Fair 82 °F 
Getting To & Around Brenham
Brenham is about halfway between Houston and Austin on Highway 290. Brenham is home to Blue Bell ice cream, a quaint historic downtown with great shopping, dining and lodging, complete with lush parks, antique fire engines and carousels.
Independence boasts the Antique Rose Emporium, and parks commemorate the sites where Baylor University was founded in 1845.
Burton features the Texas Cotton Gin Museum and other historic buildings.
Chappell Hill offers historic homes, the oldest bank in Texas and a museum.
Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site is where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed in 1836 creating the Republic of Texas, and includes the 1850’s “White House” of the Republic of Texas’ last president and Star of the Republic Museum.
Getting Around Brenham
We tell directions in minutes, not miles. We don’t have more than a 10-minute rush hour and nearly every attraction is only 20 minutes or less from Brenham.
Things you do need to know when traveling to downtown Brenham:
- Business Hwy. 290 (Main and Alamo Streets) are separated and and are one-way streets. Main runs west and Alamo runs east.
- Street parking is free.
- Free additional parking lots in the downtown area are on:
Commerce Street between Park Street and Baylor Street
Vulcan Street between Austin Street and Douglas Street
Vulcan Street between Park Street and Baylor Street
Also, Hwy 290 between FM 577 (Blue Bell Rd) and FM 389 recently went through a major renovation. Exits and feeder roads have changed. If you have reserved a room at one of the hotels along Hwy 290, it is highly advisable that you call them before arriving to ensure the best route to take to the hotel.