8 Ghost Towns Near Austin You Can Still Visit
A town the railroad left behind, a former capital of Texas and a community named for Baby Head Mountain. These ghost towns are a day trip from Austin.
Central Texas is dotted with towns that once had hotels, saloons and big plans, and then the railroad went somewhere else.
Some are true ghost towns, with only a cemetery left. Others hang on with a few dozen people and a dance hall.
Here are 8 within about two hours of Austin, closest first, with history from the Handbook of Texas and visiting info from official pages. Drive times are rough estimates without traffic.
1. Bagdad
Bagdad was surveyed in 1854 and named for Bagdad, Tennessee, according to the Handbook of Texas. By 1882 it had two blacksmith shops, a hotel, two schools, three churches and several stores.
That same year the railroad reached nearby Leander, and the post office and several businesses moved there. By 1900 Bagdad was virtually a ghost town, the Handbook says.
Its cemetery still stands, and the state's historical marker says it opened in 1857 with the burial of 3-year-old John Babcock. It also appears in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, according to the Texas Film Commission's film trail.
- Location: Bagdad Cemetery, Bagdad Road at FM 2243, Leander
- Drive: About 27 miles from downtown Austin, roughly 40 minutes
- What you can see: The cemetery and its Texas historical marker
- Good to know: It is an active cemetery, so be respectful
2. Albert
Albert started in 1877 as Martinsburg, a stop on the Fredericksburg to Blanco stage route, according to the Handbook of Texas. It took the name Albert in 1892, when Albert Luckenbach moved there and opened a post office.
A young Lyndon Baines Johnson went to school there for a year, the Handbook says. The town had four residents in 1964.
Today the old dance hall hosts live music again, and its icehouse patio and beer garden are open daily, according to its website.
- Location: Just south of U.S. 290, halfway between Fredericksburg and Johnson City
- Drive: About 69 miles from downtown Austin, roughly 1.5 hours
- What you can see: Albert Dancehall and its icehouse beer garden
- Open: Yes, the icehouse is open daily, per its website (checked Oct. 2026)
3. Luckenbach
German farmers settled Luckenbach in the late 1840s and early 1850s, according to the Handbook of Texas. It peaked at 492 people in 1904, then fell to about 20 from the 1920s to the 1950s.
In 1971 Hondo Crouch bought the whole town, and Waylon Jennings made it famous with "Luckenbach, Texas" in 1977. The Handbook notes a sign at the entrance once gave the population as three.
- Location: Southeastern Gillespie County, near Fredericksburg
- Drive: About 78 miles from downtown Austin, roughly 1.5 hours
- What you can see: The general store, bar and dance hall
- Open: Yes, per its website (checked Oct. 2026)
4. Senterfitt
Senterfitt was a ranching center with saloons open day and night in the 1870s and 1880s, according to the Handbook of Texas. Cattle drives passed through, and it was a stage stop on the routes west.
In 1885 the railroad missed it by two and a half miles, and people moved their houses and businesses, buildings and all, to the new town that became Lometa. By 1900 only the school and cemetery were left, and the school later burned.
- Location: Senterfitt Cemetery, about 2.5 miles southwest of Lometa off FM 581
- Drive: About 88 miles from downtown Austin, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes
- What you can see: The cemetery and its Texas historical marker, which the state lists as not on private property
- Good to know: The City of Lampasas describes Senterfitt as a ghost town
5. Baby Head
Baby Head grew up in the 1870s near Babyhead Mountain, north of Llano. Its post office opened in 1879 and closed in 1918, according to the Handbook of Texas.
The state historical marker says local oral tradition traces the name to the 1850s, when a small child was killed and its remains were left on the mountain. The marker calls the cemetery the last physical reminder of the community.
- Location: Baby Head Cemetery, east side of State Highway 16, about 9.5 miles north of Llano
- Drive: About 85 miles from downtown Austin, roughly 2 hours
- What you can see: The cemetery and its 1991 Texas historical marker
6. Helena
Helena was once the most important town between San Antonio and Goliad, and the first Karnes County seat, according to the Handbook of Texas. Local legend called it the toughest town on earth.
When a rancher's son was killed there in 1884, legend says he vowed to kill the town in return and helped route the railroad elsewhere. Bypassed in 1886, Helena lost the county seat to Karnes City in 1894, and it had 35 people in 2000.
- Location: Karnes County Museum, 8167 N. FM 81, Helena, TX 78118
- Drive: About 97 miles from downtown Austin, roughly 2 hours
- What you can see: The 1873 courthouse, old post office, jail and other restored buildings
- Good to know: Call ahead for museum hours at (830) 780-3210, the number the Texas Historical Commission lists
7. Independence
Independence was once the wealthiest community in Texas and the first home of Baylor University, according to the Handbook of Texas. Sam Houston was baptized in a creek two miles away in 1854.
Town leaders refused to give the railroad a right of way, and in 1885 Baylor moved to Waco and its women's college moved to Belton. The Handbook lists it among Texas ghost towns, though about 140 people still live there.
- Location: FM 50 at FM 390, about 12 miles northeast of Brenham
- Drive: About 100 miles from downtown Austin, roughly 2 hours
- What you can see: The Baylor ruins at Old Baylor Park, Independence Cemetery and the Texas Baptist Historical Museum
- Hours: The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 AM to 4:30 PM, and is free, per Texas Baptists
- Good to know: The Coles home at Old Baylor Park opens by appointment only, per Washington County
8. Washington-on-the-Brazos
The Texas Declaration of Independence was signed in Washington, and the town later served as capital of Texas, according to the Handbook of Texas.
It bet on river traffic, and when railroads reached Navasota and Brenham, most residents left in the 1860s. The last historic buildings burned in 1912, and most of the old townsite is now a state historic site.
- Location: 23400 Park Rd. 12, Washington, TX 77880
- Drive: About 109 miles from downtown Austin, roughly 2 hours
- Hours: Grounds and visitor center 9:30 AM to 5 PM daily; museum and townsite Wednesday to Sunday
- Cost: Adults $10, children 6 to 17 $6, per the Texas Historical Commission
- Open: Yes, per the Texas Historical Commission (checked Oct. 2026)
Cemeteries are still in use and many old buildings sit on private land, so stay on public roads and grounds.
Ready to explore?
Which ghost town near Austin should we add? Tell us in the comments.
Sources
- Handbook of Texas, "Bagdad, TX": 1854 survey, name, 1882 businesses, railroad to Leander, virtually a ghost town by 1900 (item 1)
- Texas Film Commission, Film Trails, "Bagdad Cemetery": marker text (opened 1857, John Babcock), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (item 1)
- Historical Marker Database, "Bagdad Cemetery": marker location at FM 2243 and Bagdad Road (item 1)
- Handbook of Texas, "Albert, TX": Martinsburg 1877, stage route, renamed 1892 by Albert Luckenbach, LBJ attended school, four residents in 1964 (item 2)
- Albert Dancehall official site: location off U.S. 290, live music, icehouse open daily (item 2)
- Handbook of Texas, "Luckenbach, TX": settlement, population figures, original store building, Hondo Crouch 1971, Waylon Jennings 1977, population sign of three (item 3)
- Luckenbach Texas official site: general store, bar and dance hall, calendar (item 3)
- Handbook of Texas, "Senterfitt, TX": ranching center, saloons, stage stop, 1885 railroad bypass, buildings moved to Lometa, only school and cemetery left by 1900 (item 4)
- Texas Historical Commission Atlas, "Senterfitt Cemetery" marker: location from Lometa, not private property (item 4)
- City of Lampasas, "History": Senterfitt described as a ghost town (item 4)
- Handbook of Texas, "Baby Head, TX": location on SH 16, post office 1879 to 1918 (item 5)
- Texas Historical Commission Atlas, "Baby Head Cemetery" marker: name tradition, 1870s community, last physical reminder, location, 1991, not private property (item 5)
- Handbook of Texas, "Helena, TX": first county seat, toughest town legend, 1884 killing and railroad legend, 1886 bypass, 1894 county seat move, population 35, restored buildings (item 6)
- Texas Historical Commission, Texas Time Travel, "Karnes County Museum": address, phone, virtual ghost town (item 6)
- Handbook of Texas, "Independence, TX (Washington County)": wealthiest town, Baylor, Sam Houston baptism, railroad refusal, 1885 move, population 140, listed under Ghost Towns of Texas (item 7)
- Washington County, "Independence": Old Baylor Park, Coles home by appointment, cemetery, Baylor ruins (item 7)
- Texas Baptists, "Visit TBHC": Texas Baptist Historical Museum address, hours, free (item 7)
- Wikimedia Commons file description: only the columns of the Baylor Female College building remain (hero caption)
- Handbook of Texas, "Washington-on-the-Brazos, TX": Declaration, capital, railroad decline, residents left in the 1860s, last buildings burned 1912, townsite in the state historic site (item 8)
- Texas Historical Commission, "Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site": address, hours, ticket prices (item 8)
- OpenStreetMap OSRM routing from the Texas Capitol: approximate miles and drive times, no traffic (all items)
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