You can spend time and money flying overseas if you want to take in Europe’s grandest cities, or you can stay in the confines of Texas and hit the towns that share their names.
Hitting all the Euro-Texas stops is the weekend hobby of a motorcycle-riding cousin of mine. I’m always checking Facebook to see what he’s seen lately. Like him, you could try these.
Athens
While there are few obvious Greek influences, the town’s a worthwhile stop on the way from Dallas into deep East Texas for solid downtown-square (pictured) dining options or its yearly festivals centered around hamburgers and fiddle music.
Dublin
This Central Texas burg takes its name seriously, touting itself as the Irish Capital of Texas. And the tourist options are abundant, from Victorian home tours to a farmers market to what the city is best known for — its Dublin Bottling Works soda bottling plant, which offers delicious flavors sweetened with cane sugar.
Liverpool
While the English Liverpool birthed world-renowned music groups and soccer clubs, the South Texas Liverpool is too tiny to offer much within its limits. It has a population of around 500 and covers about a square mile.
Naples
The little stop northeast of Dallas doesn’t have much in common with Naples, Italy. Rather, it pours its civic pride into its annual watermelon festival and PRCA rodeo, traditionally held on the last full weekend of each July.
Florence
About an hour’s drive north of Austin, you’ll find a relatively quiet city that shares its name with the regional capital of Tuscany. Two of the Texas town’s residents were so taken with a trip to Italy that they opened the Vineyard at Florence, which offers wine, event spaces, a gallery, a fitness center, and a spa.
Paris
By far Texas’ most famous “European” stop, the far-northeast city of Paris boasts a large slate of attractions and community events. But the key thing to mention here is the replica Eiffel Tower, at 65 feet with a giant red cowboy hat topping it off. Selfie, anyone?
Keep your eye out for these Texas cities, as well:
Edinburg
Milano
Carthage
New London
New Berlin
Photography: thevineyardatflorence.com, athenstx.gov, facebook.com/dublinbottlingworks, facebook.com/naplestexas, Shutterstock
From the July 2019 issue.
