I took advantage of a nice, sunny (but hot) day by taking a drive through the countryside to some of the painted churches near Schulenburg, Texas.
The Schulenburg Chamber of Commerce organizes tours of the churches, but it is possible to tour them on your own if you are in a small group.
The four churches mentioned in the Schulenburg visitor guide are:
- Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ammannsvile
- Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Praha
- Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Dubina
- Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in High Hill
I found one other interesting church on The Day Tripper’s website… Saint Paul Lutheran church. It was north of La Grange and a significant distance from the other churches, but it was certainly worth visiting.
Since Saint Paul was furthest away I decided to visit it first. It was certainly worth the visit.
After visiting the church I made my way to La Grange, Texas. The first stop was HEB to use the bathroom. I intended to stop by the Texas Heroes Museum which was in an old jail to take some photos, but got sidetracked along the way by the Fayette County Courthouse.
I took the drone up for some photos and videos. The square around the courthouse was very similar to San Marcos.
Just a block away was the Texas Heroes Museum
I then stopped briefly at Monument Hill. I flew the drone for a few minutes until the first battery was drained. I managed to get a decent photo of the monument with the river in the background. It was a bit too hot to go for a hike in the park.
The next church I drove to was the United Evangelical Lutheran / Philadelphia Church. It was old, but not spectacular. Feel free to skip this one.
The next church was Saint John the Baptist. Unfortunately this one was only open Monday through Thursday, so I wasn’t able to go inside.
The next stop was Saint Cyril & Methodious in Dubina. This was one of the more spectacular churches. Unfortunately they only allow visitors inside with a guide. You can, however see most of the inside from the lobby. I also took the drone up to get some video and photos.
I thought this was the last church before reaching Schulenburg, so I abandoned my directions and sought out something to eat in Schulenburg. The first attempt – Momma’s at Sengelmannn Hall, but they decided to close on Fridays during August.
The next choice was Oakridge Smokehouse Restaurant. It was acceptable, with a buffet and a good choice of barbecue and fried chicken. The food wasn’t really worthy of taking a photo. Fell free to skip this stop as well.
After lunch I realized I forgot one of the best churches. I drove up to Saint Mary’s Church High Hill, which was only a few miles away.
The next church was the last of the four best known churches. It is Saint Mary’s Czech Catholic Church. It was beautiful inside and worth stopping in if you are passing by.
I tried stopping at two other churches on the way back home. Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Church and Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church. Both of the churches were closed. I did take a couple of pictures of Saint John’s because of the interesting steeple.
