Looking for a fun, quirky, this-could-make-a-cool-blog-post stop on your Texas road trip? Put Cleburne on the list. Pencil in a day or two to explore Cleburne—located just outside the DFW Metroplex—on a road trip through the state, and put these things on your to-do list.
1. Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum
- History lovers will go head over heels for Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum, which sits on the iconic location of the famous 19th-century cattle migration trail. Here, you can learn about Cleburne’s rich cattle-raising history and see where they were transported along the trail. Exhibits include life-sized replica of period buildings include a blacksmith’s workshop, a courthouse, a stage station and more. Also, as you enter the village, an additional museum in a small octagon building (with a life-sized statue of a bison out front) is also present. The Big Bear Native American Museum is full of artifacts and artworks left behind by the early indigenous people.
2. Gone with the Wind Remembered Museum
- Cleburne native Vicky Lynn Roger was a Gone with the Wind fanatic, and the collector accumulated thousands of pieces memorabilia over a 30-year time period, including one-of-a-kind pieces used in the film. Eventually, her collection grew so large, it made more sense to display the items in a public museum rather than keep them at home. Now, Gone with the Wind Remembered Museum in Cleburne has somewhere close to 6,000 pieces, including dolls and costumes used in the filming. It’s a museum unlike any other you’ll see in the country, open Thursdays to Saturdays.
3. Historic Homes Driving Tour
- Do you love Victorian houses and craftsman bungalows? Then you’ll love the self-guided driving tour in the historic district of Cleburne. It’s a fun and easy item to check off a to-do list for road trippers when you first arrive to Cleburne. You get to see some of the coolest old homes in the area, and it takes you through much of the town so you get accustomed easily. Download a map and brochure of the Historic Homes Driving Tour before you visit and plan your tour of homes. At each stop, the brochure will tell a bit about the building’s history and the year it was built. Close to 100 buildings are listed on the brochure.
4. The Depot at Cleburne Station
- Something old, something new…. After a historic homes tour, visit The Depot at Cleburne Station. The stadium is the home to a minor league baseball team. The Cleburne Railroaders play through the summer into early fall (check the schedule here), and other special events will take place at the stadium throughout the year.
5. Cleburne Railroad Museum
- Cleburne deep in railroad history, and you can learn all about it at the Cleburne Railroad Museum downtown. The exhibits at the museum highlight the city’s 75 years of being involved with the railroad industry and showcases over 500 artifacts including photographs, tools and more. Stop by the reading room to view its impressive library of books covering the railroad history, then go to the Oral History room for scheduled lectures on its artifacts. The museum is open from Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Looking for more fun things to do in Cleburne? Check out our list of seven of the best things to do in Cleburne you can’t do anywhere else.
Photo Courtesy of Jim McHale and Cleburne Times Review