Texas Hill Country Excursion: Blanco

We fortuitously visited Blanco this afternoon, which happens to be a Saturday. I say that because it happens to be a market day, and this evening is the Gala, a big fundraising event at the old courthouse, so the town was company ready.

This Second Empire styled building was the original Blanco County courthouse, but only a few years later, the county seat was relocated to Johnson City, leaving this beautiful building searching for a new occupation. Currently housing offices and a visitor center, it has also tried its hand at being a school, a bank, and a hospital. It also had a brief role in the remake of the movie "True Grit," where its courtroom was a movie setting.

Tonight, there will be a Gala, and the downstairs hallway is full of silent auction donations, beautifully arranged and with stiff opening bid requirements.

The hallways are lined with historic photos, like this one of local women preparing a barbeque for a Lyndon Johnson campaign visit.

There were all sorts of vendors on the lawn and along the sidewalks, so once again I kept my Christmas list in mind as I visited the different stalls. I couldn't help but be captivated by this one; since I am The Accidental Trailerist, the reason is rather obvious.

I stepped inside the traveling store; it was beautifully done, but I didn't take any photos as it was a popular shop and I didn't want to make the customers inside uncomfortable. The store is called The Gypsy Couture .

Across from the square was an antique mall where we spent some time browsing first upstairs and then downstairs.

We finished our visit to Blanco with a walk in the park--the city park, that is. It adjoins the state park, and we could see the river from the boundary;

but we didn't feel comfortable going further. We're still trying to figure out the Texas state park structure, but from what we see, they're very expensive, and if I understood correctly, going for a walk there would cost $4 apiece. Park prices vary; many are more than that, like the Guadalupe River State Park; we drove to the gates a couple days ago but turned back because of the high entrance fee, again per person. There is a pass available for $70. If we have some extra money next month, we might have to get one.