Discover Lavaca: Churches, Culture and Music

A fully restored 1899 courthouse and Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church, with stained-glass windows imported from Munich, bring Lavaca’s history to life. For more than five decades, the Fiddlers’ Frolics have brought fiddlers from Texas and beyond together. There are also waterscapes, museums and culinary events. The topics that interest you most can also help you choose the right place for your vacation rental.

Water and landscape as a guide

Rocky Creek rises in the northwestern part of Lavaca County, near Shiner. The section of the Lavaca River above the tidal influence flows year-round.

Churches, history and places of remembrance

The Lavaca County Courthouse was built in 1899 and has been fully restored. Another architectural example is Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church, considered an outstanding example of Romanesque Revival architecture. Its distinctive features include stained-glass windows imported from Munich and a painted interior. Several churches in Lavaca County are known as the “Painted Churches of Texas.”

The history of several communities can also be seen in specific places. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church was initially a mission church of the church in Hallettsville and became an independent parish in 1892. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Moulton was built for the Catholic community of German and Czech immigrants. The Lavaca Historical Museum tells the story of Czech and German settlers who immigrated to the region; the Edwin Wolters Memorial Museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Shiner.

Other places of remembrance highlight different stories. Richardson Chapel United Methodist Church was founded after emancipation by formerly enslaved members. Old Sweet Home was located along the old Spanish trail between Houston and San Antonio; only a cemetery and a few other remnants of the former settlement remain today. Geiger Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in the area and one of the few remaining traces of a vanished community. The Ruins of Brushy Creek Church are the remains of a church built between 1869 and 1876 using stone from Muldoon, pine lumber milled in East Texas and hand-hewn beams. These places offer different ways to explore history—through architecture, community histories and preserved traces of former settlements.

Art, music and local specialties

Hallet Oak Gallery is an arts and education center offering hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). The Gallery offers private and group tours by appointment. For travelers who want to include art and learning in their plans, this is a clearly different offering from historic churches and museums.

Music events add another dimension. The Fiddlers’ Frolics began as a community celebration in Hallettsville and have brought fiddlers from Texas and beyond together for more than five decades. In the competitions, fiddlers compete in several divisions for prize money and the state title. Hallettsville also hosts the annual Texas State Championship Straight Domino Tournament at the Knights of Columbus Hall. If you want to plan around a specific festival, check the event dates before your trip.

Food and drink can also be part of your travel interests. The South Texas Polka and Sausage Fest serves sausage, sauerkraut, potatoes, chicken noodle soup and kolaches. In Shiner, K. Spoetzl Brewery offers an interactive brewery tour. K. Spoetzl Distillery, in turn, offers a 45-minute visit that includes a tasting of several Shiner craft spirits. For Texas-style, slow-smoked barbecue, K. Spoetzl BBQ Co. serves meals on-site in Shiner. Tours, tastings and festival programs are different experiences; check the relevant dates as you plan.

Choose the right base for your trip

When searching for a vacation rental, your main interest can help guide your choice: church architecture and immigration history offer a different focus from a music festival, a museum visit or a brewery tour. If a particular destination is especially important to you, use its location to guide your search and plan the rest of your experiences around it.

Explore more destinations: Gaines County, Chambers, Hardeman, Fayette, Gonzales, Sutton, Castro County.

Return to the main travel overview: Texas.