Wharton

[ChannelTwoNews]

Took these last week in between showers. There's more to take a look at in this city than what I got, but I can post more on a future trip.

TeePee Motel

The newly renovated courthouse. Check out this page for more.

Downtown

Santa Fe Trail Park (Formerly a railroad track, now a landscaped trail starting near the intersection at Hwy 60)

[Guest Marty]

That's cool, I never seen the Tee Pee Motel in Wharton before.

[Boris]

Very cool photos.

You beat me to Wharton with those photos.

Can't wait to see the others.

We're actually planning a stay at the Tee Pee Motel with the Kids and I was going to take some pictures of the town. But, you did the work for me.

Adios

[tomv]

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing them with us. I drove through Wharton yesterday (the US59 part, so I guess that's not really Wharton proper) and noticed a new Chili's alongside the freeway. A small one, near the hospital. That's got to be a great addition to the community. I love local and quaint places as much as anyone (Hinze's BBQ down the road a bit is fabulous) but it's also nice to have something like this too to choose from.

Every time you see one of those semi-run down small town "Main Street" areas, you can't help but think potential. Planners and developers in Houston and other cities are scrambling as fast as they can to try to recreate this kind of environment, and here it is! And it's the real thing, not a facsimilie.

What's the answer to making these downtowns thrive again? Encourage tourism and try to fill the storefronts up with antique

shops, flea markets, cafes, etc...?

Is there any way to attract actual retail stores? Could a retailer looking for more space take over several buildings, connecting them, but leaving the quaint storefronts and convenient parking in place? Just wondering.