My husband Jason and I took off without the kids for a fun getaway to Laredo, Texas. Laredo provided the perfect romantic atmosphere to wander the streets together exploring history. Join us as we tour downtown Laredo and the historic sites to explore.
San Agustin Plaza
The San Agustin Historic District is the oldest area of Laredo. It was founded by Tomas Sanchez in 1755. It was originally called San Agustin de Laredo, after a town in Santander, Spain.
We found many people making use of the beautiful plaza enjoying the gazebo, benches, statues, historical markers, and of course the shade!
San Agustin Cathedral
The focal point of the plaza is the towering spire of San Agustin Cathedral.
This church began as a hut in 1777 at Laredo’s founding. Its second construction was in 1789 when it was transformed into a small stone building.
The present church building dates from 1872!
La Posada Hotel
This was the site of the original town hall, which also contained a jail! It was later turned into a high school. In 1961 the building was transformed into a hotel.
La Posada Hotel boasts Larado’s only four diamond hotel. The grounds are beautiful and definitely have a Spanish feel.
La Posada would be a romantic place to stay in downtown overlooking the plaza.
The Republic of the Rio Grande Museum
In 1930 this was the home of Bartolomé Garcia, great grandson of Laredo’s founder (Thomas Sanchez) and 3 time Mayor of Laredo. In 1840 the structure is believed to have served as the capitol of the Republic of the Río Grande.
The Museum is a historic house museum which features displays recreating an authentic 1830 home in Laredo. If you love antiques, you will enjoy seeing the various pieces. A nominal fee of $2 per person gets you into the museum.
The Streets of Laredo
If you are like me, then at the mention of Laredo, you can’t help but think, “As I walked out in the streets of Laredo, as I walked out in Laredo one day…” Am I right? This was on a loop in my head the entire time I was there. Ha ha! And I absolutely loved that the streets themselves are something to see! The old bricked streets are gorgeous!
Laredo Center for the Arts
This historic building was once the City hall and Market House.
Now it promotes and encourages art in the area. This is a free, cool place to stop and look around and also has great bathrooms! 🙂 And on the corner right in front of this building is the Laredo Visitor Center if you need any information or guidance during your stay!
These were the historic sites we enjoyed in downtown Laredo. If you love to shop, there are tons of quaint shops to explore downtown and also the Outlet Shops are just a couple of blocks from the historic district as well.
Looking for more information for your trip to Laredo? Check out VisitLaredo.com!
I can hear your brother Nathan when he was in high school singing “The Streets of Laredo” as he did his chores.
Oh yes! Wish I had a video!!
Yes! I totally sang the song in my head as soon as you said you were in Laredo. LOL!
lol It was all I could do not to sing it out loud through the streets!