A Hidden Gem

1895 Opera House - Hico, Texas (iPhone photo)


Don't Scratch - Hico, Texas (iPhone photo)

Hico is a really neat place in the northern part of the Texas Hill Country. It is a town of only about 1500-2,000 people, but it it's small historic downtown is rich in unique shops and galleries. Some of the businesses have moved north from Fredericksburg and renovated some of the buildings. It is still renovating, so many of the buildings are just shells. But others like the Opera House are beautifully restored limestone buildings.

If you go, make sure to stop at the Koffee Kup for Texas' best pie. They have several different pies made daily and never dissappoint. Lunch is good there too.

Hico hit the map when Brushy Bill Roberts proclaimed himself to be the real Billy the Kid. He claimed to have staged his own death and lived out the remainder of his days as a law biding citizen of Hico. Many historians have debunked his story, I even believe there has been DNA evidence to disprove his claim. But still an interesting place.

If you go, make sure to not skip some of the pictorial history in the upper rooms of some of the stores. They show the town as its cowtown beginnings, through natural disasters and fires, to what is today. It is definitely a place to stop when you are around the Granbury/Stephenville area.


©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
All photos and stories on this blog are copyrighted and use without the artists express permission is prohibited.