Lockhart has done it again…..
another feature in another national magazine
By Leesa Teale
LPR Publisher
Downtown Lockhart By Randi Reding
Well folks, we’ve done it again. The City of Lockhart just keeps getting a to be a bigger dot on the map.
If you have not seen the June edition of the Smithsonian magazine then you haven’t read that Lockhart made their “Best 15 Small Towns to Visit” list.
Here’s what they had to say about Lockhart:
“If you’ve watched the second season of Paramount+’s American Western drama “1923,” which aired this past spring, odds are you’ve seen Lockhart, Texas, a small town located midway between Austin and San Antonio. In this “Yellowstone” prequel, starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, Lockhart’s historic downtown doubled as a 1920s-era Fort Worth, complete with vintage cars and reimagined storefronts. It’s just the latest of many TV shows and movies filmed around town over the years, including Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) and Bernie (2011), based on a real-life Texas story.
Known as the “Barbecue Capital of Texas,” Lockhart’s legendary slow-cooking meat scene has recently received even greater accolades with the addition of its Barbs B Q eatery in the inaugural Michelin Guide Texas. Join the lines awaiting brisket, Molotov pork ribs, and sides such as green spaghetti made with a smoked poblano sauce at this stand-out gem, run by pitmaster Chuck Charnichart. It’s open Saturdays and Sundays only and closes when they run out of food. Other favorite stops along Lockhart’s barbecue trail include the market-style Terry Black’s Barbecue and Smitty’s Market, a no-frills place with communal seating that’s been serving up delectable eats since 1948. Texas Monthly hosts its annual BBQ Fest in Lockhart every November. The event’s “Top 50 Picnic” showcases establishments featured in the magazine’s aptly named list of barbecue joints statewide. There’s also live-fire cooking demos, market vendors and live music.
Lockhart’s downtown square offers a glimpse into the state’s history while featuring plenty of modern spots. The neighborhood is best known for its Caldwell County Courthouse, a striking limestone and sandstone structure with a central clock tower that’s a popular photo stop. There’s also the horror-themed Haunt Happy Books; the speakeasy-style Little Trouble, serving up sirloin, ribeyes and steak sliders in the remodeled basement of one of the town’s most historic buildings; and the Culinary Room, featuring gourmet grab-and-go meals and its very own fresh pudding bar (don’t miss the scratch-made banana pudding).
Catch live music on select nights at The Pearl, a laid-back, Old Texas-style bar housed in a 19th-century structure, or performances of “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical” (July 11-August 3) and “The Rocky Horror Show” (October 10-26) at the Gaslight-Baker Theater. Peruse food and drink titles while sipping on rosés and sauvignon blancs at the Best Little Wine & Books.
For hiking trails that wind among the shade of Texas persimmon trees and bluestem prairie grass, and wildlife such as armadillos, rabbits and buff-bellied hummingbirds, Lockhart State Park is your place.
Photo and information courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine, June 2025 edition.
