Round Rock, Texas

Round Rock, Texas flows off the lips easily, but few people outside of Central Texas have heard of it. Its biggest claim to fame is the shooting death of the gunslinger Sam Bass in 1878. Not much seemed to happen in Round Rock isn’t he immediate years following that. Sam Bass is buried in Round Rock Cemetery beneath a clearly marked headstone.

And then a funny thing happened. Austin grew in size. It expanded in all directions, but especially north. Today, drive down Interstate 35 from Round Rock to Austin, and it’s hard to see where one city ends and another begins.

Today Round Rock provides easy city living without the hassle of downtown Austin traffic. Busses operate daily commuting people from one city to the other. Austin’s train system even expands almost to Round Rock. Fortunately, the station is close enough to make my community downtown easy and affordable.

Unlike the typical a suburban neighborhood city next to a large city, Round Rock shines in keeping it a part of but separate from its neighboring big city. The cultural offerings run from a simple Sidewalk Chalk Festival where people from all over and local citizens compete to amaze viewers with chalk art, to an amphitheater for local and traveling performers. Multiple museums house historic and artistic endeavors.

If you want to visit Austin when the Longhorns are playing, and you didn’t make your hotel reservation months in advance, you may find yourself sleeping in Round Rock. When you do, relax. There’s plenty to do and you don’t want to drive to downtown Austin when the Longhorns are playing.