TOUR DESCRIPTION

German immigrant farmers settled Spring in 1840. But it was the railroaders laboring on the track between Palestine and Houston that increased the population to 1,200 in 1910. An opera house, lumber mill, several hotels and five saloons kept these clean-living, hard-drinking folk happy. Their Saturday evening barroom brawls as much a part of their lives as church on Sunday mornings, when Prohibition hit little more than a decade later, most packed up and moved on. The Depression swept what remained, leaving little behind.

But in 1949, when the Wunsche Bros. Hotel reopened as the Spring Café, visitors rediscovered this historic community. Soon other businesses were hanging out their shingles. Now 150 strong, shops selling everything from collectibles, antiques, handicrafts, clothing and regional art to Old West memorabilia are operated from wooden farmhouses and historical buildings.

Numerous year-round events add to the charm of this quaint shopping village. Nestled among sycamore and sweet gum trees your group can enjoy the annual Texas Crawfish Festival the second and third weekends in May. Musical entertainment ranges from Country to Rock and Roll and from Swing to Zydeco. A carnival complete with rides and games for adventurous adults and children of all ages, and arts and crafts booths provides good, rowdy fun for all. Food abounds with tons of crawfish, chicken on a stick and funnel cakes available for purchase.

But it is the holiday season that truly lights up the village. Old Town Spring’s Home for the Holidays begins in mid-November with a Grand Parade featuring school bands, antique cars, floats and more. Carolers, barbershop quartets and choirs perform all day long for holiday shoppers. On Open House weekends merchants welcome shoppers with holiday treats.

No matter what time of year, Old Town Spring’s museums, shops, restaurants and special events promise your group a memorable departure from the fast-paced, high-rise everyday world.