If the New Year inspires thoughts of travels to new-to-you destinations, consider Washington County, Texas, where I visited late last year. Washington County is the Birthplace of Texas; the Texas Declaration of Independence was created and signed there in 1836. This pivotal moment shaped the state’s future, and its legacy is preserved at the Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site.
Washington County is home to five communities — Brenham, Burton, Chappell Hill, Independence, and Washington — each offering a distinctive blend of small-town hospitality.
Once best known as the halfway point between Austin and Houston, Brenham — population 17,655 — is the county seat. An online search for Brenham readily highlights two of the main attractions: bluebonnets and Blue Bell ice cream. In spring, lupinus texensis transforms the county into a Sunday drive awash in watercolor blue. The creamery still is a favorite stop for tourists and locals who stop in for $1 scoops of the famous frozen confection. (Locally, Blue Bell is sold at Schnucks; look for the iconic logo of the girl walking a long-horn steer on a brown and gold carton.)
You’re never far from Blue Bell in Brenham. At the Ant Street Inn, a historic boutique hotel/bed and breakfast inn located in downtown Brenham, the guest refrigerator/ freezer is stocked with mini cups of chocolate and vanilla Blue Bell ice cream; I might have had more than a few. Several in my group — all travel journalists — stayed at Ant Street Inn, within easy walking distance of restaurants, shops, cocktail lounges, wine bars, and city parks. Others in the group stayed at luxury ranches, located elsewhere in the county and loaded with amenities.
“Brenham is the quintessential Texas small town rooted in rich history with a blooming modern vibe. The draw is visceral,” says Jennifer Eckermann, tourism and marketing director of Visit Brenham. “Visitors looking for an authentic, real Texas experience come from near and far to escape the hectic pace of their daily grind. Brenham is a place to breathe in the fresh air and be surrounded by true Texas spirit.”
We were welcomed to Washington County at the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence. With a reputation that stretches beyond Texas, The Antique Rose Emporium has been featured in national magazines and newspapers. Its Fall Festival of Roses, held the first weekend of November, attracts thousands to the eight-acre display garden, which was designated a Hall of Fame Garden by the Great Rosarians of the World in 2012.
Back in Brenham I retired to the Ant Street Inn. Its 15 uniquely furnished guest rooms feature antiques, canopy beds, Oriental rugs, and stained glass, creating a welcoming and sophisticated environment. The second floor rooms share a large parlor, a warm and elegant space for reading, games, conversation, or the already mentioned Blue Bell ice cream from the guest freezer. Breakfast ordered from a menu is served in the lobby level Brenham Café.
Washington County is ground zero for Texas history. Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed on March 2, 1836, is located about 20 miles northeast of Brenham. The Star of the Republic Museum, currently undergoing a $44 million renovation, is a must-see for history buffs; it is scheduled to reopen this year. It is the only museum in Texas strictly devoted to collecting, preserving, and interpreting the material culture of the Texas Republic (1836 to 1846).
In Burton, eight miles west of Brenham, we toured a historic cotton gin at the Texas Cotton Gin Museum. For decades, farmers lined up their cotton-filled wagons next to the 32,000-pound gin dubbed Lady B. A cotton gin — meaning “cotton engine” — is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds. Today Texas is the largest producer of cotton among the states, outputting 40 percent of the U.S. total cotton production.
The Milk & Honey Ranch, one of the luxe ranches that housed several journalists, also has a Burton address. The ranch combines the peaceful atmosphere of farm life with the amenities of luxurious, resort-style accommodations, including animal encounters, a private beach, glamorous pool, multi-sport courts, and a spa.
Owner Brent Phillips, a native of South Africa, founded Milk & Honey Ranch in 2021 to make a major change in his family’s lifestyle. After arriving in the U.S. a decade earlier (his brother came first, to play club rugby in Aspen, Colorado), Phillips had started a medical software company, made a tidy fortune when it sold, then awoke one morning to a dramatic financial loss. Payment for his company was made with the acquiring company’s shares, and that company was faltering.
Phillips was planning to build a retreat from Houston for his family and had purchased the 54 acres that would become Milk & Honey ranch with the more liquid proceeds from the sale of his company.
Today, the ranch has survived both financial and family crises; Phillips’ wife was involved in a serious car accident last year and now is recovering. The family persevered with plenty of help from the community, Phillips notes, and today the ranch has transformed from a private farm to a sprawling resort that can sleep 57 guests in its 12 different lodging spaces, from a tree house and glamping domes to a one-bedroom cottage and two-bedroom casitas. Larger accommodations include the cabin, the lodge, and the hotel that sleeps up to eight people. Guests receive a golf cart with their stay.
“Milk & Honey Ranch has felt like a second chance at life,” Phillips says. “People often wonder what life would look like if you took a chance to completely change how you live. Milk & Honey Ranch is the realization of that risk. We love it when people come from the city, just like we were, and get to hold a baby pig, lamb, or goat for the first time, milk a cow for the first time, or just be together as a family having fun, maybe for the first time in a long time. That moment can set someone on a whole new trajectory of life about what is important and that you can get out of the rat race.”
While you can cuddle miniature Highland cows at the Milk & Honey Ranch, another Burton ranch offers encounters with Alpacas. At the Peeka Ranch, visitors can feed and interact with the gentle and approachable alpacas. An onsite and online store offers a large array of products made from alpaca yarn.
As for other outdoor activities, springtime visitors should stop by the Chappell Hill Lavender & Berry Farm to witness panoramic views framing fields of lavender. Inside the cute gift shop, an abundance of lavender-based gifts can be purchased.
Food and drink establishments in Washington County range from Texas barbecue to elevated wine bars and cocktail lounges. Tiny Burton is home to a third-wave coffee purveyor — Neon Moon — where regulars have their own mugs and table from which to solve the world’s problems on weekday mornings. (See “When You Go” for a list of restaurants we tried.)
Two wineries operate in Washington County; we visited them both. What Brenham and its small-town neighbors lack in winery density (compared to Gillespie County, home of Fredericksburg, which boasts 60 wineries), it makes up for in quality.
Texas Star Winery is a family-owned winery in Chappell Hill. Owners Jim and Susan Chisolm and their award-winning small batch wines consistently receive high reviews on Yelp and Trip Advisor.
Chapelton Vineyards in Washington likely surprises guests — it did me — who are not expecting to find a winery and tasting room in East Texas that looks like it could just as easily be in Sonoma, California. The winery opened in April 2023 by Houstonians Michelle and Kurt Lyn is nestled on a 75-acre property that also includes villas for overnight rental. The contemporary design of the tasting room offers a variety of spaces for small and large groups to enjoy. It’s also notable that fewer than 1 percent of the country’s wineries are Black owned, as Chapelton Vineyards is.
WHEN YOU GO
GETTING THERE From Evansville Regional Airport, fly to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, then to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. From there, you have a leisurely 90-minute drive to Brenham.
ACCOMMODATIONS
ANT STREET INN
MILK & HONEY RANCH
FOOD & DRINK BRENHAM
CHARCUTERIE SHOP
BEVERS KITCHEN AND GIFTS
FLOYD’S LOUNGE
HAAK TASTING ROOM
MAIN STREET UNCORKED
NEON MOON COFFEE
PIONEER SMOKEHOUSE
VOLARE ITALIAN RESTAURANT
ACTIVITIES
ANTIQUE ROSE EMPORIUM
BLUE BELL CREAMERY
BRENHAM FIRE MUSEUM
CHAPPELL HILL LAVENDER & BERRY FARM
