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Brady, Texas, McCulloch County Courthouse
Brady, Texas, McCulloch County Courthouse
Every Labor Day weekend, more than 200 teams from across America and beyond gather in Brady to try for the prize at the World Championship BBQ Goat Cookoff. Thousands of fans flood the rural hamlet, which is easy to find: It’s smack in the geographical heart of Texas, on the northwestern edge of the Hill Country. Barbecue smokers line the banks of Brady Creek as kids cavort in bounce houses and craftspeople sell their wares. The festival has been around since 1974, and these days over 5,000 pounds of goat are smoked, sauced, and served each year.
Before Brady became known for goats, cattle ruled the scene. After frontier settlement impeded the easterly Chisholm Trail, the Western Trail opened in 1874 and rumbled right through Brady. The cattle drives roughly followed today’s Highway 283, which runs north from the city. Brady’s ranches, railroads, and cotton fields tell a familiar story of small-town Texas — until World War II prompted the construction of Curtis Field airport three miles away. A primary flight school for the U.S. Army Air Forces, it’s estimated that 10,000 pilots trained at the facility during the war. They practiced in the skies above their enemies: Just a few miles away was Camp Brady, a prisoner-of-war camp with over a thousand German inmates. Most were from Gen. Rommel’s Afrika Korps, and many were SS or Gestapo. The POW camp is long gone, but you can see the guard shack at Brady’s Heart of Texas Historical Museum, along with Curtis Field’s 1940s wooden control tower.
If you’re interested in World War II history, be sure to visit the courthouse square and see the 8-foot statue of hometown hero James Earl Rudder. Rudder commanded one of D-Day’s most heroic feats during the invasion of Normandy, the perilous Pointe du Hoc assault. The 33-year-old and his Army Rangers stormed the beach and then used ropes and ladders to scale the Pointe, a sheer 110-foot cliff, to seize the German artillery battery on top. Despite constant enemy fire, multiple counterattacks, and a devastating 50% casualty rate — the Americans captured the position. After the war, Rudder returned home to Brady and served as mayor before becoming the president of Texas A&M University in 1959. His statue stands ready in combat uniform, and a bottle hidden inside holds sand from Normandy Beach.
Brady is no longer filled with soldiers but with the sounds of traditional country music, and it’s largely thanks to one man: Tracy Pitcox. The longtime radio DJ runs the local record label, booking company, and Heart of Texas Country Music Museum. You can’t miss the museum; Jim Reeves’ blue-and-white tour bus is parked out front. Inside the building, you’ll find the best collection of country music memorabilia this side of Nashville, from vintage instruments to rhinestone-studded stage costumes. See artifacts from 100-plus country musicians like Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Ernest Tubb, and Ray Price. Pitcox also masterminds Brady’s two annual country music festivals, including the upcoming Heart of Texas Honky Tonk Fest on August 20 to 23.
Whether you’re two-stepping at a music show or eating your fill of barbecue goat, Brady gives you plenty of reasons to kick up your heels, loosen your belt, and give a friendly nod to this throwback Texas town.
Explore Brady
Savor: The first train that ever rolled into Brady came from Fort Worth, and the town’s old Santa Fe depot is now its newest eatery, Big Easy Station. Burgers at the popular watering hole have fun toppings like pepperoni, fried banana peppers, and caramelized onions. Fried catfish is the fan favorite at Boondocks, a local mainstay with housemade ranch and complimentary pinto beans. For breakfast, Mexico City Café makes a mean plate of migas and a wide variety of omelets and burritos. Wine lovers will want to check out Dotson-Cervantes, a vineyard and winery outside of town owned by a former Oakland Raiders lineman and his wife.
Shop: Are you shopping for a taxidermied raccoon, a vintage trench bugle, or a whimsical necklace made of dentures? You’re in luck. D&J’s Good Ole Days Antiques & Oddities isn’t just a shop — it’s an adventure. From half-burnt doll heads to tumbleweed sculptures and crusty Victorian books, this off-the-wall store specializes in the quirky and uncommon. Browse prosthetic eyeballs and skeleton keys or pick up a retro cattle brand for your collection. All the oddball treasures are well organized and thoughtfully curated, and the clever, humorous staging may keep you looking longer than you planned.
Enjoy: Deer season is big news in Brady. Hunters travel from far and wide to try and bag a buck on the large ranches and leases that surround the town. It’s been a hunting hotspot since before the McCulloch County Jail was built in 1910; the three-story, red-brick structure has the foreboding appearance of a medieval castle. Today it houses the Heart of Texas Historical Museum, where you can see the old iron cells, a hangman’s noose, and 500 model airplane engines. If you have time, catch a movie at the Palace Theater, which was built in 1927 and restored in 2017.
Snooze: Bonnie and Clyde hid out at the TruCountry Inn on more than one occasion. Built in 1923, its themed suites (cowboys and country musicians) feature original windows and carved wooden doors — and in one case, a bullet hole. Country singer Heather Miles restored the landmark building in 2020. For something a bit more modern, try short-term rentals on Airbnb or Vrbo, like 4th Street House, a colorful blue bungalow with a backyard fire pit and hot tub. The Gates Guest House nearby is a freshly renovated 1950s cottage with a sparkling white kitchen, and the Heart of Texas House has a fenced-in yard for your pooch.
How to Get There: For the shortest and easiest route, drive south from Fort Worth on US-377, which leads all the way to Brady. You’ll pass through Granbury, Stephenville, and Comanche along the way. The entire trip is about 190 miles and takes just over three hours.
