Corsicana
In June 1894 a contractor drilling a water well hit oil at 1,027 feet. It became Texas's first significant oil field, with the state's first refinery in 1897. Collin Street Bakery opened in 1896. (TSHA)
We followed it closely, except for the parts where we didn’t.
This is the guide written before the October 2026 trip. Schedules, prices and forecasts are preserved as planning history, not current advice.
| Hyatt Place Sugar Land, Wed | $134.90 |
| Country cottage, New Ulm, Thu | $86.50 |
| Red Barn Room, Salado, Fri | $161.00 |
| Glass pumpkin workshop, Fri 4 PM | $171.38 |
| Paid in full | $553.78 |
| Day | Route | Miles | Sleep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed Oct 21 | Arlington to Sugar Land US 287, I-45, TX 90, TX 6, TX 159, TX 36 | ~300 mi | Hyatt Place Sugar Land |
| Thu Oct 22 | Clinic, Round Top, cabin TX 36, TX 159, FM 1457, TX 237, FM 1291 | ~110 mi | Cottage near New Ulm |
| Fri Oct 23 | Cabin to Salado FM 1291, US 290, US 77, FM 487, I-35 | ~130 mi | Red Barn Room, Salado |
| Sat Oct 24 | Donuts, glass, home I-35 loop, then I-35 and I-35W, or Hico | ~215 mi | Home Saturday night |
Miles are measured along each day's forced route (OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap, Oct 20). Saturday via Hico is about 250. Every leg has a tap-to-open Apple Maps link with the right roads forced in.
Pick up the pumpkins Saturday after donuts, no set time. Their shop hours show Sat 10 AM to 6 PM, from a directory listing rather than their site, so ask at the workshop Friday when Saturday pickup opens.
Decide over donuts Saturday morning. If Hico sounds good, call then: biscuits to go? How many, what price, how to reheat. Open Thu to Sat 11 AM to 11 PM, no food 3 to 5 PM.
National Weather Service point forecasts for each stop, issued 11:01 AM (Houston office) and 1:01 PM (Fort Worth office) Oct 20. Rain chances 0 to 2 percent through Saturday night. Sunrise and sunset: Sugar Land Wed, New Ulm Thu, Salado Fri and Sat. Check the hourly forecast the night before.
Mornings start in the mid 50s to low 60s, so bring a light layer for the first hour. Afternoons reach the mid 80s with light wind, a little breezier Saturday. Roof up only for long stationary waits in full sun, the dusty show lot, and before dark at the cabin.
Each day has a color and a tab on the page edge: Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat. The dark card at the top of each day holds the next address and phone. On the phone, tap any address, phone number or route card. On paper, scan the code. The cabin gets its own page because the maps apps will try to send you the gravel way.
Interstate to lunch, then forty-two miles of the prettiest two-lane in East Texas.
US 287 south through Mansfield, Midlothian, Waxahachie, Ennis.
Optional pastry at Collin Street Bakery (since 1896). It is a nut-heavy shop, so treat it as a Billy stop.
112 W Main, Madisonville. The house sandwich is the Walker's Dip: beef, Swiss, peppers and onion on jalapeño-cheese sourdough with broth. 936-348-2672
3002 E Main St. 24 hours, V-Power NiTRO+. The old Exxon listing here is unreliable.
Bedias, Roans Prairie, Anderson. 42 miles of quiet two-lane to Navasota.
South to Hempstead, then west on TX 159 to Bellville.
Courthouse square. You'll be back here for lunch tomorrow.
TX 36 through Sealy to Rosenberg, I-69 east. Check-in is 3 PM.
Waterfront splurge. Billy: the churrasco steak and tres leches. Brandy: seafood or a Latin-style chicken plate.
Mon to Thu 11 AM to 9 PM. OpenTable 4.6 from about 2,330 reviews. Book online.
Latin plus Japanese, the best fit for both of you. Billy: crab puffs, Atomic Nachos (spice on the side). Brandy: sushi or garlic white wine shrimp.
Tripadvisor 4.5 from 417. Hours not re-confirmed this week; call.
Closest to your benchmark: cheese enchiladas with chili gravy, rice and refried beans. Ask about the puffy queso.
One listing says Sun to Thu until 10 PM. Tripadvisor 3.9 from 53.
For Brandy, everywhere: tell the server about the peanut allergy before ordering and ask about shared fryers, oils and sauces. Mole and some Asian-fusion sauces commonly use peanuts. Nothing in this guide is certified peanut-safe.
Shell, 13747 Southwest Fwy (US 59), about 2 miles from the hotel, open 24 hours, V-Power NiTRO+. A full tank tonight keeps Thursday morning simple.
Eat first. Take the same TX 90 line: it is roughly the same distance as I-45 through Houston, keeps the two-lane miles in daylight, and skips the 5 PM Houston rush. Expect the hotel around 7:00 to 7:15 PM. Before you leave, compare the Apple Maps ETA against I-45 and the Beltway; take the freeway only if it is 20+ minutes faster. Fair warning: TX 90 runs southwest, so the late sun sits in the windshield.
A protected morning in Sugar Land, then kolaches, an antiques barn and a porch swing.
Lab 9:30, appointments 10:00 and 10:45.
I-69 south to Rosenberg, TX 36 north through Sealy, about 45 miles.
504 E Main. Weekdays 4 AM to 5:30 PM. Kolaches, klobasniky, doughnuts, sandwiches. Buy Friday's breakfast and a backup supper here. 979-865-9804
West through Industry, then FM 1457 via Shelby to Round Top. Pasture and oak country.
Daily 10 to 6, free entry. Park in the Old Gin lot behind Warrenton Grocery ($5). Royers runs a pie counter on site. 90-minute cap.
Royers pie at Zapp Hall, or Royers Pie Haven in Round Top (190 Henkel St, 8 AM to 6 PM during the show).
Use the next page. 35 to 45 minutes.
Ninety minutes of daylight to spare (sunset 6:47). Roof up before dark.
No Royers dinner: a daylight arrival, less sitting after a long morning, pie on the porch. Clinic out after 12:45? Browse 45 to 60 minutes. After 1:30 or worn out? Skip antiques, grab pie, go to the cabin.
Maps apps want to route you through Industry or New Ulm and up the long gravel end of Track Road. Set Apple Maps to Fayetteville first, then follow these five steps.
About 4.7 miles, through Warrenton past Zapp Hall.
About 9 miles through rolling pasture.
Stay on FM 1291 heading east and southeast, toward Frelsburg.
This is where FM 1291 bends right toward Frelsburg. San Felipe keeps going east for about 3.3 miles, and OpenStreetMap shows a railroad crossing about a quarter mile before its end. Take it slow in a low car.
Your satellite read: about 400 to 450 feet, plus the driveway. Angle in slowly; if the entrance looks rutted, park at the edge and walk it first.
3415 Track Rd W, New Ulm
Booked through Airbnb, paid in full
German farm towns, a lignite town, the first rural power line in Texas, then hot glass.
Past 12:15 at Rockdale, take US 77 and US 190 through Cameron and Temple instead: faster, duller. Skip the optional stop. Protect 3:40.
Pack the car with the pumpkin spot clear in the frunk.
Track Rd W, San Felipe, FM 1291 northwest through Fayetteville.
FM 1291 ends at TX 237 near Warrenton. Turn briefly on TX 237, then pick up the second FM 1291, signed for Ledbetter.
Quiet German farm country. US 290 west at Ledbetter.
Shell, 333 E Austin St. 24 hours, V-Power NiTRO+. Fill it here.
US 77 north via Lexington. Then FM 487: it runs into Rockdale to US 79, then leaves it northwest. Follow the FM 487 signs.
Tracy, Sharp, Davilla, Bartlett, Schwertner. Then I-35 north from exit 275, 13 miles.
417 N Main St. Closes at 2. 254-308-2083
Settle in and rest. Closed-toe shoes on.
About three minutes on foot. The workshop runs 4:00 to 4:30.
231 College Hill Dr
Debbie Harrison 254-913-7583
Tripadvisor 5.0 from 31
Upstairs king, private bath with walk-in shower, balcony over the woods and creek. Check-in 3 PM, checkout noon.
Salado Glassworks · 1 Peddler's Alley (your email says #2) · 254-947-0339
2 pumpkins · waivers already signed
Chupacabra Kitchen, 409 S Main (next to the taproom). Monte Cristo, burgers, po'boys. Restaurantji 4.4 from 224. Hours conflict between listings; call 254-308-2019.
Alexander's, 602 Center Circle. The creekside splurge: French onion burger, N'duja shrimp pappardelle, bread pudding. Tripadvisor 4.5 from 243. Reserve: 254-947-3828.
Lunch, if you're early: McCain's, patty melt $12.95, biscuit and sausage gravy $8.55, quiche $11.95, cinnamon roll $4.50. Their kitchen handles peanut butter and walnuts.
A leisurely one: donuts first, glass on the way back, then home for a quiet Saturday night.
Bags in the rear trunk. Frunk clear and padded.
F1 is in southeast Austin; I-35 should be normal this early. Georgetown construction is the usual slowdown.
106 W Liberty Ave. Walk up: the drive-thru lane is a tight zig-zag that reviewers warn about for wheels. Originals plus pumpkin cake (limited edition). Let them cool before you close the box.
Shell, 600 W Anderson Ave, half a mile away. 24 hours, V-Power NiTRO+.
Not open yet? Wander Main St. Pumpkins padded in the frunk, nothing on top.
All four boxes checked, go. Otherwise home direct: I-35 through Waco, I-35W at Hillsboro, I-20 east. About 150 miles, home 1:30 to 3:00.
TX 317 via McGregor (new road for you), TX 6 via Clifton to 111 S Pecan St. Home about 3:30 to 4:00. Oma Leen's to home →
Four planned fills, all Shell V-Power NiTRO+ (a licensed Top Tier fuel), all open 24 hours, each at a stop you're already making. You never enter a rural stretch below half a tank.
Leave with a full tank.
3002 E Main St. 24 hours, V-Power NiTRO+. Top off at lunch. Next to I-45.
13747 Southwest Fwy. 24 hours, V-Power NiTRO+. About 2 miles from the Hyatt. Fill to full.
333 E Austin St. 24 hours, V-Power NiTRO+. Backup: Shell, 11775 N I-35, Jarrell (exit 275).
600 W Anderson Ave. 24 hours, V-Power NiTRO+. Half a mile from the donuts. Covers the whole way home. Backup: Shell, 1520 I-35 N, Waco.
Tap Apple Pay at the dispenser reader if it has one; only the pump itself can tell you. If not, the Shell app has Pay at the Pump: pick the pump, then type the 3-digit code it shows. Exxon Rewards+ and the Chevron app both take Apple Pay inside the app.
Shell says its premium runs 91 to 93 depending on market, and Texas is generally a 93 state. Only the pump label confirms it, so read it before you pull the handle. 91 is fine for the car; 93 is what you want.
Buc-ee's is not a licensed Top Tier brand. The Madisonville Exxon (2705 E Main) has conflicting listings. The old Sugar Land "Exxon" at 11930 S Dairy Ashford is now a Shell.
Checked against the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas and state markers. Where a marker and the historians disagree, it says so.
In June 1894 a contractor drilling a water well hit oil at 1,027 feet. It became Texas's first significant oil field, with the state's first refinery in 1897. Collin Street Bakery opened in 1896. (TSHA)
Founded in 1853 on 200 donated acres and named for James Madison. Its first paved road, built in 1929, was the TX 90 you're about to drive. (TSHA)
Named for the Bidai people. It lends its name to bediasites, glassy meteorite-made tektites found mostly in Grimes County. Sarah Dodson, who lived here from 1844, is said to have designed the first Lone Star flag. (TSHA)
A 1903 rail spur ran from here to a quarry north of town. Its rock and gravel went into the Galveston Seawall. (TSHA)
Henry Fanthorp's 1834 inn sat where the mail routes crossed. Kenneth Anderson, last vice president of the Republic of Texas, died there in July 1845, and the town took his name. It was once the fourth largest town in Texas. (TSHA)
A 1930 statue on East Washington Ave says La Salle was slain "near this spot" in 1687. Historians place it far to the east. In 1865, angry veterans set off a warehouse full of cotton and gunpowder. (TSHA, HMdb)
Feuds earned it the name "Six-Shooter Junction." It was the largest watermelon shipper in the country until the 1940s. (TSHA)
Stephen F. Austin's 1824 colony capital, a few miles off TX 36. On March 30, 1836, Texans burned it to keep it from Santa Anna. (TSHA)
Sugar has been milled and refined on the Imperial site since 1843. The refinery finally closed in 2003, and Sugar Land stayed a company town until 1959. (TSHA, City of Sugar Land)
The first permanent German settlement in Texas, 1831. Friedrich Ernst rolled cigars here; the work is the reputed source of the name. He had left Oldenburg facing an embezzlement charge. (TSHA)
Founded around 1841 as Röders Mill. Its settlers were so well read it counted as a "Latin settlement." (TSHA)
Named for a house with an octagonal tower. Emma Lee Turney held the first antiques show at Rifle Hall in fall 1968 with about 22 dealers. Now it fills miles of TX 237. (TSHA, roundtop.com)
Population about 50. St. Martin's Church measures 12 by 16 feet and bills itself as the world's smallest Catholic church. (TSHA)
The "cradle of Czech immigration to Texas." The first Czech Catholic Mass in Texas was said here on Christmas Day 1872. (TSHA)
Renamed for Ulm in Württemberg. In the 1850s it had three breweries, a cigar factory and a rifle club in light green uniforms. (TSHA)
German settlements on land Count Boos-Waldeck bought in 1843 for the Adelsverein. Walhalla's 1918 sorghum mill drew farmers from as far as Victoria. (TSHA)
In 1854 more than 500 Wends from Lusatia settled nearby at Serbin. Giddings's main streets are 100 feet wide because a William Marsh Rice syndicate laid it out. (TSHA)
Named for a 12-foot rock. Alcoa came in the early 1950s to burn local lignite, and the town nearly tripled in four years. (TSHA)
One of the first ten Rural Electrification loans, November 1935. Its first 58-mile line lit 120 farms on March 9, 1936. Locals call it the first REA project in the nation. (TSHA)
On May 27, 1997, an F5 tornado nearly three quarters of a mile wide killed 27 people in Double Creek Estates. It peeled the asphalt off county roads. (NWS)
Named for the anvil-shaped rock in Brushy Creek beside the cattle crossing. Sam Bass was shot here in July 1878 and died on his 27th birthday. The donut shop opened in 1926 as the Lone Star Bakery. (TSHA)
In the 1880s Martha McWhirter's Belton Woman's Commonwealth ran its own hotel and started the town's first library inside it. (TSHA)
Lots were auctioned off a railroad flatcar in 1882. In 1942 an ordnance plant tripled the town in three months. (TSHA)
Norse, just west, was the largest Norwegian settlement in Texas. King Olav V visited in 1982 to honor Cleng Peerson, buried there. (TSHA)
Ollie "Brushy Bill" Roberts claimed to be Billy the Kid, asked New Mexico's governor for a pardon in November 1950, was refused, and died in Hico a month later. (TSHA)
The rear trunk sits behind the engine and runs warm, so it gets the clothes. The frunk stays cool and gets the glass and donuts on Saturday. Never stack bags on the pumpkins.
| Three nights, paid | $382.40 |
| Glass workshop, paid | $171.38 |
| Meals, coffee, bakeries, donuts | $240 to 360 |
| Premium fuel, ~33 gal at about $3.50 to $4.70 | $120 to 160 |
| Total | $914 to $1,074 |
Not included: antiques, gallery buys, Zapp Hall parking ($5), Oma Leen's lunch if you go. The Hyatt's $250 hold comes back.
| Hyatt Place Sugar Land | 281-491-0300 |
| MD Anderson lab | 281-566-1900 |
| Roadside, Porsche Auto Ins. | 800-400-4128 |
| Red Barn, Debbie | 254-913-7583 |
| Salado Glassworks | 254-947-0339 |
| Walker's Cafe | 936-348-2672 |
| Newman's Bakery | 979-865-9804 |
| Royers Pie Haven | 979-249-5282 |
| McCain's | 254-308-2083 |
| Chupacabra Kitchen | 254-308-2019 |
| Alexander's | 254-947-3828 |
| Round Rock Donuts | 512-255-3629 |
| Oma Leen's | 254-796-2275 |
| Churrascos | 832-532-5300 |
| Japaneiro's | 281-242-1121 |
| Los Tios | 281-980-1313 |
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Supper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed | Home | Walker's Cafe, Madisonville | Churrascos, Japaneiro's or Los Tios |
| Thu | Hyatt buffet | Newman's Bakery, Bellville | Porch supper: Newman's sandwiches, Royers pie |
| Fri | Newman's, at the cabin | McCain's, Salado | Chupacabra Kitchen or Alexander's |
| Sat | Round Rock Donuts | Oma Leen's (Hico) or on the road | Home |
You almost certainly will never need this page. That is the point of having it.
Drive times are routing estimates from OpenStreetMap, not driven. Hospital locations: OpenStreetMap and each hospital's site. Nothing in this guide is certified peanut-safe.
