Military History: Belton, Killeen, The Grove, and Temple - Belton TX Weekend Getaway

Preview: Built on the Leon River and Nolan Creek, the community of Belton was once named Nolanville, a place where merchants sold goods from wagons and tin cups full of whiskey from a barrel. Today Belton is a small town of 14,000 residents, best known as home of the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. The Baptist college began here over a century ago and was once the women’s school for Waco’s Baylor University. Two lakes, Stillhouse Hollow and the larger Belton Lake, lie outside the city limits. Both provide fishing, boating, camping, and a quiet retreat only a few minutes from the highway. Twenty-five miles west of Belton, the small town of Killeen is dwarfed by Fort Hood, the largest military post in the free world. Once a colony founded by Wendish settlers in the mid-1800s, today The Grove is a community frozen in time. This agricultural center was once home to many businesses and almost 400 residents but eventually the community became a ghost town. Today The Grove Country Life Museum is privately owned and open on weekends for visitors to tour. With over 45,000 residents, the city of Temple is the medical center for Central Texas and an important industrial producer. Temple was established by the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad and named for its chief construction engineer, B. B. M. Temple. This chapter from the DayTrips series describes many fascinating, exciting, (and many free of charge) things to do, most within a two-hour drive of Austin. Each Day Trip includes destination highlights, places to visit along the way, choice restaurants and lodging, and shopping.
© Copyright Paris Permenter & John Bigley published by Insiders' Guide all rights reserved.


Duration: One day to several days
Best Time to Go: Year-round
This travel guide comes from:
Day Trips from Austin Guide Book