Things to Do in Smithville 

Smithville is a small town packed tight with so many things to do, you’ll be planning your next trip before the first one’s over. On the road from Austin to Houston, Smithville is the rare Texas town where you can tour filming locations for Hollywood movies, paddle the famous Colorado River, hike the Lost Pines, and restaurant hop through a historic main street—and all in one day! 

See Where They Filmed Hope Floats, The Tree of Life, and Bernie 

Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr. spent the summer of 1997 shooting Hope Floats in downtown Smithville, and the town has been welcoming film fans ever since. The Visit Smithville office hands out—and posts online—a self-guided Film Tour Map marking the locations where key scenes were shot.  

The fandom doesn't end with the map. Hope Floats Ice Cream & Bakery on NW 2nd Street serves homemade ice cream and pastries inside a building that nods directly to the film. Smithville's film legacy goes beyond Hope Floats, though. In fact, the town has hosted productions ranging from “The Tree of Life” to “Bernie,” two films from two of Texas’ most prized filmmakers. 

Save Some Room for Main Street 

It’s well known that you never find the best food at chain restaurants or the places with the longest lines to get in. The greatest meal you’ll ever have is at the hole in the wall, the shack out on the dirt road, and the cafe in the 100-year-old building. Downtown Smithville specializes in that undefeated genre of hidden-in-plain-sight cuisine.  

Start your morning at Olde World Bakery & Cafe on Main Street for fresh-baked kolaches and pastries that have been drawing locals for two decades. For lunch, work your way down Main to Front Room Wine Bar for a wine flight and small plates. Or hightail it over to Bubby's BBQ on Loop 230 for brisket, sausage, and ribs done the way the non-Texan mind can’t even comprehend.  

Dinner options range from Tex-Mex at Quinto Patio to chef-driven dishes at Pocket's Grille to a pint and a wood-fired pizza at Smithville Brewing Company on the north end of town. Tell them we sent you. 

Explore the Lost Pines and the Colorado River 

Texas is known for its immense natural wonders, but few are quite so unique as the Lost Pines region. The region is known far and wide as a geological curiosity, due to its stand of loblolly pines that grow more than 100 miles west of where they’re supposed to grow. They were marooned in Smithville due to climate shifts that occurred thousands of years ago. The best way to experience the pines is at Buescher State Park, which has 7.5 miles of hiking trails, a stocked fishing lake, and cabins available to rent if you decide to stay the night.