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GOLIAD SQUARE A CHARMING SOUTH TEXAS TREASURE
A look at the Southwestern-themed shelves of the Square Gallery in Goliad.
Matthew Westmoreland/mwestmoreland@vicad.com
GOLIAD SQUARE IS A CHARMING SOUTH TEXAS TREASURE
BY JON WILCOX jwilcox@vicad.com
GOLIAD — From her apartment balcony overlooking the downtown square, Suzi Warzecha, 70, admits she can’t help but brag to visitors about Goliad and all its charm.
“Goliad is setting the standard for small towns because they have people living on the square,” said Warzecha, who has lived on and off at the walk-up loft apartment for almost three decades. “It’s been wonderful.”
Located across from the main entrance to the historic county courthouse and above a host of boutiques and restaurants, Warzecha’s loft has played host to curious visitors from outside Goliad and even Texas. Chatting with those visitors and introducing them to Goliad is one of her favorite pastimes, said Warzecha, who added visitors routinely wander into her home thinking the space is a museum or tourist attraction.
A quick glance inside Warzecha’s painstakingly decorated apartment reveals why. Like Goliad’s downtown square, her loft is filled with enigmatic curios and eclectic attractions.
“This has been just such a
IF YOU GO
GOLIAD SQUARE
127 N. Courthouse Square, Goliad For more information, call the Goliad Chamber of Commerce at 361-645-3563 or visit goliadcc.org.
Matthew Westmoreland/mwestmoreland@vicad.com
Suzi Warzecha caresses a piece made by a blind local artist as a thesis project. She said it is one of the most beautiful pieces of art she owns.
fun, fun place,” she said.
Boston couple Margaret, 63, and Chuck Aversa, 72, said they were amazed at just how fun the tiny town of about 2,000 residents proved to be.
“It’s beautiful,” said Margaret Aversa. “I love it.”
“I love the old buildings,” her husband said.
After enjoying morning coffee, cinnamon rolls and macadamia nut cookies at Mattie’s Bakery and Cafe, which lies on the south side of the square at 131 S. Courthouse Square, the Aversas strolled around the square, taking in its architecture and atmosphere.
While Warzecha also had praise for Mattie’s, she said the square is filled with good eats and drinks.
“I like them all,” she said.
At Rudy’s on the Run, a restaurant at 122 N. Courthouse Square, Warzecha said she so routinely enjoys a breakfast of tortillas, grilled meat, onions, tomatoes and cheese that she’s jokingly requested the dish be named “Suzita’s breakfast” in her honor. For lunch, she said, visitors cannot go wrong by visiting the Blue Quail Deli, 224 S. Commercial St., and trying the locally famous jalapeño cheddar soup − a closely guarded recipe. “It’s the best,” she said. “The yacht club in Corpus Christi has tried to copy it, but they’ve never quite got it right.” Their hunger sated, the Aversas said they planned to visit the nearby Presidio la Bahia, an 18th Century Spanish fort and one of numerous historical attractions in the county. “We’ve been to the Alamo before, but we’ve never to Goliad, which we think is more famous,” said Margaret Aversa. But Goliad’s square is also host to more contemporary attractions, including a colossal open-air crafts festival that falls on the second Saturday of every month known as “Market Days.” On other weekends, visitors are welcome to peruse a variety of shops, galleries and boutiques along the square where antiques, crafts and unique artworks are for sale.
One such location, Square Gallery, 123 S. Courthouse Square, boasts countless unique items from costume jewelry to handmade maracas Día de los Muertos to a faux robot fashioned from everyday objects to original paintings by South Texas artists.
“We have everything,” said co-owner Gaye Urban.
While Keli Miller, a Goliad County native and director of the Goliad Main Street Program, said the square is a South Texas gem, it also boasts an equally rewarding and far more personable treasure.
“The people are amazing,” she said. “That’s honestly one of my favorite things to do — go and visit the different stores and restaurants and talk to the owners ... I love catching up with them.”
Matthew Westmoreland/mwestmoreland@vicad.com
