The video above takes you on a quick tour through the city of West, Texas — a small Central Texas town sitting right along Interstate 35 between Austin and Fort Worth. With a population hovering between 2,000 and 3,000 people, West is easy to blow past on a long drive, but it's worth pulling off the highway. The town has deep Czech, German, and Polish roots dating back to the mid-1800s, and it holds the largest concentration of Czech Texans in the state. To avoid confusion with the broader West Texas region, locals tend to say they're from "West, comma, Texas." David Bridwell stopped in while traveling from a run of gigs in the Austin and Hill Country area on his way to play shows in Dallas–Fort Worth, and the footage captures a walkable Main Street strip with old architecture, bakeries, bars, and a surprising amount of live music for a town this size.
What Live Music Venues Are in West, Texas?
For a town of roughly 2,500 people, West actually has three spots offering live music along its main downtown strip:
- Tipsy Lion — A bar along the Main Street strip that hosts live music nights, giving the small downtown area some energy after dark.
- Beans and Barley — A restaurant and bar that features live music, combining food and drinks with local and touring performers.
- Minar's Bar — Another bar on the strip that books live music acts, adding to the surprisingly solid lineup of options for a town this small.
All three are within easy walking distance of each other, so you can hit the whole strip in one evening without moving your car.
Czech Bakeries and Kolaches Right Off the Highway
One of the biggest draws in West has nothing to do with music — it's the kolaches. Two bakeries sit on opposite sides of the highway and both stay packed with travelers grabbing pastries on the road. Czech Stop (also called the Little Czech Bakery) is right off I-35 and offers a huge selection of kolaches, each with a different name based on what's inside. Across the highway, Slovacek's is equally popular, with long lines of people loading up on kolaches and other baked goods. If you're making the Austin-to-Fort-Worth drive, either one is a solid reason to pull over.
History Worth Knowing About
West carries some heavy history. In 2013, a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people and made national news. Further back, about three miles from town, there's the story of the "Crash at Crush" — a publicity stunt in the 1890s where two locomotive trains were intentionally crashed into each other. Organizers badly underestimated the debris, and two spectators were killed with many more injured. The town also celebrates its heritage each year with Westfest, an annual Czech festival that draws visitors from across the state. Between the food, the history, and a few solid spots to catch live music on a weekend night, West is a legitimate stop — not just a place you pass through.