Smithville, TX

Smithville is a small, historic city in Bastrop County, Texas, with a population of roughly 4,000 residents. Tucked into the rolling pineywoods of central Texas, it has a relaxed, old-fashioned feel shaped by Victorian-era homes, a walkable brick Main Street, and a deep railroad heritage. The town is perhaps best known as the filming location for the 1998 movie "Hope Floats," and it sits along the Colorado River about 40 miles southeast of Austin, which it often serves as a quiet weekend escape from.

Downtown Smithville draws visitors with a strip of restored late-1800s storefronts, antique shops, and locally owned cafés housed in some of the oldest commercial buildings in the county. The brick sidewalks and pastel-painted Victorian houses nearby give the area a picture-book character, and the town hosts a calendar of seasonal events, including a long-running crawfish festival and a Christmas in the Country celebration. It is a short walk or drive from nearly anywhere in town, making it an easy anchor for guests exploring on foot.

A short drive east of the city center brings visitors to the Colorado River, which winds past Smithville and offers public access points for fishing, kayaking, and lazy float trips. The riverbank scenery, with cypress and pecan trees overhanging the water, is a major draw for warm-weather travelers looking to cool off without venturing far from town.

Just outside Smithville lies Buescher State Park, part of the Lost Pines region and connected by trail to its larger neighbor, Bastrop State Park. Together they offer more than 7,000 acres of pine forest, hiking, biking, and shaded campsites, all within about 15 to 20 minutes of downtown. The "Lost Pines" themselves are a rare eastern outpost of loblolly pine, separated from the main pine belt by hundreds of miles, which gives the surrounding landscape a distinctive look and feel.

Smithville's appeal as a short-term-rental base comes from the mix it offers: a small-town historic core with restaurants, antiques, and walkable streets, paired with quick access to river recreation, state-park hiking, and the broader Bastrop County wine and barbecue trail. Its proximity to Austin and to the larger Bastrop community just a few miles west gives visitors the option of a peaceful small-town stay without sacrificing easy day trips to breweries, music venues, or the Austin-Bergstrom airport, which is roughly 40 minutes to the northwest.