Saturday was a beautiful day. We woke to temperatures already in the upper 50s so it wasn't surprising the final high for the day was expected to be in the upper 70s. (Usually a 20 degree spread from low to high is the average each day). We headed to Granbury, Texas which is about 75 miles from Dallas on a highway southwest of Fort Worth. The town is advertised heavily in all the Texas travel brochures because every building on the charming downtown square is on the National Registry of Historical Buildings. Granbury is also the county seat of Hood County, Texas so naturally the county courthouse is a prominent feature.
The square is filled with antique shops, tearooms, 50s soda fountains, and every other nostalgic kind of boutique or shop imaginable. The first one to catch my eye was The Pan Handle. It boasted itself as a gourmet tool shop. They didn't exaggerate! There were kitchen utensils I didn't even know existed. I left that shop a few dollars poorer.
The Opera House. Again, every building has an historical marker denoting the origins of the building and what was the original use.
We ate lunch in this cute little soda fountain. Poodle Skirts, Elvis records, a jukebox, and the "old fashioned" tables completed the look.
Another side of the downtown square.
Although Granbury was charming and quaint, it didn't quite have the same small-time feel that the towns we visited a couple weeks ago conveyed. It was definitely a "ladies luncheon" kind of place and SUVs full of city women descended upon the town in large numbers. Some of the shops were so crowded one could barely move. It was too much of a tourist destination to suit my tastes.
We got back on the road and took a different route returning to Dallas; one that took us further south before turning back to the north and east. We stopped in Cleburne, Texas to take more photos. This alley appealed to the lens of the camera. The door and window on the first building are actually painted to look like doors and windows... not the real thing.
This is the county courthouse for Johnson County, Texas. Cleburne is the county seat and likewise had a downtown square. It was picturesque but didn't boast the historical designation of Granbury. This courthouse was built in 1912 so it wasn't of the same architectural style as those built in the 1800s.
This church displays its founding date as 1877.
These 2 homes were a block off the town square. Overall the day was full of adventure, walking, discovery, and photographic opportunities. Thank you, H!!
1 comment:
Love the alley, thanks for the tour.
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