Lee County: Wendish History, Trails and Culture

Lee County offers a variety of reasons to plan a trip: waterfront nature, Wendish cultural heritage, and local history in museums, churches, and public art. The specific places and seasonal offerings give you different ways to spend your days here.

Nature and Trails at Lake Somerville

The Nails Creek Unit of Lake Somerville State Park is in Lee County, northeast of Giddings. The Lake Somerville Trailway offers 26 miles of interconnected trails and loops along the lakeshore. It is open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders. Since usage rules may change, check the park notices before setting out. Lake Somerville State Park recommends reservations for camping and day use, as the park often reaches its capacity limit. You should check this recommendation when planning, too.

A 350-acre reservoir in the Yegua Creek watershed serves as a winter wetland for waterfowl. In Giddings, Simmang Park has a duck pond and an easy-to-walk path around the park. These offer two different nature experiences: seasonal habitat and a park trail.

Wendish Heritage and Architecture

The Texas Wendish Heritage Museum preserves the history of Slavic immigrants from Lusatia who became the Texas Wends. In Serbin, St. Paul Lutheran Church is one of the Painted Churches of Central Texas. Its two-story interior, with the pulpit on the upper level, gives the church a distinctive architectural feature. Both places offer different ways to engage with Wendish history: the museum through the story of the immigrants, and the church through its architecture.

The Wendish Fest has been held on the fourth Sunday in September since 1989; check the dates for the particular year before your trip. The festival includes a traditional Wendish lunch, whose offerings may vary from year to year. The festival thus combines a fixed date on the annual calendar with a food tradition whose details may change.

Museums, History and Public Art

The Lee County Museum in Giddings is housed in the 1878 Schubert-Fletcher House and presents the county’s history through historic photographs and memorabilia. The Lee County Courthouse has a rotunda that extends from the basement to the bell tower. The Giddings Public Library and Cultural Center has an exhibit about baseball player Hilton Lee Smith; exhibit details may change. The Giddings Library is also home to the Arnold Smith Native American Collection, featuring arrowheads, pottery, and projectile points dating from the Paleo-Indian period to about 300 years ago.

The historic marker trail includes about 40 markers in Giddings, Dime Box, Lexington, and Serbin; its contents and number may be updated. Giddings has nine murals: most were painted by a local artist, while some are historic additions. Individual murals may be altered or painted over. The “Businesses of Giddings” mural also contains twelve hidden objects for visitors to find. The S.S. Giddings Tour visits historic homes, murals, memorials to veterans and first responders, and the Lee County Courthouse. Route materials may change.

More Places and Things to Do

Lexington has its own distinctive appeal: the Lexington Log Cabins comprise three restored, authentic log cabins that have been converted into a museum. At the Lexington Heritage Center, a replica recreates downtown Lexington as it looked in the 1940s. These two attractions focus on historic buildings and the townscape of that era.

Firemen’s Park is a 50-acre site with a covered rodeo arena, exhibition halls, a dance pavilion, a food court, entertainment stages, barbecue areas, and an RV park. Facilities and programming may change. The park is also home to a working wooden carousel from 1915 with 29 horses that move up and down. It operates on a limited schedule, which may change; check the dates before visiting.

Discover more destinations: Giddings, Lexington, Trinity, Zavala, Nueces, Ellis, Montague, Delta County.

For the broader travel overview: Texas.