Bastrop

The shops and businesses of this historically prosperous cotton and pine lumber town lie along the Colorado River instead of around a courthouse square. The cultural epicenter of Bastrop County in the 19th century, the town boasted a fashionable private academy and a women's literary club. The Bastrop Opera House hosted a Shakespeare Society, poetry readings and even touring shows from New York City. Today, the renovated 1889 structure offers theater performances throughout the year. The Bastrop County Historical Society Museum displays county memorabilia in a home decorated with elegant period furnishings.