If you have ever wanted to dedicate an entire day to eating amazing barbecue, than a trip to Taylor is just what you’ve been looking for. This town that’s a part of the Texas Barbecue Belt serves up some of the best smokey meats in the state, along with awesome craft beer, beautiful lakes and great stories of revitalization.

Food

Louie Mueller Barbecue

First of all, you’ll probably need to eat two lunches or dinners to cover all the precious meats in this town. A great place to start is the mythic, heavenly Louie Mueller Barbecue. Since 1949, this no frills joint has been serving BBQ the true Texas way — with a rub that’s just salt and pepper and BIG flavor. Louie’s is a must when you’re in Taylor.

Taylor Cafe

Unfortunately, the Taylor Cafe has permanently closed since we filmed this episode.

 

Davis Grocery and Bar-B-Q

While Davis Grocery and Bar-B-Q is an actual grocery store where you can buy the ingredients to cook your own meals, you don’t need to…Reverend James Davis is always cookin’ up mighty delicious ‘que in the kitchen. When the Reverend isn’t preaching at the First Baptist Church, he’s in the ministry of meats — and trust me, just one bite of his pork steak topped with homemade comeback sauce and you’ll definitely be in heaven.

Culture

Moody Museum

To learn about one of the most fearless Texas heroes visit the Moody Museum, set in the home where Governor Dan Moody grew up. Not only was he the youngest governor in Texas history at age 33, Dan was also the first in US history to send members of the KKK to prison. You’ll also learn about other Taylor-born Texas greats like Tex Avery, the creator of Bugs Bunny.

Texas Beer Company

For a pint of craft beer, stop into the local hangout Texas Beer Company which is bringing life back into a once deserted downtown. It’s the best place to shoot the breeze with the locals and learn more about old town Taylor.

Outdoors

Fishing at Granger Lake

For a relaxing way to see Granger Lake, let local fishing guide Tommy Tidwell take you out Crappie Fishing (by the way, Crappie rhymes with “floppy”). These small freshwater fish like to hide out in the tangled vegetation underwater, but Tommy knows exactly where to find them and can help you catch a fish in no time. It’s a perfect way to show kids the ropes of fishing!

Murphy Park

And at the end of the day, if you’ve got leftover bread from all that BBQ, there are a ton of ducks at Murphy Park that will be happy to take it off your hands.

Keep Exploring

Taylor, TX