Selma Stage Stop, Selma TX

I've been meaning to stop and check this spot out many times.  It is tucked away right off of I-35 at the 1518 exit.  Doesn't look like it could be so close to the hustle and bustle of I-35 and the Forum Shopping Center, does it?

This is the original stage stop which was restored.  It is at least 155 years old.

 

The gate was open inviting you to take a closer look.

This is the Visitor's Center.  I visited on a Saturday so everything was locked up tight including the rest rooms.  At least the drinking fountain was on.  One would think a Visitor's Center would be open at a prime time for visitors but, in peeking through the windows, I could see that it was nothing more than offices with the same brochures stuck in a rack that you could find at hotels or rest stops.  Very disappointing.

Even more disappointing was that this small plaque was the only information about the place.  There was not a plaque or a poster to be found telling about the Stage Stop itself.  How sad to waste such a great opportunity.  Once I got home, I did find some great info at Selma Stage Stop which provided some wonderful background information.

The park includes a nice covered pavilion with picnic tables as well as a good children's playground. So the nearby neighborhood of homes definitely benefits; however, this could easily be an interesting place for other visitors to stop if only some info about the interesting history of the place was displayed.  If you are coming from the south, get off at the Olympic Parkway exit and stay on the access road.  You could pick up picnic fare at Rudy's BBQ and either stay on the access road or wind through the neighborhood right behind Rudy's to get to the park.