Bryan is known throughout Texas as a vibrant city outside Houston.
The city is located roughly a hundred miles northwest of Houston, and it’s also the county seat of Brazos County in Texas’s east-central region.
Being located in the middle of the “Texas Triangle,” it means that Bryan is a few hours away from reaching the state’s major cities such as Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Fort Worth.
Bryan is a wonderful place to visit, filled with hidden gems, rich Texan culture, history, and arts.
The city is a stone’s throw away from College Station, where the famous Texas A&M University is situated.
Bryan has tons of attractions—museums, art galleries, and parks, among others—for those planning for a weekend getaway.
In addition, Bryan has a lot of restaurants, breweries, stores, and sports venues to check out.
There are countless reasons for you to visit Bryan, and for more ideas, read this post about the 15 best things to do in Bryan, TX.
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The Bonfire Memorial situated at the Texas A&M’s polo fields is a beautiful memorial dedicated to the 12 students who perished in the 1999 Bonfire Accident.
In 1999, a tragedy struck the rich Texas A&M tradition of lighting a huge bonfire when it collapsed straight to the crowd.
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Today, the Bonfire Memorial aims to embody the deep meaning relevant to Texas A&M’s ‘Aggie Spirit,’ a sense of unity, leadership, and belongingness as a tradition in the university.
Most importantly, it is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the tragedy.
The memorial’s design comprises three wall structures that emphasize different elements and very interesting messages to check out.
The memorial’s surroundings are tranquil and solemn, making it a nice place to reflect.
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Larry D. Moore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Boonville Heritage Park is a historical site that offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the history of Brazos County, particularly the town of Boonville and the City of Bryan.
Most of Boonville’s history is found in this heritage park instead of the town itself, three miles east of Bryan.
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The Boonville Heritage Park features the 19th-century bronze statues of notable local personalties of Brazos County, along with old cabins and the old county courthouse.
The heritage park is an important historical site, as it’s the last remaining remnant of the old town of Boonville, the former county seat of Brazos County.
The entire Boonville Heritage Park spans 11.29 acres is a great place to discover interesting history about the back story of this place in Texas, making it worthy of being included on your itinerary.
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Larry D. Moore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Head to the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History to start your Bryan travel adventure.
This museum offers visitors vast exhibits and galleries, featuring nature, science, and history about Texas, and the entire United States in general.
It’s an excellent place to bring your kids with you and take them through the galleries and exhibits so they can learn and have fun at the same time.
Ultimately, visiting this museum makes it easier for you to get acquainted with the city of Bryan by learning its rich history.
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To wrap up your Bryan travel adventure, head to Kyle Field to watch the Texas A&M Aggies play college football.
Kyle Field boasts a whopping capacity of more than 100,000, making it the fifth-biggest football stadium in the world.
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In addition, the Aggies games are fascinating to watch as the Texas A&M has topped home attendance in the SEC for three consecutive seasons.
Watching the game is simply overwhelming and ecstatic, especially when the Aggies are facing their rivals and win the game.
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The Messina Hof Winery and Resort is a famous winery/vineyard in Bryan known for its top-notch wines, romantic sceneries, and bed-and-breakfast experience.
The Messina Hof Winery and Resort is a popular romantic destination with an excellent collection of wines harvested from its 20-acre vineyard.
You can taste and experience the different flavors of their wines at their tasting room and restaurant and pair them with their delicious meals.
In addition, you can stay for the night at their bed-and-breakfast accommodation, which has a picturesque view of the nearby lake.
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The Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley opened in 1995, offering youngsters a great experience through their interactive exhibits, library, and science simulators.
This children’s museum, run by the Kellogg Foundation, lets kids play, interact, and learn through various educational activities and tours.
Aside from its regular activities, the museum also holds workshops and hosts birthday parties and summer camps.
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Your kids will surely grow bored visiting places that don’t entirely interest them.
So, make sure to bring them to this children’s museum to give them a quality travel experience in Bryan.
Ultimately, the Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley has free entrance, making it a must-visit attraction to visit in this city.
One of the cutest attractions in Bryan is the alpacas at the Royal Oaks Alpacas.
The Lamarche family owns this Alpaca ranch.
They currently have 45 alpacas where they harvest the fur without harming these animals and manufacture it for yarn.
This place is exciting because they let visitors pet and feed Alpacas in scheduled sessions.
You can take photos or videos with their highly-sociable alpacas and upload them on your social network page when you get back home.
To visit these cuddly alpacas, check out Royal Oaks Alpaca’s website to learn about the schedule of their feeding and petting sessions.
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The Saint Andrews Episcopal Church is known for its charming and unique architecture aside from being a major religious center for Christians in Bryan.
The church’s architecture has a neo-gothic-inspired design using stone as the foundations.
Its stained glass windows and well-preserved wooden interior makes the church more beautiful, perfect as a backdrop for photoshoots.
The founders of the church were formerly a mission in the neighboring town of Millican back in 1864.
The missionaries settled in Bryan, not until 1914 and started constructing the church in the city’s heart.
The Saint Andrews Episcopal Church is more than just its beautiful architecture.
It is also a solemn place to reflect and pray.
Downtown Bryan is a vibrant district not just for its history and bustling businesses.
It’s also a popular art hub where you’ll come across various masterpieces from local artists.
One of the most popular artworks you need to visit is the murals along W. 31st St.
Local artists Sarah Blackmon, Cliff Collard, Calina Mishay, Tyler Kay, and Mick Burson created the murals in partnership with the Downtown Bryan Association to bring more life to the already vibrant district.
Since the Texas Cultural District recognized Downtown Bryan as an important cultural hub in the city, these artists put more meaning by launching this art project.
A total of five murals are put up on walls along W. 31st St., with each having different interpretations.
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Lake Bryan is a popular outdoor destination in the city, spanning more than 20 miles of pristine waters in the heart of Brazos County.
It’s where most locals, including Texas A&M students, do outdoor activities like hiking, boating, biking, fishing, and kayaking, especially during rest days or weekends.
Historically, Lake Bryan served as a cooling reservoir for the nearby Roland C. Dansby Power Plant in 1974.
Since the impounding of waters created the lake, it became a popular place for locals in Brazos County for outdoor recreation.
It’s also regularly restocked by the Texas Parks & Wildlife with popular freshwater fish such as catfish, largemouth bass, redfish, and crappie.
In addition, Lake Bryan is also a popular outdoor sports venue for triathlons, off-road footraces, mountain bike races, and non-sports events.
This charming art museum called the J. Wayne Stark Galleries is located within Texas A&M.
This art gallery is currently maintained by the University Art Galleries Department and features J. Wayne Stark’s permanent artwork collection from the early 19th and 20th centuries.
The collection features over 6,000 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, and other artworks, mainly inspired by Texan culture.
In addition, the art museum features various collections of decorative arts, sculptures, and other art genres.
An educational tour is available at the J Wayne Stark Galleries if you’re interested in browsing through its galleries.
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Check out the Brazos Valley African-American Museum for more historical attractions in Bryan.
This museum is an excellent place to widen your understanding of the history, culture, and heritage of the African-American people in the region.
The museum’s galleries and exhibits display memorabilia, such as photographs, documents, other relevant items about the region’s African-American community.
The museum itself has a historical significance to the African-American community in Brazos since it’s where the site of the original black school in the region was located.
The Aggieland Safari boasts a 250-acre safari where you’ll come across different kinds of animals through its drive-thru tours inside the facility.
One of Bryan’s most popular tourist attractions, the Aggieland Safari, lets visitors encounter various animals that you only see on Animal Planet.
At Aggieland Zoo, get up close with highly-domesticated exotic animals like giraffes, kangaroos, zebras, deer, and bison roaming around the vast safari.
In addition, you can pet and even feed the safari’s ambassador animals during its meet-and-greet session.
Aside from drive-thru tours, they also let visitors stroll through its vast zoo that covers 20-acres within the safari.
The Aggieland Safari in Bryan is a wonderful place to bring your family if you want them to have a memorable trip during your visit to this city.
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Located in Texas A&M University, the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum boasts various memorabilia and records of former President Bush.
One of the main highlights of this library/museum is the separate gallery dedicated to the life and career of former President Bush.
This library/museum, which opened in 2013, also houses a vast collection of memorabilia from his presidency and administration, which the public can view.
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Downtown Bryan highlights the city’s thriving arts community, local restaurants, antique shops, and colorful boutiques that make up a bustling and evolving commercial district.
This district is where you’ll find most stores, restaurants, and hidden gems in both College Station and Bryan.
Shop locally-made products and antique collectibles at the Attic Antiques & Collectibles, St. Vincent Depaul Resale Shop, Design Superstore, Itza Bip, Brazos Glassworks, etc.
When it comes to dining options, get to choose from a wide array of cuisines from Japanese, Tex-Mex, classic American, and Italian.
To name some, try delicious food at the RX Pizza, 3rd on Main, Ronin, Mr. G’s Pizzeria, Casa Rodriguez, Caffe Capri, Longhorn Tavern Steakhouse, The Kyle House, All King’s Men, and Papa’s Mexican Cuisine.
Bryan is a jewel in Texas worthy of visiting because of its thriving arts scene, rich history, and vibrant college community.
This city in Brazos County offers visitors so much exciting things to do.
If you want your experience visiting this Texan City to be memorable, be sure to visit the places listed in this post.
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