The Cavalry Court in Aggieland caters to Aggies and their families. Pam LeBlanc photo
A few minutes have passed since I graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station and high-tailed it back to Austin, a degree in something called agricultural journalism in hand.
I’ve returned to Bryan-College Station a handful of times since then. Once, for a swim meet, a few times to catch a football game or two, and again to write about the changing face of the Corps of Cadets for the Austin American-Statesman.
Last month, after a long absence, my husband and I made the roughly 110-mile trip to Bryan-College Station to experience Aggieland and its surroundings as tourists.
Whoa, what a difference a few decades make.
Brushing up on history
The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum is located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. Pam LeBlanc photo
I started with a stop at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum, which didn’t exist when I attended A&M.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the man’s work as president, the museum, located on the Texas A&M campus, offers a good look at U.S. history since 1941. You can see a World War II Avenger Torpedo Bomber, a chunk of the Berlin wall, and photos, documents, music, and videos related to our country’s 41st president. You can even sit at a replica of Bush’s desk in the Oval Office or gather around a table in a mockup of the Situation Room. Out back you’ll find lush gardens, a small lake, and the final resting places of the president and First Lady Barbara Bush.
The museum continues to expand. Next year, a building that houses a Marine One helicopter and Locomotive 4141, painted to match Air Force One, will open.
In the meantime, a lot is going on. A birthday tribute on what would have been the 99th birthday of the president is set for June 12. Family fishing day is June 10 and a Juneteenth celebration with storyteller Toni Simmons will take place June 16.
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A look around Aggieland
Since we were already on campus, we decided to explore a little more. You can park free for 15 minutes in front of the Rosenthal Meat Center. That’s all the time you need to dash in and stock up on ribeyes, prime rib, jerky and summer sausage.
From there, we zipped into a parking garage next to the Memorial Student Center and spent an hour walking through the building. Don’t miss the Flag Room, known as “the living room of Texas A&M.” Afterward, stop by the bookstore for Aggie-themed T-shirts or knick knacks. I dragged my husband to a dimly lit corner of the center, the former site of Rumors snack bar, where I once held down a part-time job doling out chili dogs and nachos to hungry students.
From there we made stops to see my old dorms –– Hobby Hall and Krueger Hall –– and looked wistfully upon the site of the long-gone forestry building where I learned the difference between red oaks and Shumard oaks. Kyle Field looked bloated and out of proportion with so many additions. I couldn’t believe all of the fancy new buildings.
A beer at Northgate
The wooden tables at Dudley’s Draw and the Dixie Chicken are carved with initials. Pam LeBlanc photo
Then we headed to the north side of campus, where the Dixie Chicken and Dudley’s Draw are still pouring beer.
A pint today costs about the same as a pitcher did when I was a student, but the atmosphere at the adjacent bars remains the same. They’re dingy and dimly lit, with wooden tables carved with students’ initials and a slight hint of urine in the air.
We drank a beer, toasted the old days, then moseyed two minutes down the road to our hotel.
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A night at Cavalry Court
Cavalry Court in College Station is decorated in vintage barracks style. Pam LeBlanc photo
Cavalry Court, a sister property to the Lone Star Court at the Domain in Austin, looks vaguely like historic barracks. But these barracks are furnished with cushy beds, plush linens, and a refrigerator pre-stocked with beer and snacks, and a row of rocking chairs sits on the front porch.
I stashed my bag in the “closet,” inspired by an olive-green locker. Then we relocated to the front porch, which overlooks the courtyard. A large, illuminated Gig ‘em sign brightens one end of a sparkling swimming pool. Guests can gather around firepits, borrow a beach cruiser, or play lawn games. On weekends, tune in for live music. After a dinner of salmon and crispy chicken in the hotel’s restaurant, The Canteen, we reported to our bunks.
A visit to old Bryan
College Station blends right into Bryan, and the next morning we shifted our focus there. Park on Main Street for easy access and explore by foot.
I ordered a London Fog – Earl Grey tea, sugar, and steamed milk – at Harvest Coffee Bar, then wandered the historic downtown district. Don’t miss Zeitman’s Grocery Store, which I can confirm makes the best bagels in Texas. They’re also famous for an “obnoxiously big and delicious” New York double Reuben. And for lunch, beeline to Casa Rodriguez. I took the server’s advice and ordered cheese enchiladas and charro beans. Yum.
Chance Black shapes a hat at Catalena Hatters in downtown Bryan. Pam LeBlanc photo
But the highlight came in the hour we spent at Catalena Hatters. There, I watched Chance Black shape a custom-made gray felt hat. Black disappeared inside a cloud of steam as he warmed the hat, creased its crown, then curved the brim just so, like hatmakers here have been doing for more than 40 years.
“Everybody messes up a few hats,” Black says when I ask him if he’s ever ruined one. “The big deal is to stay calm.”
The one he’s shaping comes out perfectly. I can just picture the customer in Australia smiling as he settles it on his head and mounts up to herd the cattle.
