Hillsboro, TX · Historic Downtown & Hill County Seat

You can see the courthouse tower before you reach the square. The building was finished in 1890. Architect W. C. Dodson drew it in the Second Empire style, with a tall clock tower and steep mansard roofs. It is a Texas historic landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

On New Year's Day 1993, a fire gutted the building. Only the thick limestone walls were left standing. Local fundraising and grants paid to bring it back, and the restored courthouse was rededicated in 1999. It is still a working courthouse today, at 1 N Waco St.

Downtown Hillsboro is easy to walk. In 1981 it was one of the first five Texas Main Street cities. The town still takes good care of its old buildings.

Look for the Old Rock Saloon building at 58 W. Elm, built in 1876. It is said to be the oldest business building still in use in town. The city library sits in a 1913 building that was the post office until 1967. The Texas Theater opened in 1926 as the Palace Theater, and the town is raising money to bring it back. Bond's Alley, a Texas historic landmark, is home to a yearly arts weekend.

Around the square you will find antique shops, resale and vintage stores, and small boutiques. The city's visitor site keeps the current list.

A few small museums make a good stop on a hot or rainy day. The city's visitor site lists the Hill County Cell Block Museum, the Texas Heritage Museum and the Texas Through Time Museum. Some are open only a few days a week, so check before you go.

Hungry? Hillsboro has plenty of choices. The visitor site lists lots of Mexican and Tex-Mex places, a few barbecue joints, pizza, burgers, cafes, donut and kolache shops, coffee and boba tea. Several sit right around the square.

For something quick near the highway, new restaurants have opened on the old outlet mall site since May 2026. Buc-ee's, at I-35 and Highway 77, opened in 2024.

For years, I-35 travelers knew Hillsboro for its outlet mall. Most of the stores closed, and in 2025 the city and a developer tore the old mall down to start over.

The site is filling up again. Since May 2026, several chain restaurants have opened there, and more shops are on the way. A few stores on the city's part of the property stayed open. Plans for the rest of the site are still being made, so the mix will keep changing.

Hillsboro Main Street plans events all year. Dates change, so check the Main Street events page before you book your stay.

Texas made Hill County out of Navarro County in 1853. It is named for Dr. George Washington Hill, who served the Republic of Texas as secretary of war. Hillsboro was laid out that same year as the county seat.

The railroad reached Hillsboro in 1881. Cotton gins and a cotton compress soon followed, and for decades cotton was the county's top crop. Many of the brick buildings you see downtown went up in those years.

From Hillsboro, Texas 22 runs west toward the town of Whitney and Lake Whitney. The lake is on the Brazos River, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs it. People come to fish and boat.

Lake Whitney State Park, on the lake, has swimming, camping and a boat ramp. Some lake access areas close after floods, so check the Corps page before you go.