What is there to see around Kempner Tx?

[kodiak1]

Going down for three weeks to visit one of the kids. Wondering what is around there to see.
I like history for sure, cars and of course guns!!

[Winger Ed.]

Don't eat anywhere that has a drive through window. You can get that salt & grease garbage anywhere.

Eat a few times in some small, hole in the wall, Mom & Pop, Mexican food or Bar-B-Que restaurants.
If pecan pie is on the dessert menu-- grab a piece, you'll like it.

It'll be different, and unique compared to what ya find up there in the unexplored Northern territories.

If you like pecans- buy them at the 'Feed & Seed' or local hardware store.
They'll be locally grown, and have a great flavor.
Especially the smaller 'native' pecans, they have a shell about as hard as a Copper jacket-
but the taste is worth digging out the meat of them.


Be careful driving at night. They have a huge deer population that comes up to the roads to stay warm.
Headlights will hypnotize them, and they'll walk into the lights.

Try to catch a armadillo. They have plenty of them around there too.:bigsmyl2:
But if you see a slow, black cat in the yard--- don't kick it. Its not a cat, its a skunk.
There's no shortage of them down there either.

[HP9MM]

This reminds me of a prank phone call by Roy D. Mercer.

[Budzilla 19]

Do like I do when i'm traveling in Texas!!! Plan ahead for a few extra days, and then hit the little towns for all the wheel weights you can find!!!! My last score was 264 pounds of clean ingots!!!
Don't pass up the little hole-in-the-wall towns, or shops!! 2 of the heaviest 5 gallon buckets of lead wheel weights I have ever seen was in a small town of less than a thousand people, no less! they are out there, just do the work, and along the way, like Winger Ed said, you will find the most awesome food on planet Earth and see some killer scenery!! Have fun, enjoy yourself.

[chuckbuster]

You said History, Guns and cars. Can't help much with the cars but it's only a little over an hour up to Waco from Kempner. Texas Ranger's Museum is there which will give you a good dose of History and Guns. Make sure you watch the video. Balcones Distillery is a good tour as is Valley Mills Winery and if you like Italian/Mediterranean Cuisine "Portofino's" is excellent. Skip all the "Magnolia's" tourist trap nonsense.

Kevin

[Texas by God]

Drink straight from the Brazos River and you'll be part Texan forever[emoji16]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Winger Ed.]

Drink straight from the Brazos River and you'll be part Texan forever[emoji16]


Or rain water from a hoof print. That counts too.

[blpenn66502]

Kempner is a just a wide spot in the road and used to best known for it's speed trap (1 stop light town) but not sure if their cop was laid off or ?
You're 1/2 hour from Fort Hood which has two pretty good museums to include outside displays of various us and captured equipment - you have to get a post pass at the visitors center before coming on post.
Waco will be an hour away with the Texas Ranger museum a good one to see. Unless you really need points with the wife or really like crowds, skip the Magnolia Silos (or drive by to check the box).
There is an outdoor shooting range called Texas Star nearby Kempner that also rents some firearms, to include a full auto MP5
Large gun store (number of guns not so much size) in Killeen called Guns Galore, MSRP + prices.
For food places, Kempner has a German restaurant that is pretty popular, Hart BBQ in Lampasas, and Bella Sara and CH Hawaiian grill Copperas Cove. The wife and I use an app called Restaurant Guru when were out and about that we find useful to find popular eating places.
Also check out the website Texas Daytripper which is town a oriented PBS show that covers some eating places and local attractions for some ideas for when you venture out and about.

[falmike]

Above poster is spot on about the speed trap. If in the 45 zone you will get written up for going 46.
Alfredo’s in Lampasas has good eats. Hilltop Gunshop in Lampasas has pretty good prices. The drive down to Inks Lake is pretty nice. It is especially nice when the Blue Bonnets are coming up. The Fort Something Museum in Burnett is small but interesting.

[Pressman]

Fredricksburg. National Museum of the Pacific War. Not that far and well worth the drive.

[Nueces]

The restored frontier fort in Burnet is Fort Croghan. There is an eagle nest in trees west of 1431 where it nears the Colorado River just south of Kingsland. Longhorn Cavern State Park is nearby. Killeen gun shops I've visited are Action Pawn, Guns Galore and JT Sports in Copperas Cove, which used to be owned by a wonderful crusty old Master Sergeant who had a treasure trove of boxed classics in back.

For nearly 50 years, my stomping grounds were 2250 acres now called 7 Creeks Ranch, northeast of Burnet off Burnet Co Rd 200.

[kodiak1]

Thanks for the replies. Going to definitely hit a few of the museums.

[Love Life]

I lived in Kempner and went to Lampasas High School. Man, so many great memories from that era!

Hanging out at Storms, skipping school and chasing the ladies at the creek or spring, wood shop, fisticuffs, and so much more!

[gwpercle]

Don't eat anywhere that has a drive through window. You can get that salt & grease garbage anywhere.

Eat a few times in some small, hole in the wall, Mom & Pop, Mexican food or Bar-B-Que restaurants.
If pecan pie is on the dessert menu-- grab a piece, you'll like it.

It'll be different, and unique compared to what ya find up there in the unexplored Northern territories.

If you like pecans- buy them at the 'Feed & Seed' or local hardware store.
They'll be locally grown, and have a great flavor.
Especially the smaller 'native' pecans, they have a shell about as hard as a Copper jacket-
but the taste is worth digging out the meat of them.


Be careful driving at night. They have a huge deer population that comes up to the roads to stay warm.
Headlights will hypnotize them, and they'll walk into the lights.

Try to catch a armadillo. They have plenty of them around there too.:bigsmyl2:
But if you see a slow, black cat in the yard--- don't kick it. Its not a cat, its a skunk.
There's no shortage of them down there either.

If the black cat has a white stripe and 3 or 4 "kittens" with it .... JUST RUN ... Momma will protect her young in's !
Gary

[Budzilla 19]

Oh, I forgot to mention that off of I-10,East of SanAntonio, is Bexar County shooting range!!! They have an unbelievable amount of reloading supplies in stock !!! If you’re down there, of course!! Powder, shot ,wads and a fine pistol, rifle and shotgun setup to shoot on!! Nice folks to deal with.

[Nueces]

Oh, I forgot to mention that off of I-10,East of SanAntonio, is Bexar County shooting range!!! They have an unbelievable amount of reloading supplies in stock !!! If you’re down there, of course!! Powder, shot ,wads and a fine pistol, rifle and shotgun setup to shoot on!! Nice folks to deal with.

I made several treks down there and got Bullseye and 2400 during the Obama drought.

[EDG]

Drive to Lampasas, Tx and eat a burger at Storms.

Austin has Barton Springs (a very large spring fed swimming hole) and Georgetown has Innerspace Caverns.
There is the large spring and spring fed river at San Marcos
and Hamilton Pool near Austin.

Austin has the Texas Memorial Museum with an extensive collection of unusual firearms.

Of course there is the Alamo in San Antonio.
All of this stuff can be seen on the internet if you do not have time to hit them all.

You can also check out Richard Reynold's Hill Country galley of photography
If you happen to go to Fredricksburg to the Museum of the Pacific War you will be close to Enchanted Rock. If you are in decent physical shape you can walk to the top of a red granite monolith.

If you like hills and creeks and rivers it is all west of Kempner. Most of the land east of Kempner will be rolling grasslands.

Texas Hill Country photography
https://richardreynolds.photoshelter.com/portfolio/C00003pMf9NZWulk/G0000clCJNRCidTI

If you have ever heard of the Chisolm Cattle Drive Trail it used to approximately follow what is now Interstate Highway 35.

There is a lot of BBQ in the Austin area. You can research it yourself.
The BBQ headquarters of Texas is probably Lockhart, Texas with 3 well known and very old businesses.

[Winger Ed.]

If ya like wine, there are vineyards scattered all down through there.
They make some pretty good stuff.

We call it 'Chateau Bubba'.


If you have time to get on over to Fredericksburg:

The WWII museum in the old Nimitz family's Steamship Hotel is worth the trip all by itself.
Its in Admiral Nimitz's family hotel from the late 1800's.

On the road going into Fredericksburg is a meat market called 'The Dutchmans'.
They make & sell the traditional German dried sausage loops and 'Cowboy & Indian days' type jerky.
It's hard to get out of there without spending at least $100.
But for store bought meat items-- its about the best you'll ever find.

As you're going into Fredricksburg-
Almost within sight of the Dutchmans, on the other side of the road is a flower farm.
Acres & acres of flowers they grow for the seeds that they also sell in their store.

Local stores also sell honey from the farms & ranches down there, and its some real good stuff.

For eating- Try to hit 'Opas Café' its off the main street on the San Antonio High-way.
As a kid, it was a required pit stop when we went to visit my Mom's family on down the road in Harper, Texas.

Tourists are treated well in Fredericksburg.
If ya get down there for deer season--
they stretch a big banner across the main street, it reads "Welcome Hunters".

As you're going on out of the 'downtown' area, The old, Mom & Pop, local motel has signs in the rooms:
'Please don't use motel towels for cleaning guns. Free rags are available at the desk"

[kodiak1]

Alamo is for sure. We are going to Cotulla for a big bar-b-que cook off I was told. The Ranger Museum and the Fredericksburg museum sound good to me too. The boy told me there is a gun show one weekend in Fredericksburg so. those two should go hand in hand.
I can walk a fair amount but am plagued with Arthritis so I kind of have to look over the climb.

[kodiak1]

I would love to take home a load of powder, primers and bullets BUT being as I'm a foreigner if I get stopped with even a cartridge in my vehicle I can be deported. Just about everything related to reloading components is out too. Moulds and dies or reloading equipment is okay.

[Winger Ed.]

The boy told me there is a gun show one weekend in Fredericksburg so. those two should go hand in hand.
.

You'll like 'em.

Remember- driving at night down there is no joke.

The state and scavengers are pretty good about cleaning up road kill, so the ones you see will be fresh.
A few years ago, on a hunting trip, we counted 26 road kill deer that had been hit
just on the last 100 or so miles going through Fredricksburg and another 25 miles on to Harper from Dallas.

[sundog]

Buckhorn Saloon and Museum (http://buckhornmuseum.com/) is walking distance from the Alamo. They have a good museum. Pretty good burgers in the saloon.

Guenther House (https://www.guentherhouse.com/) in San Antonio is well worth a visit. Nice restaurant and gift shop.

Cimarron Firearms (http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/) is in Fredricksburg - don't know what they have to see.

[EDG]

I forgot a few things.
If you go to Fredricksberg, Pedernales State Park is on the way. It is a good place for a picnic but be careful if it looks like rain. The river bed in that park is a killer when it rains. It is a flash flood hazard.

If you happen to be in Texas when there is a gun show in Houston it might be worth the drive.

McBride's is the largest gun shop in Austin unless you count Cabela's in nearby Buda.