7 Cool Things to do in Llano Texas – for a quick stop
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Just recently we made another stop in Llano Texas, searching for the cool things to do in town for a quick stop.
Normally people drive through Llano on their way to Fredericksburg or Austin. Just like we did from our home in the southern part of Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
Our favorite drive is the backroad because there are so many roadside attractions to see between Dallas-Ft. Worth and Fredericksburg. One of the stops to see them is Llano.
Llano is not that big, its land size is only 4.44 square miles. Based on 2019 data, the population in town is slightly below 3,500.
With this statistic, we can say that Llano is one of the small towns in the Texas Hill Country. But it doesn’t mean you will not be able to find cool attractions in Llano Texas.
Cool Things to Do in Llano Texas
To start with, Llano is known as the Deer Capital of Texas. You can find an abundance of white tailed deer in the area during the fall and winter seasons.
During deer season, thousands of deer hunters pour into town seeking for a trophy buck every November and December. Of course, you won’t see them around downtown Llano.
Also, hunting is not the thing you will do for a quick stop in Llano. Here are the better things to do in and around Llano for your next drive through town.
1. Baby Head Cemetery
Said as one of the spookiest cemeteries in Texas, Baby Head Cemetery is located on Highway 16, approximately 10 miles north of Llano.
Legend has it, a small girl named Mary Elizabeth was slain by Native Americans in an attempt to keep settlers pushing their way further into their territory. It happened in the mid-to-late 1800s. Her head left at the base of a nearby mountain, and the residents decided to honor her by calling their town Baby Head.
What was a thriving settlement with farms, homes, and businesses, today it is the cemetery that remains. Mary Elizabeth herself wasn’t buried here. The oldest documented grave in the cemetery is of another child who died in 1884. People like to put a baby doll’s head on the gate, so it feels spooky.
2. Llano Visitor Center and Railroad Museum
Not just a place for obtaining information about town, train lovers will have a blast in this place. The small museum is filled with everything from miniature trains and lanterns to information about trains that used to serve this area. Outside, a red caboose is waiting for you to be explored. A beautiful backdrop for pictures as well.
Address: 100 Train Station Dr.
3. Llano County Museum
A place to learn about local history, housed in a 1900 building that used to be a Bruhl’s Drugstore. It means you still can see the original counter from the drugstore. Other things to see are pictures from the past, info on Spanish exploration in the area, the Native Americans in the area, and a few others.
Open on Wednesday to Saturday, from 11am – 5pm. You can call (325) 247-3026 for a special group tour.
Address: 310 Bessemer (Highway 16).
4. Badu Park and/or Grenwelge Park
When driving from north, you will get to Badu Park on the right before crossing the bridge. There’s a bike/hike trail along the river, as well as fishing piers, basketball courts & playground, a splash area & picnic spots.
Address: 300 Legion Drive
After you cross the bridge, make a left to Grenwelge Park. Just like Badu Park, you can enjoy a nice stroll along the river. Just be careful as rocks here are uneven. If you are lucky, you might see leftover rock stacks from the Llano Earth Art Festival (LEAF). Also, watch for a few sculptures around the park.
Address: 199 E. Haynie St.
When in the parks, enjoy the view of the Roy B. Inks Bridge.
5. Roy B. Inks Bridge
A truss bridge that connects two halves of the town together across the Llano River. It was built in 1936 to replace the truss bridge that was washed away in June 1935 by a disastrous flood.
One of the icons of the town of Llano, there’s a walkway on the east and west sides of the bridge. You can park at Badu Park and walk to Grenwelge, or the other way around.
6. The Llano County Jail or Red Top Jail
Built in 1895 in a Romanesque Revival style, you can see this jail from the historic Inks Bridge. One of the unique things about this jail is its red roof. Prisoners liked to say that they “stayed at the Red Top last night.”
Just like jails built in those eras, the first floor was used by the jailer for his office and living quarters. The second floor had four cells and two drunk tanks, while the third and fourth floor housed the gallows.
They said the historic jail is haunted. So, be prepared!
Address: 400 Oatman St. (Just a few steps away from Grenwelge Park.) Phone: (325) 247-4137.
7. Llano County Courthouse and Courthouse Square
When driving through downtown of a county seat, a stop at the courthouse is a must. So is Llano.
Completed in 1892, this Romanesque Revival courthouse is a bit different from other courthouses in Texas. Normally the tower was situated in the center, but this one was on the northeast corner of the front facade. The original tower had no clock, it was added in 1913.
Then walk around the square. Do a little shopping and grab a cup of coffee and treats before you leave town.
Address: 832 Ford St.
Fun annual events in Llano that you might check
If your time is right, you can enjoy these fun annual events in Llano on your short visit.
– LEAF (Llano Earth Art Festival)
Held on the banks of the Llano River (normally at Grenwelge Park), local and international artists compete to make the most amazing balanced rock art pieces. This World Rock Stacking Championship started in 2015 and draws a lot of visitors every year. Visitors also enjoy the workshops, music, food, and crafts.
– Llano River Chuck Wagon Cook-off
A group of chuck wagon enthusiasts started the event in 2005. Every year they get together on the bank of Llano River (Badu Park), go back in time to an era when the west was settled. They use cooking methods from that era and wear traditional dress as they compete for prizes in a number of categories.
– Rock’n Riverfest and Jet Ski Races
A weekend full of fun to celebrate the 4th of July on the scenic Llano River. Enjoy the jet ski races, live music, and fireworks in the evening.
For more events and the latest dates, visit the Llano CVB website.
So, next time you drive through Llano, stop for a while as you already have ideas of things to do in and around town.
Making quick stops like this are so fun and something I really enjoy on road trips. Of course the Baby Head Cemetery sounds super creepy yet I would definitely stop by here. Placing a baby doll’s head on the gate?!?!? Super spooky, lol!
Yes, it’s always fun to make a stop at places like this during road trips.
Those are indeed some interesting things to do. The LEAF festival sounds like fun, I definitely love to learn about places through visiting their festivals.
I hope to visit LEAF next year.
More to do in Llano than I realized? The jet ski races sound like they would be so much fun to see. I’d also love to see the bridge and I’m always up for seeing a haunted jail!
Too bad we didn’t have time to cross the bridge by foot. Next time we must do it.
Llano seems haunted now after that spooky cemetery and haunted jail. But it is always to interesting to know about new places like this one in Texas. I would surely visit this place making sure the Earth Arts Festival is happening during that time.
Llano seems to have quite a few events happening for such a small town. The Earth Art Festival looks like it would be fun and I would love to see the chuck wagon cook off and try some of the traditional food and see some old style costumes. I think I would skip the baby head cemetery though, definitely sounds a bit creepy!
You are right. For a small town, Llano has a lot of events throughout the year.
I usually love to explore places that serves as quick stops between my destinations. Llano looks like a quaint town, though the Baby head cemetery does sound spooky. I would love to visit this place during the Llano Earth Art Festival. It would be a good opportunity to see the art and explore the town.
I hope to visit Llano again during LEAF. Hopefully next year the festival can go back to normal.
I will not go anywhere near the jail as I am scared of haunted places. I have never visited Llano before and I would love to visit the place. I would be keen to visit the rail museum and see what the museum holds.
I think the key for visiting the jail is during the day and with others.
Llano seems like a nice place to visit. Would love to visit Railroad Museum particularly since my favourite mode of transportation is railways.
We spent a long time at the Railroad Museum when our son was younger and loved trains a lot.
Llano sounds like a creative town. I love chain saw sculpture of the deer carved into the tree branch. It would be super interesting to attend the leaf festival and see all the different combinations of balanced rocks. It would be fun to take selfies at the counter of Bruhl’s Drugstore too.
I would like to go back during LEAF. Hopefully we can make it next year.
Texas is definitely a state that I want to visit and have already planned to go to. I love reading these posts and get new ideas on our future trip. Like even this town, I have never heard of. This was great info for those stopping in Llano. Railroad museums and train related things are always a big hit among my kids so you would probably find us from there.
A lot of small towns in Texas have Railroad Museum as that’s the number one mean of transportation several years ago. So, visiting one in Llano will be wonderful and your kids will enjoy it.
We normally like to visit cemeteries when we travel to learn more about the history of an art. But I might want to pass on the spooky Baby Head cemetery in Llano Texas. And maybe not meet whoever is haunting the historic jail. This would let us to spend more time in the Railway Museum. Yes, we are both train geeks!
We also like visiting cemeteries as that’s one the places to learn about local history. The train museum is fun. Our son enjoyed the place very much.
This is great! We just stopped in Llano a couple months ago on the way back to Austin!
Cool! Did you go to any of these places?
For places like this I love road trips! There’s always super cool small towns you would never think of visiting if you don’t drive through them. And usually they turn out to be the highlight of the trip. Llano looks like the perfect place to stop for half a day and enjoy provincial Texas 🙂
You got it right. That’s why we love road tripping.
Llano sounds like a perfect place for a quick stop. It would be cool to catch one of those annual events.
Yes! I like to visit while they have LEAF.
This is so cool! I end up spending way more time in Dallas and Houston when I’m in TX so good reminder to spread my wings!
Yeah. Next time you come to Texas, you must venture to this direction in the Hill Country.
Now this seems to be my sort of town to explore when I eventually get to Texas. I work on the railroad here in London, UK so I would love to check out that red caboose. My kids would love exploring this also. I also love checking out trains from different part of the world and learning about the history so would defo stop here to check this museum out. Not sure if I want to explore the Baby Head cemetery, the name puts me off a little (as well as being the spookiest in the area). 😀 I think a day here is needed. Great post.
Children always attracted to train. We spent a lot of time with our son here. I know about the cemetery’s name. It makes you “what??”
The story of Baby Head cemetery is a bit disturbing… but sounds like the perfect place to have a ghost tour! Would love to visit the Earth Arts Festival. Llano must’ve been a nice stop to explore.
I agree with you. And I don’t like when people put a baby doll’s head there. But I guess it’s to make it even spookier.