Location: Bastrop
Top Things to do in Bastrop
What to do and see in Bastrop, United States: The Best Places and Tips
Bastrop (/ˈbæstrəp, -trɒp/) is a city and the county seat of Bastrop County, Texas, United States. Located about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Austin, it is part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. The population was 7,218 according to the 2010 census.
Restaurants in Bastrop
1. Main Street Historic District
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 148 reviews
Historic Downtown Bastrop, named a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, features quaint shops and boutiques, art galleries and public art, and a wide variety of restaurants.
Reviewed By Blooms65 - Northern California
Friendly small town with several cute 'ladies' shops. We spent about an hour walking first down one side of the street and then back up the other side. Parking was pretty easy especially on a weekday.
2. Bastrop State Park
Overall Ratings
4 based on 173 reviews
A Large portion of the Bastrop State Park was destroyed by a devasting fire in September of 2011. The community along with the State and other organizations have been replanting the trees. Although it doesn't possess the same beauty it offers an interesting perspective in how a forest is regrown. There are still a number of areas that were not burned that you can see as well as a number of the Historic buildings. This park is listed in the National Historic Registry. There is RV and tent camping available. Bastrop State Park is located next to Buescher State Park and suffered very little damage. You can see the beauty of the Lost Pines, see what a fire can do to a forest and see the Lost Pines in their toddler stage of growth. Both Bastrop and Buescher State Parks are not far from the North and South shores of Lake Bastrop where you can enjoy a wonderful weekend at the Lake.
Reviewed By Napunani - San Antonio, Texas
With reservations made in early December 2017, we camped under the tall pines in the COPPERAS CREEK campground of Bastrop State Park on a mid-March Friday and Saturday night in a full hook up site. Most of the full hook up sites were utilized by tents.
Most trees between the Park and Texas Highway 71 were destroyed by the 2011 fire, so the highway noise and street light pollution from Texas Highway 71 was HORRIBLE! As we sat around our campfire, we could hardly conduct a normal level conversation! Definitely NO peace and quiet here, so light sleepers be warned!
Restroom/bath house are fairly new construction with air conditioning.
Check-in ranger was very friendly and helpful. We saw regular patrols of the ranger every hour or two throughout Copperas Creek campground.
Great Saturday morning hike with Steve, a volunteer naturalist, which took us thru the fire raged area of the park. Very informative and interesting info from Steve on the fire and the rebirth and restoration, which will take a life time.
This park has a swimming pool (which was closed during our visit) with no lake or lake access.
Historical Bastrop is just a 10 minute drive from the State Park.
I'm rating this TERRIBLE as I don't enjoy camping where I can see street lights and hear the highway traffic at all hours of the day and night.
3. Museum and Visitor Center of Bastrop County Historical Society
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 38 reviews
Reviewed By John B - Toronto, Canada
Before exploring Bastrop definitely stop by the visitors' center to grab info on the community. We were very warmly greeted when we entered and were handed a number of brochures and maps to help with our visit. Definitely do the walking tour and with your car explore Pecan Street to see some of the stately older homes, many of which date back to the mid-1800s. There is a small museum ($5 admission charge) but we did not go in.
4. Fisherman's Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 41 reviews
Reviewed By hillje - Cedar Creek, Texas
Well maintained park with covered picnic areas, lots of shade, many walking trails, and a fenced playground. Ducks are everywhere and fun to watch. In warm weather, there is a small splash pad for the small children.
5. Colorado River Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 26 reviews
Reviewed By seenewthings - Brussels, Belgium
This is a must do wine tasting room in a lovely town of Bastrop. The owner makes his own wines and there and its really good! Such a friendly place with some nice things to buy. Go here for some great Texas wines!
6. Texas Reptile Zoo
Overall Ratings
5 based on 15 reviews
Come see reptiles from around the World. From snakes to lizards to dragons to crocs... The TRZ is located in Central Texas and is an exhibit, education and behavioral research facility where patrons can view and learn about varied species of Reptiles from around the World.
Reviewed By TexasCFritz - Austin, Texas
The Texas Reptile Zoo is a hidden gem in Bastrop! The facility is family owned and operated. The owners are very friendly, informative and engaged with their guests. I was especially impressed by the high level of animal activity in each exhibit!! (There were not any sleepy, hidden animals to be found there! Fantastic!) It was interesting to see that every habitat was hand crafted to replicate the natural enviornment that each particular animal thrives in, contributing to animal activeness. The zoo is in it's first few years of operation and it is really neat to see the creative renovations the owners have been making onsite. I am looking forward to bringing my family back over the years to watch this zoo continue to expand and grow!
7. Copper Shot Distillery
Overall Ratings
5 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By FloridaAnniversary - Florida
My husband and I visited the Copper Shot Distillery and were pleasantly surprised to get to meet the owner/manager Stephen Todee. Stephen and his wife Cheri own this business. Stephen talked to us at some length about the distilling process and provided small samples of his products. We purchased a bottle of "shine" and look forward to tasting it at home. It was a fun taste of local culture an a local product.
8. Lake Bastrop
Overall Ratings
4 based on 23 reviews
Lake Bastrop is a power plant cooling lake owned by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). Access to Lake Bastrop is available through the South Shore and North Shore Parks.
Reviewed By Melissa B - Magnolia, Texas
The park fills up during the day with people that just trash the place and use the facilities that the campers should have use of. There was no one there to make them pick up all their trash, turn down their loud Spanish music, to keep them from swimming at the boat launch, to make them follow any of the rules. It was terrible. We were looking forward to fishing on the pier. We couldn't even get on it. All the locals use the boat launch, so there are people coming and going with boats all day long. The park is too small to be open to that many people. They trashed the restrooms and took showers before they left. I had to take my grand daughter back to our camper to use the restroom.
9. Lost Pines Art Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By OurWanderingCasa - Burlington, Canada
This venue has been open since December 2016. It was the brainchild & dream of the local artist guild. They've done a fabulous job. We stumbled across this gem while visiting historic Bastrop during our 2-week swing through Texas. Well worth a visit.
10. North Shore Park on Lake Bastrop
Overall Ratings
5 based on 6 reviews
North Shore Park on 900-acre Lake Bastrop has features to appeal to campers, anglers and nature lovers. A boat ramp with a boat dock and fishing pier provide fishing and access for water-based recreation. There are also picnic areas that include tables, grills, a sand volleyball court, tetherball courts and a play area. Rest rooms and showers are available for park visitors.
Reviewed By BKanten - Austin, Texas
This park is the lesser used of the two (vs. South Shore). There is a boat ramp and plenty of space on fishing pier and a long dock along the shore, so you can fish from the shore even if you don't have a boat. The lake is well known as a good fishing spot.
There's also a swim beach, kayak rental, and hiking trails. The hiking trails include a smaller loop trail as well as a 4.5 mile path to the South Shore park - it's not a loop, so be aware. There are picnic tables and a fair number of trees.
I haven't camped at this park. That said, I have camped at the South Shore park and the sites are similar. The sites are decent, though focused more on travel trailers. Even so, there are plenty of trees, decent restrooms and showers, electrical and water, etc.
The only downside to this park - and any of the LCRA parks - is that there are no annual pass options. So, the entrance fee can add up if you are visiting frequently.
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