A Fresh Spin on Fayetteville

By Ian Dille

It’s six o’clock on a Saturday evening in Fayetteville, and Clovis Heimsath is spontaneously holding court in the lobby of his Country Place Hotel, a 1900 mercantile remodeled into a country inn. Relaxing in an antique rocking chair, Heimsath regales three visitors from Houston, along with my girlfriend, Lindy, and me, with tales of the town’s history.

Heimsath relates that members of Stephen F. Austin’s original 300 first settled here nearly two centuries ago, followed by German and then Czech (and later Czech-Moravian) immigrants. Today, the town (population 261), situated midway between Austin and Houston, draws an eclectic mix of visitors: Motorcyclists refuel their gas tanks, and then fill their stomachs with monstrous, double-meat burgers from Orsak’s Cafe on the historic square; anglers cast for bass in Fayette Lake; shoppers browse the town’s five antiques stores; and art buffs seek out the 19th-Century paintings hanging in a local church.

I’ve visited the area annually for a decade now. Every March, just as the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush burst into bloom across the area’s rolling countryside, the Fayetteville Stage Race—like the Tour de France, but on a much smaller scale—draws hundreds of cyclists.

The winding maze of quiet country roads, gentle hills, and step-back-in-time scenery make the Fayetteville area a paradise for biking. Two-wheeled tourists range from somewhat obsessive racers like me, to the more recreational-minded folks. The Fayetteville Stage Race, promoted by Houston’s Southwest Cycling Club, consists of three events over two days, with some courses as long as 100 miles. For less competitive cyclists, the annual MS-150 charity ride rolls through Fayetteville on its route between Houston and Austin every April.