On the Road

3 daily itineraries for a memorable escape to history-rich Victoria

You can kayak the Guadalupe River while you're in Victoria.

Photo by Mark Oberle

Thirty miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico and with direct access to the Guadalupe River, Victoria is a great place to get outside.

But the town also has a vibrant arts and culture scene and keeps in touch with its distinct historic roots; it was founded in 1824 by empresario Martin Dé León as the only Mexican colony in Texas.

You can’t go wrong with these three itineraries for maximizing a day (or more!) in Victoria.

Row with the flow in the great outdoors
Before you venture outside for a day at the river, fuel up with a hearty breakfast at local fave Ramsey’s Restaurant. Their morning staples include huge waffles, Western omelets, and made-from-scratch biscuits topped with sausage gravy.

Then it’s off to beautiful Riverside Park for paddling. Flow Paddle Co. will set you up with kayaks and assist with load-in and load-out.

But don’t skip exploring the park after a morning of kayaking. There are more than 600 acres of walking and biking trails, the Riverside Golf Course, two disc golf courses, and the Memorial Rose Garden, which has 1,050 rose bushes representing 105 varieties in a multitude of hues.

For birding, the park's Athey Nature Sanctuary is abundant with birds and wildlife and features a birding deck at the historic Hiller House, complete with feeding stations, interpretive displays, maps, and comfortable seating.

Located right on the Guadalupe, PumpHouse Riverside Restaurant & Bar is a natural destination for dining. They have an incredible menu, and their outdoor patio features one of the most beautiful views of the river you’ll ever find.

Cap off the night at Aero Crafters. They have 22 craft beers on tap, signature cocktails, and great live music as well as outdoor entertainment like corn hole, washers, giant Jenga, and more.

Relive history on a grand tour
Begin your day of historical significance with a caffeine fix at The Box Coffee Bar, a walk-through espresso station and a downtown favorite which is housed in a former ATM kiosk.

Then hop in the car for the Old Victoria Driving Tour, a self-guided tour with more than 80 historically significant homes and properties, many listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On your drive, you’ll definitely notice the 1892 Victoria County Courthouse, a Romanesque structure that is considered as one of the most beautiful courthouses in Texas.

For lunch, head to the oldest deli in Texas: the family-owned and -operated Fossati's Delicatessen, founded in 1882.

Then soak up 13,000 years of Gulf Coast history at the Museum of the Coastal Bend, which features exhibits on the early peoples of the region up through the history of Texas ranching.

For extra credit, head to nearby Goliad to see the Mission Espiritu Santo, an incredibly restored Catholic mission with state park guides who'll walk you through Texas' early history.

Also nearby is Presidio La Bahia, a Spanish fort established hundreds of years ago to protect the Mission and the surrounding ranchland.

After a historic day, sign up for some surf and turf at Sky Restaurant or carb up at Joe's Pizza & Pasta, a local go-to for Italian cuisine.

For a nightcap, head to Moonshine Drinkery & Bar, a modern-day speakeasy in historic downtown that has a unique menu of handcrafted cocktails you won’t find anywhere else.

Indulge in local arts & culture
Start your day on the right note at Huvar’s Artisan Market for a delicious breakfast. Try the “Bis-quit-it” — a buttermilk biscuit stuffed with bacon, fried egg, panko-crusted brie cheese, and house-made raspberry jam.

While downtown, pop into local shops like Santa Rita Market and Casa De Luna, cultural gifts stores with clothing, jewelry, handbags, hats, and more; Peaches & Tortilla Mercantile with its vintage and trendy styles; and Texian Books/Bethune & Son for fantastic literary finds as well as quality outdoor and professional gentlemen’s clothing, gifts, and accessories.

For more art, you will also want to visit the Nave Museum, located in a majestic Greek revival temple designed in 1932, and the Five Points Museum of Contemporary Art that features work by national and regional artists.

Cap off the afternoon with some vino in a beautiful country setting at Gulf Breeze Winery, Victoria's first winery, before heading to KB’s BBQ. It’s one of the joints on the Great Coastal Texas Barbecue Trail and boasts all the ’cue standards along with dishes like smoked meatloaf or stuffed avocado — plus live music on Thursdays and Fridays.

Another can't-go-wrong option is Greek's 205 Bar downtown, with live music on the patio and some of the best steaks in town.

Make sure to swing by the newly restored Schroeder Hall, too, which is just outside of Victoria. It’s the second-oldest dancehall in Texas and plays host to live bands every weekend.

For more inspiration and to build your itinerary — complete with accommodations, eats, attractions, shopping, and nightlife — head over to Explore Victoria Texas.

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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.