How did I not know about the cute little town of Granbury until recently? It’s a fun, affordable, family-friendly getaway just an hour and a half from Dallas. I’m excited to share about our recent getaway to this charming town!
This post is sponsored by Visit Granbury. All opinions are my own.
What’s neat about Granbury is that it’s chock full of Texas heritage (it was the first courthouse town square to be put on the National Registrar of Historic Places) but it is also a buzzing lake community. Driving into town you see all the boats and bed & breakfasts right on the water. And to add to it’s charm, Granbury’s food scene is pretty on point with their new Granbury Foodie Trail.
We decided to start our Saturday morning on the Granbury Town Square which was buzzing with cute shops, restaurants, and galleries (and a cute little pottery studio!). We tasted olive oils at Eightenen-Ninety, admired vintage Barbies at a neat store called Artefactz and browsed beautiful linens at Home Sweet Home. Mrs. Beasley’s Old-Fashioned Candy Store was a highlight for sure. I just love time with my family where we have days like this, piddling about, exploring together and not in a big hurry to get anywhere.
After lunch at Christina’s, we headed out of the city limits to the Revolver Brewery. My husband was SO excited when I told him this was on the agenda because he loves their Blood and Honey beer.
Saturday afternoons at Revolver are family-friendly with live music, picnic tables, yard games, and there is even a water play table for children. You can taste the various beers and there’s food to purchase. Don’t miss brewery tour at 1:30 pm.
After the brewery we wanted to fit in one of the unique historic tours Granbury has to offer. The Ghosts and Legends tour and the Hood County Jail Museum tour are very popular but we felt the Doll Museum store was more of our girl’s style.
The knowledgeable volunteer curator took them through every room in the house, telling them about the evolution of doll-making and how it reflected culture at the time. It was almost like a mini history lesson for them. I was completely fascinated and so were they! The Doll House tour was free but donations are gladly accepted.
That evening we headed back to the Historic Granbury Square for dinner. In Dallas we’ve had a hard time finding an Italian restaurant we love that’s good for the whole family. Well, we found one in Granbury!
Farina’s was delicious! From the good house bread to the loaded salads to the house wine to the pizza. The service was great and the live music made for a family dinner we keep referencing as one of our best nights this summer.
After dinner my husband surprised our oldest daughter with a daddy/daughter date at the Brazos Drive In Theater. I’ve always wanted to take our girls to a drive-in movie but we’ve never done it because our girls go to bed so early. This summer, though, we’ve been letting our 11 year old stay up later so it was the perfect opportunity to let her in on this fun summer pastime.
My husband said there were lots of families at the drive-in theater. (It’s just $20 a car to get in!) Some people backed their SUVS up and opened the cargo area to watch from there. Others brought lawn chairs. You can also just stay in your car and turn on the coordinating radio station. Brazos Drive-In has popcorn, drinks, and snacks, too. Definitely one of the highlights of her summer!
On Sunday morning we took a stroll near the lake and beach area and then we headed out to the Dinosaur Valley State Park. Both Fossil Rim and the Dinosaur State Park are just 25 minutes away from Granbury.
If you aren’t familiar with Fossil Rim Wildlife Center it is a drive through animal wildlife refuge where animals come up to your car. Granbury would be the perfect place to stay if you wanted to make it an overnight trip. We’ve already been to Fossil Rim so chose to visit Dinosaur Valley State Park instead.
We hiked and saw actual fossilized dinosaur prints which my girls enjoyed. My husband said he’d like to come back and do a longer hike or even campout with the girls. Dinosaur Valley State Park is free which is nice but if you were going to choose between the two, I would go with Fossil Rim. It’s just so much fun (and cooler with AC in your car!).
We didn’t go here, but if you have younger children who aren’t scared of dinosaurs, there is also Dinosaur World which has life size dinosaur replicas. Definitely looks like something Clark Griswold would take his family to so might make for some fun memories!
Here are some more highlights:
Where to Stay
Bed and Breakfasts – There are so many cute bed and breakfasts throughout Granbury. We wanted to stay in one but our large family doesn’t fit nicely into B&Bs;). Perfect for a couples or girlfriends weekend.
Cabins/Cottages – If our family was a little smaller I would have loved to stay in this neat cottage.
Hotels – There are lots of hotels, too. For more upscale, the Inn on Lake Granbury looks amazing. For more budget-friendly, we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn which is right on the lake, too. (Request a lake view if you can.) They also have a full breakfast and made-to-order omelets which were pretty good.
What to Do
Granbury Opera House – I wish we had been able to see a show at this recently refurbished Opera House. Lion King, Jr. has just finished and they’ve got a great fall lineup.
Live Music – Lots of the restaurants have live music on Saturday night. When we were the New Granbury Live had a Neil Diamond tribute concert so definitely check what’s happening there.
Historic Tours and Attractions – Legends and Ghosts, Hood County Jail, Doll Museum, and winery tours just to name a few. You can also rent Segways and tour the town yourself!
Wineries and Breweries – In addition to Revolver, the Local Goat Distillery is supposed to be fun and offers tours and tastings on weekends. Also, there are several places to taste wines on the Square. You can also walk around the Square with a glass of wine or beer while you shop.
Acton Nature Center – Five miles of trails and a Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden.
Where to Eat
You can view all the restaurants here but these are a few that were highly recommended:
Farina’s Winery – Italian Restaurant on the Square with live music on weekends.
Stumpy’s on the Beach – Walk up (very casual) lakeside dining with a fun atmosphere.
Christina’s Bistro – Upscale lunch and dinner.
Ketlzer’s – An authentic German restaurant.
Eighteen Ninety – Upscale restaurant on top. They have a cute olive oil store on the bottom floor.
Granbury was a pleasant surprise and proves that you don’t have to go far or spend a lot of money to recharge and regroup with your family!
Have you been to Granbury? Let me know your favorite places in the comments below.
The Iron Horse In is our favorite B&B in Granbury. We’ve stayed there a few times.