Top 10 Day Trip Things to Do in Hillsboro
One hour from Dallas and Fort Worth, and 30 minutes from Waco, sits Hillsboro, Texas. People visit Hillsboro for weekend escapes, heritage tourism, off site corporate meetings, and to unwind from the hectic pace and traffic of larger cities.
Hillsboro has three downtown museums:
Texas Through Time, Texas Through Time is a 501c3 Nonprofit fossil museum specializing in fossils found in Texas & surrounding states. Free admission, with gift shop, private tours, and significant dinosaur and other fossil records.
Roadside America Museum is a popular downtown Hillsboro museum, in an almost endless tour through memorabilia and classic cars from America's golden age. Please call or ring the doorbell for tours.
Both Texas Through Time and Roadside America Museum are frequent subjects of national and international attention from the media and from visitors. Check out videos from Hillsboro, Texas' most popular museums and other visitor attractions at this link.
The Hill County Cell Block Museum (current closed and undergoing renovations). At Hill College near the Interstate, we have the Texas Heritage Museum.
Downtown shops and restaurants inhabit quaint, beautifully restored buildings that date back to the 1800’s. They surround the majestic Hill County Courthouse. Friendly faces, a slower pace, and southern hospitality define downtown Hillsboro. Visit the Old Rock Saloon, which has been transformed into an ice cream shop and candy store. Branded Burger downtown is another beautiful option for dining in style in a restored original Cotton Exchange building, with a breathtaking second floor seating and bar.
From May to October, you can catch the Saturday Farmer’s Market on the courthouse square. If you want nightlife, there is a summer concert series that runs from May to September at the Hillsboro Truckyard downtown, just across from Wrangler’s Cafe and Entertainment.
Quiet, kind and the right mix of old and new, Hillsboro is a beautiful historic city with a rich heritage, strong sense of community, and is home to a remarkable amount of success stories of people who achieved national acclaim as musicians, famous doctors and celebrities, and business magnates.
Overflow Coffee & Art Gallery at Bond Emporium
Inside the historic Bond Emporium in downtown Hillsboro is Overflow Coffee. I's cozy local favorite with coffee, breakfast and lunch, and an art gallery on the the first and second levels.
A popular meeting place for locals, and an especially popular destination for visitors to Hillsboro, Overflow Coffee and Cafe is in the heart of downtown, and faces the Hill County Courthouse. (excellent views).
Overflow Coffee and Cafe is located at 60 W Elm St, Hillsboro, TX 76645 (254) 283-5272
The location is historic, and was restored recently, from being the longest running pharmacy in Texas - The Bond Pharmacy.
Beautiful loft living spaces are located above Overflow Coffee in downtown Hillsboro, Texas.
Tour the Hill County Courthouse
Our beautiful courthouse is the central point of Historic Downtown Hillsboro, and is enveloped by a walkable downtown square with shops, restaurants, and businesses. Visitors may gain entry to see the interior during weekday regular hours for the courthouse. You can watch a youtube video tour of the courthouse, with stories and antidotes by Judge Justin Lewis.
The basement restrooms are among the most interesting parts of an in person tour, and a must see interior revival of courtrooms, stairwells and architectural beauty.
1 Waco Street Hillsboro, Texas 76645, and generally open from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.
Roadside America Museum
The Roadside America Museum is a privately owned collection of 40s and 50s advertising memorabilia, classic cars, and nostalgic Americana. Housed in an old Ford dealership building, it draw visitors and television hosts from all over the world, and will be the 2023 host of the Hot Rod Tour of Texas finale celebration on April 30th, 2023 in downtown Hillsboro. The museum is generally open daily, but please call ahead to ensure the owner can give you a private tour.
212 E Elm St, Hillsboro, TX 76645 (972) 291-2958
R&K Café Downtown
R&K Café brings visitors from all across the state to dine in this restored building that once housed an Interurban Electric Railway switching station. Hometown cooking at its finest, with daily specials and friendly staff.
103 N Waco St, Hillsboro, TX 76645 254-283-5340
Texas Through Time Museum
Texas Through Time is a Texas fossil and dinosaur museum in downtown Hillsboro. They have been featured on Discovery & History Channels, Texas Country Reporter, and hold children's classes, rock and mineral shows.
From thier website:
When visiting the museum, you will be greeted by life sized dinosaurs outside the museum, one of which you can climb on! Upon entering, you have the option to have a personal tour of the exhibits by one of our guides or a self-guided tour. The exhibits begin at the oldest fossils on record, through the Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, and the Ice Age.
We have a dig box for kids to excavate a hadrosaur skeleton, a fossil prep lab where guests can view our paleontologists actively working on fossils, a Jr Paleontologists zone for kids to play, kids can test their skills at finding fossils by going on our museum scavenger hunt, and guests can end their visit by shopping in our gift shop.
We have an additional exhibit hall with seasonal exhibits, contact us to find out what special exhibit we hold today!
We have tons of events through the year, many of which are free and geared towards kids. Some events include fossil classes, Dino Movie Nights on our outdoor movie screen, an outdoor rock sale quarterly, and an annual Jurassic Park themed haunted house for during Halloween. Follow us on social media to keep up with new & upcoming activities!
110 North Waco Street Hillsboro, Texas 76645 254.262.DINO (3466)
Downtown Hillsboro Boutiques and Shopping
Shopping downtown Hillsboro is a simple and beautiful experience. Our boutiques and stores are sprinkled throughout downtown, and feature ladies and children's apparel, men's and women's boots and western wear, antiques, bookstore and thrift store, a pawn shop with amazing jewelry, and flower and gift shops.
The store owners are warm and friendly, and store hours are generally regular business hours Tuesday through Thursday, with many of them being closed on Sundays and Mondays.
The Hillsboro City Library
Since 1971, the Hillsboro City Library has occupied the historic 1915 James Knox Taylor-designed U.S. Post Office. The building boasts Renaissance Revival architecture with exterior columns and terra cotta medallions, elegant arches inside and out, and an open 2nd-floor mezzanine. The old vault doors can still be seen in the basement!
Stroll the nature trail at Wallace Park
This 1.8 mile there-and-back trail is an easy stroll, and should take about a half an hour. The trail is open from dawn to sunset year round. Dogs on leashes are welcome. Picnic tables are available.
Photo Opportunity in Downtown Hillsboro
Selfie opportunities in Hillsboro?
The Hello from Hillsboro sign is located at 115 North Covington, just steps from the Hill County Courthouse gets lots of fun visitors and photos posted on facebook and instagram.
The Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center where the sign is located, is a historic MKT (Missouri-Kansas-Texas, or “Katy”) railroad depot.
Farm-fresh produce and hand-crafted products at the Hillsboro Farmers Market
If you happen to be in Hillsboro on a Saturday, you don't want to miss the best Farmers' Market around. Produce grown locally with love, soap made by hand, eggs hand-gathered, honey produced by local bees!
Events Calendar for Hillsboro, Texas
If you are in Hillsboro, you might as well experience a few of our events.
Hillsboro has an annual lineup of large events, and smaller community events that are open to guests.
