Plenty of Texas towns have a courthouse, a rail line and a row of brick storefronts. Only one has an official title from the Texas Legislature naming it the Blues Capital of Texas. That would be Navasota, a Grimes County town of under 10,000 people where a sharecropper-turned-guitar-legend still keeps watch from a bronze statue a short stroll from Washington Avenue.
Navasota sits about 70 miles northwest of Houston, roughly an hour and 15 minutes up Highway 6, and about 22 miles southeast of College Station. It is an easy day trip, but the town rewards folks who slow down, read a few historical markers and let the music history sink in.
From Hollandale to railroad town
The area was first settled in 1822 by Francis Holland, and early on it went by Hollandale. The name Navasota came in 1854, and a few years later the Houston and Texas Central Railway laid track through town. That railroad turned Navasota into a busy shipping point for cotton and goods, and the money from those years still shows in the downtown storefronts and the Victorian homes along Washington Avenue.
Rail is still part of the town’s identity. Union Pacific named Navasota a “Train Town USA” in 2012, and you’ll likely hear a freight train or two rumble through during your visit.
Why Navasota is the Blues Capital of Texas
In 2005 the Texas Legislature gave Navasota its Blues Capital of Texas designation, largely to honor Mance Lipscomb. Born in 1895, Lipscomb spent most of his life farming around Navasota and playing for local dances. He was not widely recorded until he was in his 60s, and once the folk revival found him, he became one of the most admired Texas songsters of his era. His playing style could make one guitar sound like a whole band. He died in 1976.
The town leaned into that heritage again in 2024, when the Texas Governor’s Office certified Navasota as a Music Friendly Texas community, the 67th city in the state to earn that label.
Where to see the blues heritage today
- Mance Lipscomb Park: A life-size bronze statue of Lipscomb, guitar in hand, sits in this small park on La Salle Street near downtown. It is a favorite spot for photos.
- The blues mural: On the side wall of Classic Rock Coffee Co. & Kitchen on East Washington Avenue, a large mural honors regional blues players including Lipscomb, Blind Willie Johnson, Texas Alexander and Lightnin’ Junior Williams. Inside, the cafe keeps a small display of music memorabilia, and it is a handy place to grab coffee or a sandwich.
- Navasota Blues Fest: The town’s blues festival dates to the early 1990s, went quiet for about a decade, and came back in 2023. According to KBTX, the 2026 festival was scheduled for Saturday, October 24. Confirm the lineup, location and tickets with the Navasota Grimes County Chamber of Commerce before you plan around it.
Walking historic downtown
Downtown Navasota is compact and walkable, and part of the fun is just looking up. Many of the 19th-century commercial buildings still have their original upper-story details, and several now house antique shops, boutiques and eateries. A few landmarks worth finding:
- The La Salle Monument: A bronze statue of French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, dedicated in 1936, stands on Washington Avenue. Tradition holds that La Salle died in this part of Texas in 1687.
- City Hall and the Frank Hamer statue: Frank Hamer, the Texas Ranger later famous for tracking down Bonnie and Clyde, served as Navasota’s city marshal starting in 1908. A statue of him stands at City Hall on McAlpine Street.
- Washington Avenue’s Victorian homes: The residential stretch of Washington Avenue is lined with grand old homes from the town’s railroad heyday. Drive it slowly, or park and walk a few blocks.
- The P.A. Smith Hotel: This 1870s building near the tracks was restored and reopened as a boutique hotel, a good option if you’d like to stay the night downtown.
Muddy Water Bookstore, which carries new and used books including Texas history titles, is a nice stop for readers. Shops and restaurants downtown keep their own hours, and many small-town businesses close early or take a day off midweek, so Saturdays are usually the best bet for finding everything open.
Making a day of it
Navasota pairs well with a history-heavy loop. Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed in 1836, is only about 10 miles west. Keep going another half hour or so and you’ll reach Brenham, home of the Blue Bell Creameries visitor center. Fall is an especially pleasant time to go, with cooler mornings and the blues festival on the calendar.
Good to Know
- Where: Navasota, Grimes County. About 70 miles northwest of Houston (roughly 1 hour 15 minutes), about 2 hours from Austin and about 3 hours from Dallas.
- Don’t miss: The Mance Lipscomb statue on La Salle Street and the blues mural on East Washington Avenue.
- Blues Fest: Reported for Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. Confirm details locally before you go.
- Best day to visit: Saturday, when most downtown shops are open.
- Cost: Strolling downtown and visiting the statue and mural is free.
Hours, dates and prices can change. Check the City of Navasota website before you head out.
Navasota doesn’t put on airs. It’s a working Texas town that happens to have a deep musical story, a pretty main drag and a bronze bluesman who welcomes everybody. Bring a good playlist of Mance Lipscomb for the drive in, and y’all will be in the right frame of mind before you even park.
Featured photo: Larry D. Moore via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
