Ellis County Courthouse

Roadside Americana

67-foot statue of Sam Houston by sculptor David Adickes, right on I-45; billed as the tallest statue of an American hero, with an adjacent visitor center and interpretive films.

Outdoors

Working nursery and display garden built around old homestead roses and heirloom plants, just south of the FM 50/FM 390 intersection near Independence.

Outdoors

Home of the "Lost Pines," an isolated loblolly-pine forest that lost 95% of its cover in the 2011 wildfire; hike or bike Park Road 1C to watch the young pine forest regenerate.

Culture

County museum in a Carnegie library with Gault Site archaeology - some of the oldest human artifacts in North America.

Roadside Americana

Free walk-up observation deck lets visitors watch ice cream being made on the line, Monday-Friday mornings; the adjoining Ice Cream Parlor and Country Store stay open into the afternoon (plus summer Saturdays).

Outdoors

Bastrop's sibling park in the Lost Pines, with nearly 6 miles of trail and a 30-acre lake for fishing and paddling; connected to Bastrop SP by scenic Park Road 1C.