On the Road

Scare up boos, booze, and Bigfoot in Jefferson, the B&B Capital of Texas

The historic downtown is full of charm.

Photo courtesy of Visit Jefferson Texas

Frequently referred to as the Bed-and-Breakfast Capital of Texas, Jefferson has been hosting getaways since the 1830s.

But the queen bee of B&Bs is not its only designation. It's also reputed to be one of the most haunted cities in the United States and is known as the official Bigfoot Capital of Texas (there has been a long history of reported sightings!).

And that’s just scratching the surface of this vivacious, historic town and its lore.

The pre-Civil War town also boasts scenic streets, charming restaurants, picturesque landscapes, and more. Which is to say, there are many layers to discover in this must-explore destination.

Make your accommodations a main event
Where you stay can become a big part of your Jefferson adventure. Both quaint, award-winning bed-and-breakfasts and stately historic hotels are par for the course here — and some of these places are even rumored to be haunted.

The Carriage House is a quintessential B&B with its seven cozy rooms appointed with restored antique furnishings, along with a relaxing wraparound porch and fire pits where you can roast s’mores at night.

There are complimentary wine happy hours and the two-course breakfast with mimosas and Bloody Marys is not to be missed, nor is the four-course gourmet dinner served on Fridays and Saturdays.

Jefferson is also home to the oldest hotel in continuous operation in Texas, The Excelsior House Hotel. This gem of a place has been welcoming travelers since 1858, including famous faces like Oscar Wilde, Lady Bird Johnson, and Steven Spielberg.

But if you like a room with history — in addition to rumors of hauntings — book a stay at the Historic Kahn Hotel, which is considered one of the top 10 haunted hotels in Texas.

In its former life, the building was used as a saloon and brothel where violent incidents and other indecencies occurred dating back to 1865. You may just see some ghost hunters and paranormal groups wandering the premises.

Play ghost hunter
If your hotel isn’t haunted enough for you, join the nighttime Historic Jefferson Ghost Walk every Friday and Saturday. By the glow of lantern light, you'll venture through dark alleyways and courtyards listening to vivid accounts of historic tragedy, murder, and ghostly encounters.

Follow the red-brick road
Jefferson’s historic downtown is paved with red bricks that lead the way to a string of browsable antique shops, fudge shops, and boutiques. Make sure to go to the General Store with its soda fountain, old-time toys and gifts, fresh-made pralines, and candy counter.

Have a "Fiddle dee dee!" moment
You’ll be swept up in the epic romance of the Old South at Scarlett O’Hardy’s Gone With The Wind Museum, which boasts one of the largest private collections of memorabilia from the film.

Count the seconds
Super-specific yet fascinating, the Museum of Measurement and Time shows off 550 American clocks along with early surveying equipment like solar instruments, measuring tools, drafting tools, and calculating devices. And don't miss the 1,500 sets of salt and pepper shakers!

Dine well
Find “elevated comfort food” at 1852 Austin, which doubles as an intimate concert venue with a state-of-the-art stage in the back.

Housed in a historic 19th-century building downtown, Auntie Skinner’s Riverboat Club has been a highlight in Jefferson since 1983.

With straight-up good food and live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays, Auntie Skinner’s is known nationwide as a Western/biker/community bar and restaurant.

Surrounded by a white picket fence with pecan and dogwood trees, the Stillwater Inn is an 1890s Eastlake Victorian home that doubles as a charming dining destination.

Haywood House Restaurant & Cocktail Bar has an interesting backstory as a grand hotel, history museum, and even a personal residence. It now houses both a restaurant and cocktail bar serving Euro-American cuisine with a Southern flair.

Take a tour
Using a city-provided map on a walking tour or on a narrated tour in a nine-passenger golf cart, you’ll see many of Jefferson’s impressive list of 135 state and nationally recognized historic structures.

Most of the homes have been beautifully restored and preserved, with tours available through several of them, including The House of the Seasons with its beautiful Victorian gardens. There are also carriage rides in town for a different way to scope out the scene.

Discover what else makes Jefferson such a charming-quirky place to visit here.

The historic downtown is full of charm.

Photo courtesy of Visit Jefferson Texas

The historic downtown is full of charm.

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Your Expert Guide

Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman

Kay Wood

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Bishop Arts is a huge attraction, but Realtor Kay Wood wants people to know that Oak Cliff is a lot more than just Bishop Arts.

"Oak Cliff has a really rich and complex history," the Briggs Freeman agent says. "I think it's one of the most underestimated neighborhoods in Dallas."

Wood has lived in Oak Cliff with her high school sweetheart-husband since 2008, but she's been helping people buy and sell homes there for the past 15 years, currently with her business partner Brian Davis.

"The neighborhoods here are close to everything but still relatively affordable compared to other areas of DFW," she says. "I love all the historic homes with their architectural interest and variety, the strong sense of community engagement, and how there's so much to explore. Whether you're looking for the best new restaurant, the most authentic taco, film festivals, the zoo, the best public high school in Texas, parks, nature preserves — I could go on all day!"

Wood offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in "the Cliff." Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
The list is long: Nova ("you have to get the hummus," Wood says), Encina (pro tip: don't skip the blue cornbread), Cibo Divino for pizza and wine on the patio, coffee from Peaberry ("my husband swears their Vietnamese coffee is the best in town"), oysters at Boulevardier, the Perfect Picnic at Eno's Pizza Tavern, tio's elotes next to El Si Hay, the pistachio ice cream at Joy Macarons, and the spicy lobster ramen at Ten Ramen.

Wood advises picking up a great bottle of wine from Neighborhood Cellars and some steaks from Cooper's Meat Market. And, of course, there are tons of taco options in the neighborhood: "We can't get enough of Maskaras, Trompo, and Taco y Vino," she says.

Where to play
Marvel at the best skyline views in town while playing a round at Stevens Park Golf Course, take a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Preserve, bike along the Trinity River, or play disc golf at Founders Park.

The Kessler Theater is "such a great and intimate venue" for concerts, while the Texas Theater adds a touch of history to movie-watching. Escape to The Wild Detectives for books, music, and poetry, or head to the Dallas Zoo for a wild day out — "our whole family loves to feed the giraffes," Wood says.

What to see
Oak Cliff is home to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial at Kiest Park and the La Reunion Monument at Stevens Park Golf Course that honors some of Dallas' earliest settlers.

On Jefferson Boulevard, you can pop into the Oak Cliff Cultural Center for regular art shows, and "my daughters love to walk down the street and look at all the quinceañera dresses in the shop windows," she says.

Where to live
A few years ago, Wood helped her buyers purchase 626 Rainbow Dr., a rare, two-acre midcentury modern estate that's wrapped on three sides by a babbling creek.

"When you're there, it's really hard to believe you're less than four miles from downtown Dallas," she says. The buyers hired local architect Eddie Maestri to update some aspects of the house while carefully preserving its midcentury style. There was an original barn that had been previously converted to a studio, but the buyers reinvented it as a guest house and added a pool and outdoor kitchen.

"It's hard to say what a 'typical' Oak Cliff house would be, because we have some of the very best examples of almost every architectural style in town," Wood says.

"In Winnetka Heights, you'll find Craftsman architecture (four squares, bungalows, Sears catalog, etc). Kessler Park has Tudors and Colonials and Texas eclectics from notable local architects like Charles Dilbeck and David R Williams. Stevens Park has all of these, as well as Spanish Revival and Dutch colonials. Wynnewood, North Kiestwood, and Wynnewood Hills have some of the best midcentury moderns in Dallas, as well as wonderful ranches. East Kessler has cutting-edge contemporaries that take advantage of the rare-to-DFW hilly terrain. You could teach a pretty comprehensive architectural history of Dallas without ever leaving Oak Cliff."

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Kay Wood lives, works, and plays in Oak Cliff. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kwood@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-908-5442.