Georgetown has been named "One of the 100 Best Communities for Music Education" two years running. The Georgetown High School Jazz band performing at the Red Poppy Fest. I have a soft spot for this group of kids, as my daughter was in the very first Jazz program that Georgetown offered.
Our festivals always have a great kids area. High school students man the booths and I'm not sure who has more fun! This is my precious niece begging Auntie Kathy for a snow cone!
Once spring is in full swing, we can stop by beautiful San Gabriel Park and visit the farmer's market. Every Thursday from 3:30 to 6:30 you can pick up some gorgeous produce, organic beef, pork, goat and lamb, wonderful bread, beautiful plants and local honey. Is this not the perfect place for a farmer's market? Sit by the river and cool off, nibble on some of that fabulous fruit you just picked up!
Now let's move on to fall. Every November, we have a ceremony at the town square welcoming the Christmas season. The Lighting of the Square is held on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Caroling on the Courthouse steps.
After Santa "flips the switch". The kids just love this!
Finally, Santa winds up the Christmas Stroll Parade. We are in Texas, did you really expect reindeer? I hope that you enjoyed your tour of our little town. Come back as often as you'd like, we love visitors! Now hop on over to visit Melissa at Huckleberry Prarie and take a tour of other great towns all across America! Click on the button on my sidebar and you'll be off on your virtual vacation!
