Georgetown, Texas is a fun day trip from Austin or a weekend getaway if you have more time to explore! The city of Georgetown has a population of nearly 50k and sits north of Austin and Round Rock off of highway I-35 (which also makes it a great stop on the way up between Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth).
Here are some fun facts about Georgetown!
- Georgetown’s historic town square was named “The Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas”!
- Georgetown is probably the best place in Texas to find red poppies, which is why they host the annual Red Poppy Festival every April. You’ll find red poppy flowers all over the town in the spring, which is why Georgetown was officially named the “Red Poppy Capital of Texas”. If you’re visiting the right time of year and looking to find the poppies, here’s an interactive map of where they typically show up in Georgetown.
- Several movies have actually been filmed in Georgetown, including: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Varsity Blues, Dazed and Confused, and TV show Friday Night Lights, to name some.
- Georgetown is home to Texas’ oldest university, Southwestern University, founded in 1840.
If you’re looking for things to do in Georgetown, Texas, or where to eat in town, check out the quick guide below!
Table of Contents
The Top Things to Do in Georgetown, TX
Inner Space Cavern
First discovered in 1963 by the Texas High Department’s drilling team, Inner Space Cavern is a 7000 square foot cave that has been open to the public since 1966. If you lived in Austin as a kid, there’s a good chance you came here once or twice on a childhood field trip (I know I did!). Nowadays, Inner Space Cavern offers several tour options during your visit.
The most common is the Adventure Tour, which takes you down a paved trail into some of the biggest rooms. This tour lasts a bit over an hour and departs every 30 minutes, no reservations required. If you’re looking for something a bit beyond that, you can try the Hidden Passages Tour, where you go down with a flashlight into more rugged, undeveloped portions of the cave for 90 minutes.
Last up is the Wild Cave Tour, a nearly 4-hour caving adventure! In this tour, you’ll get geared up with a helmet, headlamp, and more to go hiking, crawling, and climbing down deep into the complex cave system. If you truly want a caving experience in Central Texas, this is the guided adventure tour for you. You can check out the tour availability calendar here for the first two tours, while the Wild Cave Tour requires a phone booking at (512) 931-2283 with at least a week’s advance notice and only on weekends.
Blue Hole
Often included on “best of” lists of swimming holes in the Austin area, Georgetown’s Blue Hole is a popular swimming spot on the South San Gabriel River. And the greatest part is, the Blue Hole is free to visit (and has free public parking), and no reservations are required!
Shopping in Georgetown Square
As mentioned before, Georgetown’s historic square has the reputation of being “The Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas”, which makes it well worth walking around and snapping some photos. I was told by the tourism board that it’s actually one of the best-preserved Victorian and Pre-WW1 downtown historic districts, with the Williamson County Courthouse, built in 1911, as its centerpiece.
You’ll find several local shops and restaurants around the square, from antiques and jewelers to clothing and furniture stores and even a winery. So make sure you give yourself some time to go antiquing, stop into Georgetown winery for some wine tasting, grab an ice cream cone at Scoops, and more.
San Gabriel Park
If you’re looking to get outside, you can explore the 9 miles of hike and bikes trails along the North and South San Gabriel Rivers around San Gabriel Park. There are several different loop options amongst the trails in the 1 to 1.5 mile range that you can choose from as well.
You can also relax on the San Gabriel River, whether it be by tubing or kayaking or fishing.
Lake Georgetown
A short drive from the downtown area, you’ll find Lake Georgetown, which offers everything from boating to watersports to camping to horseback riding trails. The lake is 1200 acres large and includes 16 miles of hiking trails. One hike I recommend is out to Crockett Gardens Falls. While the hike is a little more difficult at 7.6 miles roundtrip, you’re rewarded with a beautiful natural spring area and small waterfalls. It’s very photogenic!
Sweet Eats Fruit Farm
This is an especially fun family-friendly activity in Georgetown! If you want to pick fruit, depending on the season, you can just show up and pay for what you pick. They also offer lots of other attractions, especially for kids, like pony rides, a petting zoo, an obstacle course, and more.
It’s worth it to check out their seasonal offerings as well. In the summer, they offer a Sunflower Festival, perfect if you’ve been looking for a sunflower photo spot near Austin. In the fall, they have a Fall Festival and Pumpkin Patch.
During the holidays, you’ll find events like Breakfast with Santa on the weekends, candy cane hunts, an apple cannon, and lots of Christmas photo ops for the kids!
Go Mural Hunting
Georgetown has several great murals around town if you have time to just drive or walk around and look! My favorites I found were the “Greetings from Georgetown” mural at Gus’s Drug and “Traditions to the Future” at 215 W. 8th Street. You can see Visit Georgetown’s mural guide here to help you out and give you more back stories to each one.
Where to Eat in Georgetown, TX
Monument Cafe
A famous Georgetown spot, this diner serves up American comfort food and has been around since 1995.
Sweet Lemon Kitchen
Voted the best dessert in Georgetown! Come for breakfast, lunch, or some sweet treats. They also offer gluten-free options!
El Monumento
Mexican classics in a large 7,700-square-foot restaurant, featuring a beautiful patio overlooking the Blue Hole lagoon.
Juliet Italian Kitchen
Austin fave Juliet Italian Kitchen has opened up on the square, formerly where Gumbo’s was located. Try to grab a seat on their balcony overlooking Georgetown Square! It’s especially beautiful during the holidays where you get a great view of all the lights.
600 Degrees Pizzeria and Drafthouse
Build your own or pick one of their many pizza choices. Or opt for something like a calzone or pasta! You can’t go wrong with the pizza picks at 600 Degrees Pizzeria. They also offer gluten-free and vegan pizza options.
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