Texas Road Trip Through Europe Towns
A= Paris, TX; B= Athens, TX; C= Moscow, TX; D= Berlin, TX; E= Vienna, TX; F= London, TX; G= Florence, TX; H= Holland, TX; I= Dublin, TX, J= Italy, TX
Texas has some uniquely-named towns, such as Cut-and-Shoot, Loco, Trout, Oatmeal, Ding Dong, Bacon, Noodle, Tarzan, Salty, Telephone, Energy, Coffee City, Quicksand, Gun Barrell City, and has its own Utopia as well as Uncertain.
As settlers emigrated to Texas, they brought some European names to pay homage to their mother countries, including Paris, Athens, Moscow, Berlin, Vienna, London, Florence, Holland, Dublin and Italy. Fortunately for Texans, this makes a fun road trip to explore Texas towns with European names. Even better, you won’t need a passport. If you haven’t heard of these town before, it’s probably because most are very small and lost population and industries as larger cities grew.
The Eiffel Tower of Texas. Photo credit.
Let’s begin our tour in Paris, Texas, complete with its own 65 foot Eiffel Tower with a red cowboy hat perched on top. It’s the second largest Eiffel Tower in the world, and is around one-tenth the height of the original at 1,063 feet. Stop by the Paris Bakery for French pastries as you explore downtown Paris and the Lamar County courthouse. The Lamar County Historical Museum has artifacts from the local area, including a blacksmith shop, pioneer kitchen and pioneer cabin. Kids can stretch their legs at the Paris Downtown Community Park splash park and outdoor musical instruments. Check out the Paris events including Tour de Paris Bicycle Rally and the Paris Balloon & Music Festival.
Zipliner above the trees at New York, Texas Zipline Adventures.
Enjoy the rolling hills and piney woods on your road trip journey to Athens, Texas. It was named by the stepdaughter of a founding father who had a vision that Athens would become the cultural center in Henderson county like the one in Greece. Athens holds the title of the official “Original Home of the Hamburger”, created in the late 1880s at a downtown Athens café and introduced at the 1904 World’s State Fair in St Louis. Athens is also known as the Black-eyed Pea Capital of the World.
The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is a production hatchery for stocking fish into Texas waterways and an educational center to learn about native species and ecosystems. Visit over 300,000 gallons of indoor and outdoor aquariums to see many native fish, waterfowl, amphibians and alligators. Learn about ecosystems and fishing at the museum and wetlands trail.
The East Texas Arboretum & Botanical Society is 100 acres of trees, flowers and wildlife. The two mile rugged nature trail along spring-fed streams reveal untouched animal habitats and ecosystems. The handicap-accessible trail is 1/3 of a mile. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring binoculars.
Just 15 minutes away, New York, Texas Zipline Adventures offers zipline tours for ages 5 and up. Zip through the treetops at over 100 feet above the ground.
Lake Livingston State Park kayaking Photo credit
Moscow, Texas
There’s not much in this small town of less than 200 residents. Stop by Johnson’s Rock Shop to find gemstones, minerals, petrified wood, and jewelry. Polk County Memorial Museum is a small museum with history of Polk County with old maps. Lake Livingston State Park located just 15 minutes away, on Hwy 59 on the way to Berlin.
Berlin, Texas
A German settlement from the late 1840s with a cotton gin and gristmill, this town only 3 miles from Brenham and is included in their population numbers. Berlin was founded in 1860 by German settlers. There is also a Texas town called New Berlin in Guadalupe county.
Vienna, Texas
With a population under 50, this is a tiny town once had a gin and sawmill as immigrants settled along the Navidad River. When the Navidad flooded in 1940, structures were washed away.
Florence, Texas main street. Photo credit.
London, Texas
London is also known as London Town in the 1880s, and is home to the historic London Dance Hall with live music and dances. Enjoy the beauty of rolling hills, oak trees and wildflowers as you enjoy the best of the Texas Hill Country in Boerne, Comfort, Fredericksburg and Kerrville area. Nearby attractions include the Ft. McKavett State Historical Site and South Llano River State Park.
Florence, Texas
This small town established in the early 1850s had a railroad with wheat, cotton and cattle industries which led to a corn mill, blacksmith leather goods production, and eventually a hotel, saloon, flour mill. Area attractions include lakes and rivers for water recreation and fishing.
Hill country, Fredericksburg, Texas. Photo credit.
Holland, Texas
Holland is home to the one and only Corn Fest, an annual festival of music, 5K run, parade, and themed contests such as corn eating, corn shucking, corn bobbing, corn seed spitting, corn cob relay, corn hole and the world championship corn cob throw. While it was cancelled in 2020, this sounds like a shucking good time you won’t want to miss for 2021. You could leave there as a world champion!
Dublin, Texas
The Official Irish Capital of Texas, Dublin bottled Dr. Pepper for over 100 years. This small town has plenty to explore including museums, shopping, market days, and homemade cheese and wines. The Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Celebration includes pageants, parades, craft and food vendors, dog contests and shopping. Dublin has a monthly Farmers Markets for fresh produce.
Italy
Known as the “Biggest Little Town in Texas,” this town was named by the postmaster who thought the climate was similar to Italy. This settlement from the 1860s had a railroad, five cotton gins, and a cottonseed oil mill. This old cotton town now has some vintage and antique shopping and dining.
Downtown Italy, Texas
On your Texas Road Trip Through Europe Towns, you can brag to your friends about seeing towns that they probably never knew were in Texas. You can imagine the hustle and bustle of these towns during the cotton and farming boom, and see the grand buildings that remain. You will see backroads, woodlands, lakes and rivers, rolling hills, and beautiful scenery along the way. When given the choice between the interstate and the backroads, always choose the backroads.
