Waxahachie, TX: Historic Downtown & Shopping

Field guide

About Waxahachie, TX

Waxahachie is best known statewide for two things: the Ellis County Courthouse, an 1895 Richardsonian Romanesque landmark so elaborately detailed that it is among the most photographed courthouses in Texas, and its remarkable collection of Victorian-era homes along the famous Gingerbread Trail. But Waxahachie is also a practical shopping destination, with retail and antique options that draw day-trippers from across the I-35 corridor. Reached from Itasca Creek via I-35E, it is a distinctive shopping and sightseeing stop.

Highlights

• Ellis County Courthouse (1895), one of the most ornate and most-photographed courthouses in all of Texas
• The Gingerbread Trail, a self-guided walking tour of Victorian and Queen Anne-style historic homes
• Historic downtown shopping, with antique shops, boutiques, and local restaurants around the courthouse square
• Scarborough Renaissance Festival grounds, host to one of the largest annual Renaissance festivals in Texas each spring
• The Munster Mansion, a private home built to look like the house from the TV show The Munsters. Tours are by appointment only, booked through its official site
• Easy I-35E access, a direct corridor from Itasca with no complex navigation required
• Full-service retail, grocery, and dining options along the US-77/I-35E corridor

Getting Back to Itasca Creek

From Waxahachie: Take US-77 South or I-35E South toward Hillsboro, then north on I-35W to Itasca and take FM 67 to the park.

More places nearby

• Hillsboro, TX
• Fort Worth, TX
• Waco, TX