We have arranged for a private tour of Kyle Field on Saturday morning. There is space for only about 30 people, so please text Brad at 903-918-9544 asap if you would like to go. You will need to be at Entry 3 at Kyle Field at 10am. The tour will last for about an hour. Kyle Field is a little over a mile from The George; it's about a 30-minute walk across the campus.
Bryan, TX is a cute town with a farmers market on Saturday mornings. There are boutiques, antique stores, and other shops, as well as restaurants. The Old Bryan Marketplace, Ed's Bookshop, Corner of Time Antiques, and Sparrow Lane are a few of Claire's favorites. It's a short 10 minute or so drive if you have a car or want to Uber.
You definitely need a car for this one, since it's about a 50-minute drive from College Station. Brenham is a quaint town and home to Blue Bell Ice Cream. The drive is worth it just to sample the ice cream -- you can tour the Blue Bell dairy, if you want -- but the town has some nice shops and restaurants, too. And a bit southwest of Brenham is Round Top, where huge antiques fairs are held every winter, spring, and fall, but there are some antiques and specialty shops that are open all year. Claire recommends Kelly Butler's place (it's not a "store;" it's several barn-like structures and outdoor areas full of stuff, antique and new) at 2120 Hwy 237 (it's actually in Carmine, not Round Top). Downtown Round Top has some nice shops, including one specializing in olive oils and another what sells leather goods.
The Memorial Student Center (the MSC) on campus is worth a visit. There's. Barnes & Noble, 2 art galleries, and the Flag Room. Just be sure you don't walk on the grass and you do remove your hat when you enter the building.
The Bonfire Memorial is right across the street from The George. It tells the story of the bonfire tradition and remembers those who died in the 1999 bonfire structure collapse.
There are 15 galleries and museums in College Station and the surrounding area and that doesn't include the more than 50 businesses and restaurants with art and the over 125 murals, statues ad sculptures, plus 2 potteries. The George likely has the Aggieland Art Trail brochure, which includes a map, but if not, you can get the information you need at AggielandArtTrail.com.
This tour has now been set and here are the details. The Library is in the southwest corner of the A&M’s West Campus. It is a 11 minute drive from The George: Confirmation for guided tour on Saturday, January 17 at 11:30 a.m. for 25 adults. Your tour guides will be Nancy Byrd and Randy Fullhart. They will meet your group in the Rotunda. Please allow 90 minutes for your tour. Free parking is available in Lot 41. One of 16 presidential libraries in the US, the George Bush Library provides an in-depth look at the life and service of the late George H.W. Bush. Watch this space over the next few days, though, because we are trying to arrange a private tour of the library for Saturday. If we can't pull that off, it's still worth a visit on your own.
There are lots of great places for a run or walk, including campus, which you can access right across the street from The George. But another option is Lake Walk, near The Stella Hotel. There's a 3.5 mile hiking trail and you can also visit the 75-foot tall Lookout Tower for a great view of Aggieland. And when you finish your exercise, there's a coffeehouse for taking a break.
Yes, Aggieland has a winery! Messina Hof is one of the most award-winning wineries in Texas (although, granted, that's a low bar). You can take a behind-the-scenes tour if you like, or just sit and relax with a glass of wine and imagine you're in Sonoma or Nappa. (Really, really use your imagination!)
Northgate is in some ways your typical near-campus bar and shop scene. It is less than a mile to the west of The George on University Drive. One of the most well known college bars in Texas is the Dixie Chicken in Northgate. It is a true classic. It is one of the few places where you are welcome to carve your name in the tables or the walls. The beer is cold and plentiful and a Dixie Chicken burger and fries is a great lunch. Be sure and look for the live Rattle Snake in The Chicken and walk through bottle cap alley.
Here are some breakfast and lunch suggestions: -For real Tex-Mex either Casa Rodriguez in downtown Bryan near our Friday night venue (our favorite), Papa Perez also in downtown Bryan, or Jose’s on Texas Avenue only about 1.3 miles north of The George. -For breakfast there is a creperie in Century Square, The Toasted Yolk (our favorite) and Snooze (very similar to Toasted Yolk) are both a mile east of the hotel, and south on Hwy 6 about 7 miles is Stella’s. It is also very good. The coolest breakfast experience is the Hullabaloo Diner in the Welborn community about an 8 mile drive. -Good burger options. The Dixie Chicken in Northgate is an iconic college bar with a really good burger and fries. Or try their sister restaurant the Chicken Oil Company in Bryan. Lastly. Koppe Bridge on Welborn is a very good burger joint. -We highly recommend Napa Flats in College Station for lunch. It is one mile south on Texas Avenue. -Look in the next section for a link to more options.
This is a link to the Century Square development website where The George is located. There are lots of shops, restaurants, and bars in Century Square.
If you are a fan of Science Fiction, the Cushing Library in the center of the A&M campus is home to the entire personal collection of George R. R. Martin the author of A Story of Fire and Ice that Game of Thrones was based on. We are not fans of the genre ourselves, but if you are I think this is a big deal. See below from the Cushing Library website: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection at Cushing Library is one of the largest of its kind in the world. It holds thousands upon thousands of books and monographs ranging from 17th-century works of proto-science fiction to the most recent titles of significance; serials, including over 90% of the SF and other genre American pulp magazines published in the 20th-century; a growing number of archival collections from authors and other creators such as George R.R. Martin, Michael Moorcock, Robert E. Howard, Andre Norton, Elizabeth Moon, Lisa Tuttle, Martha Wells, Howard Waldrop, and Robert Silverberg.