Need a weekend getaway in TX? I have one for you!

When you live in a town that is a huge tourist attraction. Sometimes it’s hard to find a weekend getaway for yourself. My husband’s birthday is in the middle of September and we always like to go away to celebrate. It launches us into what I called “Clifford season”. This starts by celebrating my husband’s birthday all the way through Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. 

When moving to Texas in 2019, we realized there would be a huge state to explore. It can be a bit overwhelming trying to figure out where to go. So what did I do when it was time to plan a trip for my husband’s birthday? I googled “ what is another town in Texas similar to Fredericksburg?” The answer was Granbury.

All of the details

Granbury is located in northern Texas approximately 40 miles west of Fort Worth. It is centered around a beautiful lake and a historic town Square. 

While researching where to stay in Granbury, I came upon Hotel Lucy. I am a fanatic about boutique hotels that have theme rooms. Harlow was the room I chose as it had a bit of whimsy and romance. It looked like a very cool and unique spot.

Let’s talk about Hotel Lucy! It is located as you enter the downtown area of Granbury across the street from the Granbury City Beach Park. I was very impressed with Hotel Lucy from the moment I arrived. As I went to check in, I met my personal concierge, MayCee. She could not have been more accommodating! MayCee met us outside of our room to make sure we got in with no problem. She let me know that she was available via text at any time during our stay.

Once Scot and I got situated in the room we decided to go have a glass of wine. MayCee, let me know that she would meet us at the bar and poured us a lovely glass of Merlot. The bar is located in the Big Lucy building. There also is a huge kitchen and eating area in that building for guests to use. 

Hotel Lucy has a few buildings on his property plus a common area outdoors with a beautiful pool. There’s also a huge gift shop called The Pearl. The Pearl has all of the things you can imagine. There are a lot gift items for brides-to-be, jewelry, fun shoes and boots, candles and a thousand other imaginative gifts for others and of course, yourself.

Our room, The Harlow, is located in what is known as Little Lucy. Our room was stunning. The mix of chic and vintage was outstanding.

The bathroom is gorgeous and very functional. The king size bed was very comfortable. The room as a whole was very impressive.

There are three rooms available in Little Lucy and they all share a kitchen living room area that is chic and modern yet retro at the same time. 

A walk to the town square

Our first nights dinner reservations were at the Eighteen Ninety Grille and Lounge. It was within walking distance of Hotel Lucy, so we decided to walk to dinner. The town square is absolutely adorable. As we made our way into the town square, we notice a gathering Place that was covered, where I imagine a lot of festivities take place in. There was a water fountain, surrounded by a lot of brick and lime stone.

Looking very European and chic as we made our way into the Square we saw the Granbury opera house. It had a board outside, seating, all of the upcoming plays musicals, I was excited to see Steel Magnolias as an upcoming play. There are cute, coffee, shops, bars, and restaurants, along with boutiques and specialty stores all around the square.

Of course food was involved

We were a little early for our reservation at Eighteen Ninety Grille and Lounge, so we made our way to the bar. We decided to start with cocktails, and I of course chose a dirty martini. To go along with our cocktails, we opted for the tuna appetizer that was absolutely delicious.

We ordered a bottle of wine at the bar that the server took for us to our table once we were seated. They have a lovely potato soup that I chose as a starter. Scot opted for Caesar salad. Since we were at a steakhouse, we both opted to have steak for our main course.

Scot had a gorgeous ribeye served with garlic, mashed potatoes and green beans and I had the fillet with blue cheese melted on top. It was out of this world. We ended our meal by sharing some banana pudding.

We had a lovely quiet, walk back to our hotel room and settled in for the evening.

Day trip to Ft. Worth

The next day we decided to drive to Fort Worth and go to the farmers market. It was in the Clearfork area of Fort Worth and we had never been to that part of the city. We met some lovely people and enjoyed sampling, some olives and olive oil, before heading to brunch.

Brunch was nearby at Fixe Southern House. We sat at the bar and both had Bloody Mary’s. We shared their incredible bacon, crab dip and hot biscuits. The biscuits are made to order and they are not to be missed. I found out while sitting at the bar that there is one located in Austin and I can’t wait to make it a regular stop for us!

Scot opted for the fixed breakfast that had potatoes, bacon, and eggs. I went for the vegetarian. It is toasted, Farro, sweet corn, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, red pepper with a pecan romesco sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the meal.

We checked out some of the shops at Clearfork, and then made our way back to Granbury.

When we got back to Granbury we decided to explore the square some more. We had a lot of fun exploring all of the little shops and boutiques. We had a glass of wine and headed back to our room to rest before our last night out.

Saturday night’s alright for pork…

After a short rest, we were ready for our last night out. We were excited to have reservations at Restaurant Anise. Restaurant Anise is a small dining room located on the other side of the lake with 8 to 10 tables and a very limited, yet exciting menu. They are open Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 10 and do accept reservations.

The chef creates a revolving menu, based on the season. It is very simple but I love it. There were 3 appetizers, entree and dessert to chose from. It was a hard decision because it all looked incredible.

Scot and I share a lovely bottle of French wine. I decided have the Mixed Greens with Nectarines, Jicama, & Pepita salad with a lovely vinaigrette. Scot enjoyed a chilled Tomato Soup with Smoked Duck Breast and Cherry balsamic reduction.

For our entrée, we both opted for the pork ribeye with a softshell crab, Dijon, hummus, fennel, and pickled okra and dill. It was the best pork dish I’ve ever had. I never would’ve thought combined a softshell crab with pork, but it was a perfect pairing. It was so good that I ended up trying to create a copycat recipe when we returned home! Stay tuned for my rendition of this dish sans crab.

We shared a Spiced Apple Tart Tatin with Homemade Ginger Ice Cream for dessert. It was a lovely night and look forward to checking out this restaurant again.

On Sunday, we brunch

Sunday morning we went for brunch at Christina‘s American Table. They do not have a full liquor license, so they make their Bloody Mary with a house wine mixer. I was a little tentative to see how it would taste, but honestly it was fantastic! This is a great option for restaurants that do not have full liquor licenses.

I saw the woman next to me get a lobster roll. Yes, a lobster roll in north Texas and I decided to take the bait. I was not disappointed. It made me a little homesick for New England as I haven’t had a lobster roll in a number of years. Scot had the Chopped Prime Rib Hash. It was served with bacon and a sunny side up egg with some hot sauce and grilled toast and he was a very happy man.

So long for now….

I have to say that Granbury turned out to be the perfect getaway spot! If you need a romantic weekend getaway or time away with your best friends, Granbury is that place to be. I can’t say enough about our accommodations and service at Hotel Lucy and the restaurants were we dined.

I am excited to be heading back in February with some friends to see one of my favorite all time movies, Steel Magnolia’s. Sharing my new find will be a lot of fun and I can’t wait!