So, I grew up knowing nothing about my family's history. My grandmother had gaslit anyone that asked. Going to college in Huntsville, the only clue I had was that my grandmother had frequently mentioned that she loved going to a dance hall in Swiss Alps. Stopping in La Grange for a drink at a restaurant, a waitress directed me to a place where I could get a county map of Fayette county and she encouraged me to see the "Painted Churches." Long story short, in Ammansville I found the graves of my grandmother's parents and some of their relatives. I then went to the county courthouse, explained that I was doing genealogical research of my family and I was granted two full days in the documents vault. What a treasure trove!! I found that the family farm had been just under 400 acres, my grandmother had 10 siblings and more. After making copies of everything, and going deeply over the records, I wondered why my grandmother's brothers had not married until they were in their 30's, and then I realized that the family farm was just spitting distance from the Chicken Ranch. Mystery solved.

You should come back during bluebonnet season! Many beautiful fields along these blue roads! Blue bonnets, evening primrose, and Indian paint brush!

Dear Sir,.............Greetings from INDIA. I am from a place called Hyderabad in India which is a big city and always crowded. Sir, I love countryside a lot and I do not have words to express my happiness and satisfaction that I get watching your videos. Thanks a Lot. Best Wishes.....Ravi Kumar.

Refreshing, in this time, to see a nativity scene in front of the courthouse. Gotta love Texas!

I love your respect and excitement over historical buildings and homes, there is beauty everywhere and your channel shows that. Keep on rolling!

My husband was the construction manager of a poultry ranch in Texas for over 30 years. We had a lot of fun telling people that he worked at the Chicken Ranch.

The house I live in is 120 years old here in SC. We have the old separate kitchen for our house. Very small building 10'x12' just big enough for a pot belly stove and a few cabinets. It had those wooden doors for windows. When I moved here it was in bad shape but I rebuilt it insulated it and put new windows in I use it for my electronics shop to work on radios. Thanks Spoda! I always feel like I'm traveling with you guys when I watch! Take care and safe travels.

It’s interesting to see these old places in Texas. I live in a village in England where there are houses that are 400 or 500 years old. They have modern amenities but have to keep the traditional features.

I really enjoy all the small towns that you tour. I come from a small town in New Mexico and love everything about the old and the old ways. History is being completely washed off everything. So very sad. As I watch your videos I am reminded of how good everything was in the old days and old ways. Keep filming all of the old goodies, they are great.!! It makes me want to pull up stakes and move to one of them.

Round top is the antique capital celebrated in the spring and fall. When we go to Round top in late October it’s so packed full of people! It’s a very well known hotspot!

Being European I find so naïve - in a good way - how you, and most Americans I know , get excited when labelling something as “historic “, especially when it comes to age ☺️ I do live in a house built at the end of 18th century and that’s pretty much normal, walk through roads walked by since medieval times and guess we’re used to that 😅 Thanks for you showing the core of U.S.

Rountop Texas is indeed an artistic community. One feature I did not see in your video was Round Top Festival Institute where they hold a music festival every summer and concerts throughout the year. The music hall is really quite splendid. Yes, it is a destination indeed!

I worked at a camp in La Grange during the summers of 1981 and 1982. It was called Camp Lone Star.

That building you said was a kitchen. Up north in Canada and Montana, the Dakota’s the German Russians who settled in these areas had a summer kitchen and a winter kitchen. The summer kitchen was a totally separate building and the winter kitchen was part of the main building. Kind of interesting to learn about.

Round Top is the head of the largest antiques festival held twice a year and a destination from Houston.

One thing you did not say: A Tv reporter in Houston by the name of Marvin Zindler did a series of stories about the chicken ranch. The publicity prompted the state to close the chicken ranch. The final story of the chicken ranch included a visit by a TV reporter to the chicken ranch. The gate was locked with a sign that said "Beat It".

Round Top and Warrenton are known for Antique week in the spring and fall. Literally hundreds upon hundreds of vendors from all over the country open for 3 weeks 2x a year. Between that time, people still visit the many boutiques, Antique shops and cafés.

Round Top has been a destination for a number of years. The bi-annual arts/crafts, antique and flea market held twice a year draws thousands of shoppers and designers. Chip and Joanna Gaines have made the events, shops and the town super famous.

That comment about Blue Bell ice cream, the "licking" challenge, is interesting in that it caused ice cream containers to have the plastic vacuum seal band you now see on the lid. You have to wonder why it wasn't always being done. Some where but only a few.

Thanks for the tour! My dad was born to tenant farmers in Chappell Hill back in 1914. Cool to see a quick tour of the town today. I'm a native Dallasite. Still live in the area. It's cool to see the small towns in our state. Some of which I've driven through on the way to somewhere else. 😁

My Aunt Sally worked at the famous Chicken Ranch from 1963 through 1971 at which time they decided she was getting too old for that type of work. They closed permanently 2 years later. Aunt Sally went out on her own after that and was basically the Madam of her own Brothel. She catered mainly to public figures and was known to be very discreet and professional. She only hired the prettiest girls and had a thriving business until she retired in 1983.

Y'all need to come on out to Bremond, Texas! It's between Bryan-College Station and Waco! Our Polish ancestors came here and we've kept their traditions

I love Texas..especially the small towns. Thank you for touring rural towns. I grew up in the Heart of Texas (Brownwood) The downtown is slowly coming to life with the Lyric Theater and businesses which is exciting to see.

I think this is the best video I've ever seen. Ever. I used to go to Washington and Brazos for field trips when I was in elementary school. The first building you went in was called Independence Hall. Or that's what we called it. Round top gets really busy on the first Saturday in October to celebrate Oktoberfest. Thanks for the video again. I will probably watch it many more times.

I really enjoyed your video. Being a fifth generation Texan, I recognize a lot of these places. I am also a huge fan of history and architecture. I can tell from the way that you narrate your videos that you are too. Thank you so much for the little tour of Texas. That area has a lot of beautiful history.

In Texas, you also find the two small towns of New Braunfels and Groß Friedrichsburg (Fredericksburg, or "Fritztown"), where especially older people spoke Texas German (Texasdeutsch), an odd mixture of 19th century - style German and English.

👉AS A 4TH GENERATION TEXAN... I WANT TO SAY I'VE LEARNED QUITE A BIT ABOUT MY GREAT STATE, FROM YOUR ADVENTURES!! THANKS!! 😊 KEEP UP THE INTERESTING ROAD TRIPS... I CAN "VIRTUALLY" RIDE SHOTGUN... 👈😎✌

My husband worked with a woman who grew up outside of LaGrange and her family ran an actual chicken and egg farm. She said many young men came to their door expecting something tastier than a chicken! Her mom was not happy!

I especially enjoyed your travels in Alabama, as my best friend who was a Marine Corp vets like myself recently passed away. He shared many stories with me about his growing up in Alabama. Thank you for sharing your travels!

I'm 72 yrs old. When in eqlement a y school ee took bus trip to Washington on the Brazos....THANK YOU

Since 1971, my family has owned a farm about 8 miles from Round Top. It's become a highly gentrified destination for people from Houston/Austin/San Antonio. You probably saw the music conservatory that just outside town. Students from all over the world come to study music there. The man who did the incredible wood work in the music hall was named Arnold Pursefka. He was a genius at wood work but couldn't read.

I worked in the oil field in the 80's and used to drive through hit little hamlet called Washington-On-The-Brazos. The little town doesn't show the rich Houstonians who bought land an built themselves a little ranchito to get away from the big city. There's also a little town called Clay Station that used to be a big deal until the railroad was re-routed. I love these small out of the way places.

Thanks so much for sharing with us! I appreciate you at least trying to let us see Blue Bell. I’m a 69 year old widowed retiree with limited mobility. I feel like you’re driving me around and allowing me to see places I couldn’t otherwise! Thanks for not showing so many pitiful old rundown towns!

I love your videos of small, rural towns. I’m just fascinated by these small towns. Please keep posting these kinds of videos.

Besides the art festival, and artist galore shops, Round Top is famous for that Round Top Cafe and the most wonderful pies on earth including the Texas Trash Pie. A true destination spot indeed

However, scratch all of that I am so grateful you drove through my part of Texas am filmed it. Thank you for everything.

I grew up in Brenham Those places you talk about are all part of my memory

I just love the history of these small towns. Your country is definitely on the top of my to visit list. Thanks for showing me these great small towns. G'day from Australia.

Round Top hosts an antique road show a few times a year, it's huge, spans miles. People come from all over, very popular especially with interior decorators looking for that special piece. With that said, the numbers are still surprising.

Another absolutely fantastic video Courtesy of Lord Spoda...as I've said many,many times...the big cities don't hold a candle to the history and character that these small tucked away little enclaves offer,the architecture along with the overall vibe of a town like Fayetteville,round top,La Grange,etc...will never be matched by the big cities...and the icing on the cake is the cost of visiting these tucked away places is very budget friendly so it's a win-win in my book when you get to support a small town with character and do so on a nickel & dime budget...thanks for another fantastic video Spoda...

being born in and living in southern california my whole life, i appreciate these videos so much. the small town feel, the quaintness & natural beauty, all of the history, i love it! thank you for letting me live through these videos pretending i’m visiting lol ☺️

Love seeing old towns that are taken care of, they are unique but yet similar. So you went to Chicken Ranch & found your signature "cat " at the end. You know lots of old timers would have called that place a " Cat House " or just a House of Ill Repute. Depending on how persnickety you wanted to be about it. :~)

Really fun watching this, everything looking so nice and full of history.

God bless Texas 🙏

Brenham has one of the best manicured wooden seat baseball field. To watch a game there is so much fun! It is like being transported back in time. Brenham is a jewel and held pretty high with most of the population in that part of Texas. Very pretty country too with rolling hills and lots of oak trees. They have a nice community airport too. No commercial flights but just old airport bums who sit around talking flying while watching a mechanic wrench on old airplanes. Outstanding!

Thanks for sharing the videos! Seeing the towns off the path are some of the most entertaining ...

Round Top Texas is ground zero for the biggest antique shows on earth twice a year for a month. The place is crawling with people! Thanks for this video, one of favorite so far.

Hi, my name is John and I do live in La Grange Texas. Thank you for making a video bout us. It’s nice to be recognized. And I will answer all your questions. I love being country.

I turned 57 on December 30 … so thank you for taking with you in Texas. I enjoyed it!!

Another cool trip Lord, cheers! I love the "off the beaten track" rural videos. Speaking of Texas towns named after songs, and being a Texan yourself, I was wondering if you've ever passed through China Grove. Being a long-time Doobie Brothers fan, I'd heard that the place really existed so I checked it out once on Google Maps. There's not much there and of course it's nothing like the description in the song, i.e. its residents don't have "the ways of an Oriental view" and aren't "looking to the east" 😁 That's because when Tom Johnston wrote the song, he was sure he'd made the place up in his imagination. It wasn't until some years later, while in a taxi in Houston, he got talking to the driver who asked Johnston if he'd ever been there. Johnston was surprised at this and asked the cab driver if there really was such a town, and the driver said indeed there was, and right where the song said it was, just near San Antonio. Johnston later concluded that the band must have driven through China Grove after a gig in San Antonio one night, some years before he wrote the song, and he subconsciously registered the name from a sign or something.

Round Top is like Canton and Fredericksburg. Lots shopping and Joanna from Magnolia picks up things from there for her shows

Always a very nice and very informative excursion!!!

Fantastic video on your adventure threw TEXAS historical sights. Have you done a video on Yoakum TEXAS sir. Take care and be safe sir. See you on your next video.

Wow all schools should have staff that cares that much..gotta keep our kiddos safe in this crazy world. Loved this video. We lived in pine land Texas for several years. My oldest son was born in lufkin. He’s now in his forties with children of his own.

I love this town 😊 so glad you shared, authentic and open, so cool 😀

Love these travel vlogs. And helping me to see different places as I consider retirement. This area of Texas looks appealing- being between large metro areas but still rural. Safe travels.

Thanks for sharing i enjoy these old towns

Beautiful places. As a Brit, I love all the space. One thing I notice is that 150 years for a building is really not old in the UK. We just cram modern buildings in the gaps between magical old places. We are so over-populated by comparison to these towns. The oldest place I’ve lived in was built in 1500s. I love your films, thank you 🥰

Love your style of exploring these small towns and your wonderment at what you find. There are so many great places to visit in the USA if you just get off the interstate and/or stay away from the crowded National Parks. Thanks for showing us places that we can't all get to even if we do a lot of travelling.

Loving your videos!

Thank you, Joe. I'm hooked on your videos. Amazing stuff 👏 👌!

Love your channel! I hope that you can travel to my home town..Lampasas Texas..there is so much restoration taking place! Also, down the road is Evant Tx where my Great Great Grandfather's house is located in Gholson Gap! My great great grandfather's name is Benjamin Franklin Gholson.. he was a Texas ranger there's quite a bit of history about him! Thank you for showing all these little towns in Texas I just love it. I live in Colorado now but I'll always be a Texas girl!

Texas takes its history seriously. School district are required two years of Texas history…one in middle school and one in high school. And it’s a very rich history.

Been binge watching you and nicole. I love to travel and explore. You make me want to hit the road.

A lot of very rich attorneys and oil/gas executives who either live in Burton full-time or have a weekend getaway there. I worked for one who helicoptered into downtown Houston daily. I live in Houston and am a paralegal for a "hoity-toity" law firm. My boss bills clients no less than 1500.00 per hour. These are very successful attorneys who are shareholders in very large law firms that are worldwide. I love your show and love it when you travel through Texas towns. You will find them tucked away in other small towns within 75 miles of downtown Houston.

This was a very interesting tour and, I thoroughly enjoyed each town.

You should go 2:21 there during Texas' birthday celebration. It's a great time. Lots of fun activities and people actually dressed up like yesteryear and cooking like yesteryear. It's loads of fun for the whole family

thanks! always good on a monday

I can't wait until you get back to Florida.

Great video big thanks, loved the history of these small towns. Blessings from New Zealand team.

Hi Lord Spoda Thanks a lot for uploading this incredibly beautiful as well as informative video. This is one of the best videos in the past few weeks. From beginning to end each part is equally interesting. It kept me glued to sofa, not just that I saw the video twice! Throughout the video the sky is overcast and today as I am writing this comment, I learn it started raining heavily in Houston. Thanking you once again.

Yes, I did think you'd miss the cat. Perfectly timed; right at the end. You were uncharacteristically verbose in this video: entertaining and informative. It worked, though. Lots of remarkable visuals. Especially liked the rare residence in Burton with the two-storied wrap around porch and the large turret at one corner of the roofline. Grateful you took the time to explore the interior of tiny St. Martin's Catholic Church-an aesthetic jewel of a building. You're likely correct about Round Top. A village with an official population of 90 and an avg. age in the 50's with so many bustling shops has got to be a mecca for artists and art dealers who operate studios, etc. while living elsewhere. Also, given its tiny size, the elementary school within its borders has got to service a wider geographic population (the school's sign warning the world that its students are protected by armed teachers ready to use them is excellent public policy. Wish there were more such schools). Although Texans are reputed to be hyperbolic, I absolutely take your word for it that Blue Bell ice cream is the best in the world and am sorry to say that I live in that half of the country deprived of its availability; because of which I've never tried it. Someday, though!

Enjoy your videos,talking to local residents about their area and history would be a wonderful asset to your site

Lovely well-tended cemetery thanks for showing it

I don't know when I'll be in Texas again but I definitely need to stop in Washington. You didn't mention it, but Davy Crockett passed through town on his way to The Alamo. I really love the murals that so many of the towns have--if I ever saw a photo book collection of them it would be an instant sale.

I love this travel day so cool.

This was a great video. So much history and great architecture! These towns have done a wonderful job preserving themselves! I remember the Blue Bell lickers. Round Top’s home prices are staggering! I checked out some photos of the homes for sale on Zillow. Love your videos and appreciate you!

Cuero, Tx. has trees in the middle of the streets. I love that.

Love this channel, discovered it jan 2nd, 2023 and been watching it since! Lol love watching videos about texas but will never visit it lol if they see my California plates theyll run me off the road😂

Definitely one of your best videos. .. It took me an hour and a half because I kept pausing to get a better look at things >Thanks Joey

Fascinating! I’ve heard of Washington on the Brazos my entire life, but have never taken the time to check it out. The windows were open, I’m sure, for light. Also, a thought crossed my mind about La Grange. I’m sure when the law shut it down, people came from all around to take souvenirs, ie. roof tiles, wall studs, doors, windows, etc. Just a thought. Thanks for sharing this historic tour with us. Well done, as always.👍

I absolutely love your videos!!! So glad I came across your channel....able to visit these towns virtually I wld never be able to otherwise :)

Been to Round Top a few times. Weekends are packed. Antique shops and restaurants. Fun place to visit.

That's a good video Spoda, I enjoyed it. That's a beautiful park at the start of it. Thanks. David

Love watching your videos! But this by far is my favorite. I live like just an hour away and didn't know how cool towns are! Might have to really take time to visit and explore.

Love your videos and Australian Siri , makes me feel at home. Great work and thanks.

One of your best so far and definitely most moving.

Awsome trip to ride along on . Beautiful old architecture and history . Thanks Spoda 😊

Round Top is known for its HUGE Antique festival/fair. It has been made famous by the couple from Waco with the HGTV show.

Thank you for traveling. It gets me out of town. Safe travels to you and yours!

What can I say? Another fantastic video tour. Wow!!!

I’ve visited all the towns mentioned in your video. Round Top is the hub of antiques week a twice yearly 20 mile long antiques and collectibles show. It has vendors from all over the country come to sell their wares. LaGrange is where I and my friends always stay when we go to the antiques show. One of the Chicken Ranch buildings was moved to Dallas and housed a restaurant from September 1977 to January 1978. Chicken Fried Steak was their signature dish. My great aunt lived in Brenham in a huge old home built in the 1800’s. We had good friends who lived in Chappel Hill in an old house also built in the 1800’s I loved going to visit them. My aunt owned a small grocery store in the front room of her house, which was just down the street from Blinn College, and I used to visit her in the summer and remember eating Blue Bell back then. This was in the 1960’s and at that time Blue Bell was mostly a regional product. I live near Dallas and was so excited when Blue Bell made its way up here. If you want to see a really beautiful town you should come to Waxahachie. We are known as the gingerbread city for all the old victorian houses and we have a gorgeous old red sandstone courthouse built in 1897 also in the romanesque style. It’s much more ornate than the one in LaGrange.

That is beautiful small Texas town. Thank you very much.

Wow, Brenham is such a quaint and beautiful town...

Great video God Bless Texas🤠

BlueBell is FAR better then Ben and Jerrys. Real, country, natural ice cream.

Excellent video. I love the ZZ Top story! Keep up the cool exploring. Thank you for sharing. Have a fantastic day.

"The Cat"! I love how you've integrated the cat meme into your storyline as an insider treasure hunt. It's an "easter egg", as buried inside software. It's also a smart social media advertising move because the internet loves cats. Embed a kitten picture on those clips with a cat with the tagline like - Did you see the cat...follow me!

I enjoy all your videos very informative and enjoyable thank you

Merry Christmas displayed at the Court House - nice. Stick it to the Happy Holidays crowd.