Day Trips & Beyond: December Events Roundup
Nature news, scenic drive routes, and events all over Texas
By Gerald E. McLeod, 4:26PM, Fri. Dec. 1, 2023
December means the Christmas lights are calling and it’s time for a Hill Country drive.
Restoration of the historic Mason County Courthouse building is nearing completion. Built in 1909, the two-story hall of justice was nearly completely destroyed by an arsonist on Feb. 4, 2021. About all that was left were the granite and sandstone walls and the Doric columns at all four entrances. County Judge Sheree Hardin calls the projected completion date the “million-dollar question,” after originally hoping the county offices would begin moving back into the building this fall. “We anticipate a mid to late winter ‘move in’ date,” she said.
A scenic drive. The backroads in northern Gillespie County and southern Mason County are some of the loveliest in the Hill Country. During the spring and summer, the two-lane byways are shrouded in wildflowers. During the fall and winter the roads still offer scenic views.
Start your Sunday drive any day of the week heading west on FM 1323. It runs roughly north and parallel to U.S. Highway 290 and can be accessed at various points (look at a map). The easiest and longest drive is from U.S. Highway 281 north of Johnson City. At the almost ghost town of Willow City take the fork in the road; to the right is the scenic byway of Willow City Loop, and to the left FM 1323 continues. Both lead to State Highway 16. At Highway 16, take a left and head south to Pecan Grove Store at 5244 TX-16, our first stop. The historic gas station is open Thursday through Saturday from noon to 8pm. In 1957, Lawrence Segner opened a country store and Sinclair Service Station here. It has since become the home of the Dino Burger with live music, a pool table, and a shaded biergarten out back. Continue on to Fredericksburg where Ecker Barbecue serves outstanding smoked meats with their gochujang pork ribs and kimchi fried rice being standouts at this member of the 2021 Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joints list.
Continue west on U.S. 290 and at the fork in the road take U.S. 87. As you head north you’ll notice stone buildings and fences that are at least a century old. About 4 miles north you have entered the Klein Frankreich Rural Historic District, although there is no signage delineating the designation. Beginning in the late 1840s, German settlers began building farms in the area they called “Little France.” Recently added to the National Register of Historic Places, the beautiful landscape is accented with the historic dwellings and farm structures along the highway that are still used by descendants of the original families. Continue on to Mason, where Santos Taqueria is a top-notch lunch counter. Spend a little time admiring the restored Mason County Courthouse and browsing the shops and wineries around the town square before heading home.
Oh, by the way, Mason was the hometown of Fred Gipson, who wrote the wonderful novel Old Yeller. There’s a bronze statue of Travis and his “dingy yellow” dog in front of the town’s library at 410 Post Hill Road. Happy exploring.
The last cone standing. In the mid-1900s there were Borden’s Ice Cream Shoppes all over the country. At the time, the Borden Company, home to Elsie the Cow, was not only the largest dairy operator in the world, but also the producer of Elmer’s Glue and other chemical products.
The ice cream shops began closing as the parent company went through a series of bankruptcies. The last Borden’s Ice Cream Shoppe is in Lafayette, La. Opened in 1940, the ice cream parlor retains the original look with red leather booths, 21 flavors of ice cream, and a limited menu of chili dogs and nachos sold over an old-fashioned soda fountain bar. When the owner, Flora Levy, died in 1981, she bequeathed the building and business to the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, which used the proceeds to support a guest lecture series. The ice cream shop was sold in 2009 to a local family, who continue the tradition.
The Borden Company was founded by Gail Borden Jr., who had strong ties to Texas. Borden County in the Panhandle with Gail as the county seat was named for the entrepreneur who arrived in Texas in 1829. Borden served in various positions in Stephen F. Austin’s colony and the Republic of Texas, in addition to starting one of the first newspapers in Texas. A persistent inventor, he perfected a meat biscuit, but it didn’t sell well. He returned to Connecticut where he opened a factory to make condensed milk, and his success was assured when demand skyrocketed during the Civil War. He returned to Texas to open several factories and spend winters in the milder climate. He died in Borden, Texas, in 1874. The constituted Borden Company is now headquartered in Dallas.
Travel Notes:
Go fish. It’s time once again for trout fishing in Texas. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department will be stocking 343,331 rainbow trout in waterways around the state through March 1. Austin has three stocked locations, but the Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake Dam is considered one of the best fishing spots. Don’t forget that anglers over age 17 need a state fishing license. No license is needed if you’re in one of the 16 state parks that are participating. Rainbow trout are not native to Texas waters and rarely can survive once water temperatures warm.
They’re back. The first pair of whooping cranes were spotted flying toward the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Rockport on Nov. 1. The endangered species spends the summer around Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada, and winters on the Gulf Coast. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service it takes about 50 days for the tallest birds in North America to make the 2,500-mile migration. It is estimated that around 540 of the birds will winter in Texas this year. The public can help track whooping cranes by reporting sightings to Texas Nature Trackers’ (TNT) Texas Whooper Watch, a citizen science-based reporting system that tracks whooping crane migration and wintering locations throughout Texas.
Other December Events:
Jump to a region: Big Bend | Gulf Coast | Hill Country | Panhandle | Piney Woods | Prairies & Lakes | South TexasBIG BEND
La Posada
Dec. 16, Presidio, tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/fort-leaton
GULF COAST
Dickens on the Strand
Dec. 1-3, Galveston, www.galvestonhistory.org
Nativity Scene Exhibit
Dec. 1-10, Port Lavaca, 361/935-8032
Cistern Illuminated
Dec. 1-Jan. 7, Houston, www.buffalobayou.org
Radiant Nature: See the Garden Glow
Dec. 1-Feb. 29, Houston, www.hbg.org
Island Nighttime Kites
Dec. 9, Surfside Beach, www.surfsidetx.org
Christmas Village at Bayou Bend
Dec. 8-30, Houston, www.mfah.org
Harvey Bott ROBOTT™ Opera Revisited
Dec. 17, Houston, orangeshow.org
HILL COUNTRY
Llano’s Dickens of a Christmas Festival
Dec. 1-3, Llano, visitllanotexas.com/dickens
Life-Size Nativity Display
Dec. 1-31, Comfort, 830/995-3131
“Snow” on the Island
Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22, Kerrville, www.kerrvilletx.gov
A Walk in Bethlehem
Dec. 5-6, Boerne, sthelenas.net
The Christmas Journey
Dec. 8-9, Fredericksburg, www.bethanyfbg.com
Spirit of Orgain ‘23
Dec. 8-9, Hutto, www.brushycreekamp.com
Snow Day
Dec. 9, Llano, www.llanostarrystarrynights.com
Folk Fest
Dec. 9, New Braunfels, www.texashandmadefurniture.com/livinghistory
New Year’s Eve Countdown
Dec. 31, Fredericksburg, www.fbgtx.org
New Year’s Eve Dance
Dec. 31, Fredericksburg, www.hangarhotel.com
PANHANDLE
Candlelight at the Ranch
Dec. 8-9, Lubbock, ranchingheritage.org
Texas Cowboys’ Christmas Ball
Dec. 14-16, Anson, texasccb.com
Eastside Market
Dec. 16, Waco, www.eastsidemarketwtx.com
PINEY WOODS
TXK 150 Sesquicentennial Celebration
Dec. 8, Texarkana, www.visittexarkanadistrict.com
PRAIRIES & LAKES
Santa Claus Museum Tours
Dec. 1-30, Columbus, www.santamuseum.org
Central Track: Crossroads of Deep Ellum
Dec. 1-May 31, Dallas, aamdallas.org
Caddo Culture Day
Dec. 2, Alto, www.thc.texas.gov
Away in a Manger
Dec. 2-10, Granbury, www.visitgranbury.com
Trail of Lights at Kreische Brewery & Monument Hill
December 8-9, 15-17, 19-23, La Grange, www.friendsofkreischebrewery.org/trailoflights
Starfest
Dec. 9, Frisco, www.texasastro.org
Tish Hinojosa in Concert
Dec. 9, La Grange, www.thebugleboy.org
Christmas at Winedale
Dec. 9, Round Top, briscoecenter.org/winedale
Dickens on the Brazos
Dec. 16, Washington, www.thc.texas.gov
SOUTH TEXAS
Holiday Museum Market
Dec. 9, San Antonio, www.samuseum.org
Holi-Dine Tours
Dec. 15, San Antonio, www.eventbrite.com
Celebrate SA: NYE Countdown
Dec. 31, San Antonio, saparks.org/event/celebrate-sa
Gerald McLeod has been traveling around Texas and beyond for his "Day Trips" column for more than 25 years. Keep up to date with his journeys on his archive page and follow him on Facebook.
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Gerald E. McLeod, June 6, 2025
Gerald E. McLeod, May 22, 2025
June 13, 2025
Day Trips, Hill Country, Mason County Courthouse, Borden, Rockport, trout fishing, whooping cranes
