A Day Trip to “The Gingerbread City”
Waxahachie (pronounced WOK-suh-HATCH-ee, and yes, most people get it wrong the first time) has been going by “The Gingerbread City” for over a century, and the nickname has nothing to do with cookies. It’s about the town’s obsession with ornate Victorian woodwork, and once you’ve seen it, you’ll understand why a day trip here is worth the drive.
Why It’s Called the Gingerbread City
The whole thing traces back to one building: the 1897 Ellis County Courthouse, a red sandstone, Romanesque Revival showpiece designed by architect James Riely Gordon. It was so elaborately decorated that it set the tone for the rest of the town, builders across Waxahachie started adding the same kind of ornate, decorative “gingerbread” trim to their own homes and storefronts. The result stuck. Hundreds of Waxahachie structures are now on the National Register of Historic Places, and the courthouse square is still the heart of it.
Top Downtown Picks
For the destination meal, Cork & Keg (106 N College St) is the pick. It’s tucked into the ground floor of the historic Rogers Hotel, an “enchantingly tiny spot” with dark oak and floor-to-ceiling windows. Chef Adam Binnix, a former police officer turned chef who came up through Dallas’ Bolsa under Stephen Pyles, runs a wine-bar-meets-seafood menu. The shrimp and grits, creamy hominy grits with shrimp sautéed in clarified butter, is the dish people drive back for.
College Street Pub (210 N College St) is the more casual, more fun option, a British-style pub with a Texas flair. Bangers & Mash, Shepherd’s Pie, and Fish & Chips share the menu with a hand-cut ribeye special, and there’s both inside and garden seating plus regular live music.
Butter & Grace (109 W Franklin St) is the move for breakfast or lunch, Southern home cooking with a pot roast that regulars specifically call out.
Celebrity Diner & Bakery (115 E Franklin St) closes it out, a diner and bakery combo a block off the square known for pancake tacos alongside the usual bakery case.
Pair It With a Stroll
The whole point of Waxahachie is that you can walk it. Do the courthouse square first, the 1897 building alone is worth the stop, then wander a few blocks in any direction to see the Victorian homes that gave the town its nickname. The annual Gingerbread Trail Tour of Homes opens some of them up to the public if you time a visit right, but even on a random Saturday, the architecture is the free part of the trip.
[See more Waxahachie restaurants and food spots on Talk of Waxahachie →]
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