Dublin, Texas is a small town located 2 hours from Dallas and was named the ‘Irish Capital of Texas’ in 2005 by governor Rick Perry.
It is said to be home to many people of Irish descent, but the evidence for this fact is sparse. From what I could gather, 11.9% of the population in 2017 was of Irish descent. The town's founder, A. H. Dobkins, was actually Scottish and the town was likely named after the town’s habit of “doubling in,” which meant to prepare the wagons for protection from attack in the late 1800s.
There are shamrocks all over the town of Dublin, they really love to lean into the Irish theme!
While the town likes to play up their Irish roots, I found the Dublin Bottling Works to be the highlight of things to do in town! Dublin is the home to the original Dr Pepper bottling plant, which continued to bottle Dr Pepper with the original cane sugar recipe until 2012. You can also visit a working cheese farm and drink delicious wine while visiting Dublin!
I recommend visiting Dublin as a day trip from Dallas or Forth worth, or making a stop here while visiting other nearby towns like Glen Rose and Hico. (check out my guides to Hico and Glen Rose and combine the trips!)
Things To Do in Dublin, Texas
Fuel up at Blackjack’s Coffee Shop
Grab coffee or breakfast at Blackjack’s Coffee Shop. This place serves up breakfast burritos, pour overs and lots of local goodies!
Visit Veldhuizen Cheese Shop
If you are visiting on a Saturday, start your day with a tour of the Veldhuizen Farm! They offer farm tours and cheese making tours, normally starting at 10:30am on Saturdays, check their website for up to date schedules. The farm began as a family run business in 2000 and now offers 20 varieties of artisan raw milk cheeses.
On the tour, you’ll get to see the Cheddar Cheese cave, friendly farm animals and more of the cheese making process. If you visit outside of tour hours, you can still check out the shop and try a selection of cheeses paired back to wine.
The staff is very friendly and will let you try any cheese before buying!
Check out Dublin Bottling Works
Dublin Bottling Works was the first bottling plant in Texas, and was the first facility to actually bottle Dr Pepper. When I visited, you could tour an antique bottling facility and order a treat at a Vintage Soda Shop, but that is no longer the case. Now, you can visit the gift shop and pick up one of their refreshing craft sodas.
There used to be a huge yearly Dr Pepper festival where they temporarily renamed the town to Dr Pepper for a week!
Unfortunately, Dr Pepper sued Dublin Bottling Works in 2012 over the Dr. Pepper name and Dublin Bottling Works was forced to cease production of Dublin Dr. Pepper. Today, Dublin Bottling Works has their own collection of soda flavors that you can try on tap there and take home in bottles.
Explore Downtown Dublin
There are a few shops and museums around downtown Dublin. The Rodeo Heritage Museum tells the story of the modern rodeo. The Dublin Historical Museum has a large collection of Dublin history, such as wagon wheels, old photographs and a wide assortment of other items.
Finally, if you are a golf fan check out the Ben Hogan Museum. The famous golfer Ben Hogan was from Dublin and the museum tells the story of how his upbringing led to his golfing career.
I enjoyed strolling around the small downtown area. The Downtown Dublin Park has a little pond and beautiful benches covered in vines. It’s a nice area to sit and relax.
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide helps you plan a fun day trip to Dublin. It's a cute town that makes a great stop if you're passing by.
For more Texas travel guides, check out these blogs:
- The Best Day Trips from Dallas
- The Best Hiking Trails in Dallas
- How to Spend 3 Days in San Antonio
- A Guide to Visiting Amarillo
- The Best Weekend Trips from Dallas
- The Best Things To Do in Texas Hill Country
- A Guide to Denison, Texas
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