Things to do / Travel Guide
You want to see the scenery of southeast Texas, but you don't have the time to waste traveling out forever into nowhere? No problem. Here are some alternate routes. One tip: Outside the cities you'll find many roads labeled FM and RR. FM stands for Farm Road, and RR stands for Ranch Road. The two are interchangeable and reflect what sort of land they originally navigated through.
FM 1375
FM 1375 is a day well spent, and can be a great alternative for a Houston-Austin route. Leaving from Houston on I-45 North, take the exit in New Waverly onto FM 1375 West. This will take you through the thick trees and fern undergrowth of the Sam Houston National Forest.
Eventually you'll join U.S. Highway 149 and get to Anderson and Richards, two small and quiet towns. Further still, you'll take U.S. Highway 90 south and end up in Anderson and Navasota. The drive from New Waverly to Anderson is approximately 40 miles.
In tiny Anderson, you'll spot the impressive 1893 Italian-style Grimes County Courthouse. Anderson is also home to Fanthorp Inn State Historical Park, a stagecoach stop that dates back to the Republic era and has a replica coach on display. Navasota, 10 more miles on U.S. Highway 90, dates back to just barely the pre-Republic days of Texas, and it too is one of those old towns that is too often ignored by travelers. It features many historic homes built in the Victorian style, and a statue of René Robert “Bobby” LaSalle, who claimed Texas for France and is said to have died in the area.
Last, Navasota is a scant six miles on U.S. Highway 105 to Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, where the old capital of the Republic was declared during the war with Mexico. The road continues west through a spectacularly-rugged scenery of trees, wildflowers, and farmland, and eventually ends up in Austin.
RR 32 “Devil's Backbone”
This route will get you from San Marcos (located on I-35 between Austin and San Antonio) to Fredericksburg. Take RR 12 West from San Marcos to RR 32. This road runs across a crest of a ridge called Devil's Backbone. You'll pass several roads leading to Canyon Lake, and you'll eventually end up a few miles south of Blanco on U.S. Highway 281. Take 281 North to Blanco, and take FM 1888 West to Luckenbach. A tiny little town, Luckenbach has been popularized in many country songs, particularly those of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. From here, it is only a short drive on FM 1376 to Fredericksburg. The whole drive should be around 90 miles, but this is slightly slower driving, so leave time.
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