Continued from Riding The Kolache Trails Route #2 Brazos Crossing
ROUTE #3 IMMIGRANT TRAIL
This kolache ride passes through several towns with deep roots to German, Polish, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, and Irish immigrants. You would expect a town that’s only a stone’s throw from Houston to have a lot to offer tourists. Sealy is a favorite location for car shows and other festivities. Cat Spring was one of the first German settlements in the state, and its vintage wooden hall is the site of numerous events. In 1840, another settlement in the area petitioned to have its community named New Ulm, in honor of Ulm, Germany. German settlers from Holstein and Oldenburg founded the community of Frelsburg.
Most riders scream by Columbus on Interstate 10, but we really must exit the slab to enjoy this historic town. Members of Stephen F. Austin’s Old Three Hundred settled near Beeson’s Ferry in the early 1800s. Sam Houston ordered the town of Columbus burned in March 1836, during the Runaway Scrape, the retreat that led his army to a decisive battle against Santa Anna at San Jacinto. Close to the 1891 Colorado County Courthouse and white brick water tower is the Little Bakery. Diane Skutca starts each busy day the night before, at 7 p.m.! She is a third-generation baker who does everything by hand. Get there early to enjoy her oven treats.
The Kountry Bakery has several locations along the San Antonio–to–Houston corridor, including Weimar. Some 36 years ago, Clarence and Evelynn Besetsny decided to transition successful pastries sales from the home kitchen to their first bakery. It’s still a family business, with original recipes made the old-fashioned way. The Weimar location often features kolaches graced with seasonal fruit, such as local dewberries.
Fayette County is dotted with rural Painted Churches. Side trips to visit any of these beautiful churches are recommended. Monument Hill & Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites sit on a high hill overlooking La Grange. The downtown historic district surrounds a beautiful 1891 county courthouse and has many one-of-a-kind stores. Weikel’s Bakery is housed in a gas station. Its story began in 1929 with the Bon Ton Café, a La Grange establishment for years! When Jim Weikel sold that eatery, he turned to his wife’s Czech roots for family recipes and bakery techniques.
Farm-to-Market Road 609 crosses rolling prairies before arriving in Flatonia, Texas. This small town’s population explodes each year at Czhilispiel, a combination chili cook-off and celebration of Flatonia’s Czech and German heritage. We’ll eventually meander south to Hallettsville, another town that holds an annual kolache festival. The day begins with a parade around the historic courthouse square, then moves to the Knights of Columbus Hall, where volunteers sell boxes of kolaches and plate lunches. Bands take over the stage and couples crowd the dance floor.
What is so wonderful about these three rides is exactly that—the rides! Yes, we’ve discovered special small towns to visit; listed festivals and events stretching throughout the year; and eaten enough kolaches to short out a bathroom scale . . . but the roads are special too. This state’s rich blackland prairies made Europeans willing to give up everything in their homelands and venture into the untamed unknown of territorial Texas. Thankfully, we can still taste this heritage today as we cruise lush farmlands and pass stunning fields of wildflowers. Kolaches are king—no doubt about it. And look what else we’re able to enjoy while sampling them. Ain’t Texas great?
A short list of some unbeatable kolache stops and events:
COLUMBUS
LITTLE BAKERY
1233 Fannin St.
979-732-5701
MIKESKA’S BBQ
4053 U.S. Hwy. 90
800-524-7613
jerrymikeskasbbq.com
SCHOBEL’S RESTAURANT
2020 Milam St.
979-732-2385
schobelsrestaurant.com
FLATONIA
CZHILISPIEL FESTIVAL
flatoniachamber.wix.com/czhilispiel
Last full weekend in October
HALLETTSVILLE
KOLACHE FESTIVAL
Knights of Columbus Hall
321 U.S. Hwy. 77 S.
Last Saturday in September
KOUNTRY BAKERY
802 E. 4th St.
361-798-4423
kountrybakery.com
LA GRANGE
MONUMENT HILL & KREISCHE BREWERY STATE HISTORIC SITES
414 TX Loop 92 (off U.S. Hwy. 77 S.)
979-968-5658
tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/monument-hill-kreische-brewery
EIKEL’S STORE AND BAKERY
2247 TX Hwy. 71 W.
979-968-9413
weikels.com
MOULTON
KLOESEL’S STEAKHOUSE
101 E. Moore St.
361-596-7323
kloesel.com
SEALY
TONY’S FAMILY RESTAURANT
1629 Meyer (TX Hwy. 36)
979-885-4140
tonysfamilyrestaurant.com
WEIMAR
KOUNTRY BAKERY
408 W. Main St.
979-725-6901
kountrybakery.com
