Waxahachie is a small Texas town about 45 minutes south of Dallas, best known for its remarkably well-preserved collection of Victorian and Edwardian buildings. The name comes from a Native American word meaning "cow creek." The town grew rich on cotton in the late nineteenth century, and the wealth shows in the architecture — particularly the ornate Ellis County Courthouse (1897), one of the finest Romanesque Revival buildings in the state.
The downtown square around the courthouse is the heart of town, with antique shops, cafes, and a handful of restaurants. The West End Historic District a few blocks away preserves the residential side of the cotton boom. Waxahachie has served as a filming location for several movies, including Tender Mercies and Places in the Heart, which used its period streetscapes as ready-made sets, and the Webb Gallery on the square is among the best dealers of outsider and folk art in the region.
Stranger curiosities lie at the edges of town. The Munster Mansion is a full-scale replica of the 1960s sitcom house, and the empty tunnels of the cancelled Superconducting Super Collider loop beneath the fields south-west of town. In April and May the Scarborough Renaissance Festival takes over a permanent site six miles south.
If you are driving between Dallas and Austin, the town makes for a pleasant stop — enough to see in an hour or two, and a good excuse to stretch your legs.