- The "Daytripper" is made possible by Rudy's, real Texas barbecue.

Shipping nationwide at rudys.com.

Karbach Brewing Company from Houston, Texas, makers of Karbach Lager, a beer that is proudly partnered with Don't Mess with Texas, please dispose responsibly.

Visit Georgetown, where big ideas meet small town charm.

Georgetown, the most beautiful town square in Texas.

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, protection and peace of mind for Texans since 1952.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick in Georgetown.

Making Texas road trips possible for over 50 years.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Texas True.

Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Texas' local bottler providing the Lone Star state with a variety of Coca-Cola products.

(light upbeat music) - Today we're headed to a faraway land to get an eyeful of Texan history and a mouthful of Texan flavor.

There'll be bakeries, creperies, wine, and our own Tour de Texas.

We're getting Frenchy, y'all, all without crossing the pond.

Oui, oui, Paris!

Or well, Paris if you don't speak French.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (smooth upbeat music) ♪ Welcome to Paris.

- Paris, Texas rests 100 miles northeast of downtown Dallas and a mere 5,000 miles from its European namesake.

The town was founded in 1844, and has been a hub of activity ever since.

Recently it's begun revitalizing its downtown, and is becoming a true tourist destination.

One that will make you say, "Bonjour a Paris!"

So, our Texas Eiffel Tower isn't the tallest Eiffel Tower, but hey, ours is wearing a cowboy hat.

So your move, France.

(light upbeat music) But this Paris did take its name from that other Paris across the pond probably.

But as we'll see today, this town has plenty to keep any Texophile or even Francophile well entertained.

As a bit of an amateur Francophile myself, I know how to blend in.

Time to break out the beret.

Oui, oui.

Au, Paris!

Bounjour!

Bounjour.

Bounjour!

(Chet slurping) Espresso.

(Daniel laughing) (Chet speaking in foreign language) Ah, cest la vie.

(Chet chuckling) I guess everything is not bigger in Texas.

Is this the souvenir version?

(Chet laughing) (Chet speaking in foreign language) - Wait, what does that mean?

- I require smoked meats.

This is my payment or else I strike!

Smoked meats or I'm not working today!

(Chet grunting) Well, maybe the Stetson's more my speed anyway.

But all the Frenchin' has got me hankering for a good boulangerie.

That's bakery in French, which is why we're stopping for brunch at a petite place called Love and Bagels.

(person singing in foreign language) What started as a Farmer's Market side hustle has turned full American dream for baker and owner, Lisa Schlaht, who makes delicious bagels from scratch daily.

This is awesome.

You know, I mean, having a bakery in Paris, very appropriate.

- Totally.

- But you guys don't make baguettes.

- We make bagels.

- Where did your love-fascination with bagels start?

- I grew up eating bagels in Southern California.

Here there aren't very many bagels, so.

- No, it's not really a Texas thing.

- No, there really aren't.

- What's the secret to a good bagel then?

- Ingredients, the fermentation, allowing it to develop the yeasty flavor.

- Okay, start to finish, how long does a bagel take to make?

- Three days.

- Three days?

Holy moly.

Love is essential for that much work, but Lisa makes nine flavors of bagels with six different schmears.

And if that ain't enough variety, she also makes bagel sandwiches.

Of course, you got the traditional bagel lox with smoked salmon, but others push the bagel borders straight into Texas, and the realm of brisket.

Can we go in the back?

I wanna see how you do it.

- Yes, come on.

- Let's roll some bagels.

- Here we go.

- Walk me through this, I've never made a bagel.

You've made three or 4 million bagels by now.

- That's your bottom, put it down on the bottom.

Flatten it out, very good.

Now we're gonna roll it with your hands like this a couple times.

- I can make snakes.

That was the one thing I could make with Play-Doh growing up, snakes.

- If you made Play-Doh, you can totally make a bagel.

Pick it up, take that seam, put it in the middle of your hand.

- Oh, we're making bagel knuckles.

(fist whooshing) (Lisa laughing) - You want it like this.

- You get in a street fight, man, a bagel's what you want on your fist.

- Now take it down and roll, and closing your seam.

They're very forgiving.

- Mine looks like a bad herniated bike tire.

Huh, this rolling's a whole lot of work.

How does Lisa dough it?

Oh, okay, okay.

I'll simmer down on the puns while we ready the bagels to boil.

(upbeat music) - Okay, Chet, these are gonna sit for the next 18 to 24 hours.

But over here, we have some that we are gonna boil right now.

- Oh, boom.

This step, this boiling the bagel is- - What makes it a bagel.

Flavor and texture because it's bread otherwise.

Gently place one end in.

- Now some believe it's the water in New York that makes the bagel so good, but Lisa says otherwise.

- Quality products and building the bagel the way that you're supposed to.

Ours is a traditional method.

You use a wild yeast starter and you let it ferment, 'cause that's the yummy part.

- How long do these?

- Like 30 seconds to a minute is all it needs.

- That's it.

- That's it.

- My first bagels ever made, thank you.

Now these baked for 20 minutes, but I can't wait, because I'm headed straight for brisket breakfast.

Chili, bacon, jam, brisket, egg and cheese all on a fresh jalapeno cheese bagel.

Tres magnifique.

Bonjour, bagel.

(Chet speaking in foreign language) (light upbeat music) Okay, that's incredible.

(Chet chuckling) That's a bagel on another level.

The crispy cheese on top, the spicy jalapenos, and then like the sweetness of the jam, I mean, you have a bagel like this, and you realize what all the fuss is about.

And the ones you get at the grocery store or the big chains, they're not even close to this.

It just has a certain, how you say, je ne sais quoi.

(Daniel laughing) - You know what that means, right?

- What's it mean?

- I don't know what.

Je ne sais, I do not know.

Quoi, what?

- Oh, quoi?

Well, je ne sais quoi what I'm saying when I say, "Je ne sais quoi."

(Daniel laughing) Je ne sais quoi.

All I do know is that I can't get enough.

Ah, yes, a little bagel dessert for the road.

You know, 'cause why not?

Chocolate chip bagel, honey pecan spread.

And adieu to any hopes of dieting.

(smooth upbeat music) Now downtown Paris a romantic place, There's no Champs-Elysees, but there is a picturesque Main Street.

No Arc de Triomphe, but they do have a beautiful fountain that looks fit for King Louis himself.

(person singing in foreign language) (Chet laughing) Paris!

(Chet speaking in foreign language) And let us not forget about the second tallest Eiffel Tower in the world.

Fun fact, the cowboy hat isn't original.

You see, Paris, Tennessee tried to steal our thunder back in the day, and built their own Eiffel a wee bit taller than ours.

But in true Texas fashion, this town said, "Oh, we see your tower and raise you a cowboy hat."

Placing ours just a head taller than Tennessee's, and thus forever proving that Texans will always play to win, even if for second place, but rarely.

Look, I'm a tourist.

What a cute little Eiffel Tower.

(light upbeat music) I gotta say, I appreciate the fact that you can take an international vacation and not leave Texas.

I mean, we're in Paris.

Didn't even need our passports.

- Paris.

- But like, you know, you can also go to Athens.

- True.

- Dublin.

- I think I'd rather go to Berlin.

- Is there Berlin, Texas?

- Yes, sir.

- Do you say it, "Berlin?"

For example, there's Italy, and then we have It-lee.

- It-lee?

- It-lee.

Back where I grew up, we have Nederland.

- That's true.

- It's kind of the Netherlands.

We'd say Nederland.

- Well, you've been to Paris, France.

How does this relate?

- Honestly, I can't tell a difference, I really can't.

- It's that close.

(passengers laughing) Like, essentially the same city.

- Okay.

- Despite the similarities, the cities do have some differences.

Most specifically, their history.

And to learn more, we're heading to the Lamar County Historical Museum.

This museum holds a Louvre's worth of historic artifacts, with collections from both the distant and recent past.

There are rooms dedicated to military history, African-American history, and much more.

Here to give us a tour is museum docent, Linda Vandiver.

- Chet, I bet you've never seen one of these before.

- What in the world is that?

- It's a x-ray machine used in a shoe store.

- Okay.

- Back in the days when children wore the really heavy leather shoes, you couldn't feel where their toe was, so they would put their feet in this side, and the operator would look in that side and could how much growing room they had left in their shoes.

- Turns out this was before we knew the risks of radiation exposure.

- I mean, speaking of, Chet, if you still wanna have kids, you might wanna step back a little bit.

- Is it still charged?

(Linda laughing) - Yeah.

- As cool as this is, the true piece de resistance is the bared cabin.

Whoa, what is a log cabin doing in the museum?

- It was the oldest cabin in Lamar County.

- That's incredible.

- So we were able to move it into the museum so that people could see it and we could preserve it.

- What year is this built?

- This was built in 1854.

- That's old, goodness.

And you know how old it is when you see the ax strikes as they're planing this wood.

The cabin only survived because it was covered in clapboard siding, making it look like some unimportant old shack.

Yes, really old buildings are hard to come by in Paris, as many were lost in a tragic fire that changed Paris' history forever.

- These two panoramas show you what the city looked like before the fire.

These show you what the city looked like after the fire.

- Oh my goodness.

The fire of 1916, caused by a spark from the railroad.

The fire burned 105 acres of the historic area, destroying 1,400 structures, including homes, businesses and the courthouse.

At the time, it was one of the costliest fires in US history.

Amazing that anybody wanted to rebuild.

- The motto became, "Smile."

And they rebuilt it within a year.

- That's optimism at its finest.

- It is.

- Smile.

(smooth upbeat music) - An interesting story about the fire is this organ.

The family that owned it, the fire was approaching their house, and they took the organ out and started rolling it down the street to preserve it.

- Does it still play?

- If you wanna pump it, it does, but it's a pump organ.

You have to keep pumping it.

- Can you play us a diddy?

- No.

- Daniel, you want to play us a diddy?

Teresa can play us a diddy?

(light organ music) Oh, that's gorgeous.

- Beautiful.

- That's beautiful.

- Thank you.

- Careful, you might spark a hoe down.

- No, we don't spark anything around here.

(everyone laughing) (low organ music) Are we making a horror picture?

- That is not pretty.

- That's our soundtrack.

It was saved from the 1916 fire, but it didn't make it through the Daytripper.

So your ears may not love it, but I love walking these halls and learning history you can't find anywhere else.

Another amazing stop for history buffs is the Sam Bell Maxey House.

Built in 1868, it survived the Paris fire, and is now a Texas historic landmark.

(light upbeat music) Now, General Maxey was an interesting guy.

He served in the US Army during the Mexican War, and went on to become a Confederate general who received a pardon based on a personal vouch from his West Point buddy, Ulysses S. Grant.

During reconstruction, Maxey went on to serve as a US senator.

The ornate interior tells 150 years of stories, and is well worth a stop.

Now Sam Maxey may have hung his hat here, but he settled down for good at the nearby Evergreen Cemetery.

And one monument on these hallowed grounds stands uniquely above the rest.

The grave of Willet Babcock known locally as "Jesus in cowboy boots."

(light upbeat music) You know, we can all identify with the life of Jesus in different ways, you know?

And right now, I really identify with his footwear, I do.

- 'Cause he looks like he's about to go two-stepping?

- Yeah, I mean, he could be.

And I bet you it was those boots he was wearing when he crushed the serpent's head.

They're good snake stomping boots right there.

Supposedly, Babcock was a bit of a humorist, and he left us all something to smile about.

Now let's take one boot outta the grave and onto the asphalt as I attempt a lifelong dream.

You know, I've always wanted to ride in the Tour de France, and this says it's the Trail de Paris, and I'm pretty sure that's the same thing, so I'm pumped about this.

Got the bike, got the gear, the helmet.

- Yep, but what about the boots?

- Might've forgotten the shoes.

Well, hey, you can do anything in cowboy boots.

If they're good enough for Jesus, good enough for me.

All right, where's the starting line?

(upbeat music) This is it, the yellow jersey awaits.

Start the clock, Daniel.

Records are about to be smashed.

(light upbeat music) (bike creaking) - The Tour de France is very mountainous.

This is very flat because it used to be an old railroad bed.

This is part of the Rails to Trails initiative, taking places where there used to be railroad tracks, removing the tracks, the ties, and turning them into trails.

Let me assure you, riding this very flat paved surface, one of the hardest races on earth.

This Trail de Paris stretches for over five miles across town, but ties into a much larger 130 mile system across northeast Texas.

Can't stop and drink, I gotta get it on the go.

Here it is, water.

Oh no, ah!

(Chet groaning) - What was that?

Oh my gosh, guys, let's catch up to him, let's go!

- The terrain is getting tougher and so are the cyclists.

Competition's a little stiffer out here than I expected.

I'm gonna have to take matters into my own hands.

(cyclist yelling) - Chet, Chet, Chet!

- Where are you going?

- We're in the final stages now.

That water didn't do anything.

Time for our secret weapon, barbecue sauce.

That's so good and incredible, spicy yet sweet.

What is my crew doing?

This must be the finish line.

(Chet yelling) (bike squeaking) - What happened to you?

- That's not important, Daniel.

How was my time?

- Is that barbecue sauce?

- How was my stage time, how was it?

- I don't even have a watch.

- What?

- Oh, wow.

(Chet yelling) - No, I've lost everything!

- I'm out.

- Oh, I think it's time to wash the taste of defeat and barbecue sauce out of my mouth as we head back downtown.

After learning about the Paris fire, it suddenly makes sense why almost every building bears the year 1917.

All right, here's a piece of fun Texas trivia.

This is the spot where the first Coca-Cola was served in Texas.

Back in 1887, this building was a candy shop and soda fountain.

Pretty cool.

It makes me very thirsty.

Now, what do Parisians drink when they get thirsty?

Well, wine, of course.

And no better way to enjoy it than by pairing it with a delicious crepe.

To get both, we're headed to Vin de Paris.

This is owner Walt Reap who has some suggestions on my French.

So let's have a (speaking in foreign language).

- There you go.

- A vin de Paris.

- That's close.

My French friends would not be happy with you.

- Yeah, no.

- But that's okay.

- It's kinda like Vi.

- But there's no N, Vin?

- No.

- Okay.

Well then welcome to Vi de Paris, but you don't have to speak the language to enjoy some French wine and crepes.

- That was one reason I opened this, 'cause I was like, "How come Paris doesn't have crepes?"

Don't you have to have crepes in Paris?

- I couldn't agree more.

But when it comes to the wine, this place gives tasters a true experience.

- We're focused really on old world wines.

We have a lot of French wines.

We're very catered toward education.

- This cozy space is often filled with taste bud travelers sampling and sipping while being schooled by level two sommelier Jen, who's got some sips ready for us.

- We're gonna have a white, a rose and a red from all pretty much of the southern portion of France.

- And these are actually three of my favorites too.

- Oh, okay.

- I love all three of these.

- So this had no wineskins, some wineskins, full wineskins.

I learned something somewhere.

- You know your stuff now.

- No, no, no.

So where did your love for wine start?

- My background is microbiology, so I started working with microbes.

- Like you do.

- Well, you know, the yeast that makes the wine is a microorganisms, and I'm here now.

- And there you are.

Well, cheers to that.

- Yes.

- You're very welcome.

- Thank you.

I love it when people follow their passions and their palettes.

Now about those crepes, well, we're getting a classic French one with strawberries and Nutella and one Vin original, cookie butter.

Cheers.

- In France, it's (speaking in foreign language).

(Chet speaking in foreign language) - What's that mean?

- For your health.

- Oh yes, for my health.

Ooh, that's an excellent wine.

Good bit of fruitiness in there.

- Very crisp, very clean.

- Yes.

Okay, I'm gonna go into this crepe.

- There you go.

- Very good.

Wine's made for food.

- I mean, this is pairing perfectly.

I'm gonna move up a level of wine.

- Try the rose.

- Yeah.

Walt grew up in Paris, Texas, that is, and opened this spot to share his own passion for old, old world wine.

They're so proud.

I mean, there's such a culture, such a tradition.

And yeah, we're creating our own here in Texas.

And we're also standing on the shoulders of people who've been doing it for 1,500 years over there.

- Yeah.

- They've traced some grapes probably back 6,000 years.

- 6,000 years?

Are you gonna touch this cookie butter one?

Do you mind?

- No, that's yours.

- Oh my gosh, that's good.

Oh no, I'm gonna eat this whole thing.

The French call an afternoon snack, "Le gouter."

And this is indeed very, very gouter.

That's got some depth.

- Not that anybody likes barbecue around here, but this would be great with barbecue.

- I mean, can we call some in?

(Walt and Chet laughing) Hey, Walt, I'm just super thankful there's folks like you who are coming in and taking this downtown to the next level, 'cause it was really special.

- Very much.

- It really is.

- And what was the toast again?

(Walt and Chet speaking in foreign language) - I know almost no French, so sorry, sorry.

- I know less than you, so we're not doing good.

(Chet speaking in foreign language) To you, Walt.

(Chet and Walt laughing) As great as it is, these wine was simply an aperitif to prepare us for dinner.

And so for our dernier arret, or final stop, we're getting one last piece of Paris cuisine at the 107.

The 107 specializes in delicious burgers, fish and tacos.

Sometimes all at the same time, because they're not afraid to spin the menu in very tasty directions.

Example number one is right in from of me.

Fried okra tacos.

All right, John, tell me about these right here.

- Okra tacos.

- Okra tacos.

- Yeah, it's the sauce.

I tell everybody all the time, there is a vinegarette dressing on there that really sits it off.

It's a little sweet little peppery, yep.

- God, it's so good.

It's the vinegarette and the bacon and the fresh onions.

Whoo, that's working.

And you know one of the best parts about it, it's a vegetable.

- They may be deep fried, but.

- Well, you know, they're vegetables.

That's all we need to know.

Owner John Bratcher grew up in Paris, and bought this place from a fellow firefighter and friend who jumped at the chance to turn an old burned out building into something very cool.

So y'all started with just an empty shell?

- Empty shell, it was a burnout.

Eyesore, sore spot downtown, you know?

And a good friend of mine said, "Hey, let's put a beer garden in here, serve some food, and let's see what we can do."

So it was completely open.

- With the facade and walls intact, all they needed was a few cantina lights, and well, a kitchen to transform this spot into an indoor-outdoor destination.

Now John has since installed a see-through roof for those times when it's raining, or, well, 105 degrees in Texas.

- Kind of played with it.

We had an idea of of putting more of a patio feel to it.

- You feel like you're outdoor, but it's comfortable.

- Yeah, it is, yeah.

And nighttime and daytime are different, right?

So daytime you get the sunlight, nighttime you get all the little lights up there.

It's a vibe, it's got its own vibe in here.

- It's a vibe, that's the way to say it, it's a vibe.

And what downtown doesn't have a couple burnout shells of buildings just begging to become beer gardens?

Well, here's 107 points of inspiration.

But you will need great food, so let's mosey into the back and see how they do it.

- I got sliders, two pestos and a flatbread.

Set me up for a blackened fish taco, please.

Kid burger and grilled chicken tacos.

Are y'all ready for this fish?

(energetic upbeat music) - Yes, ma'am.

- Whoa, it's less of a mosey and a bit more vamanos-y.

That looked delicious.

I saw a lot of jalapenos on that one, and that makes me very excited.

This speedster is Heather, also known as Red.

All right, Red, we got a clean griddle.

- Yeah, you ready?

- I'm little hungry.

What you making me?

- We're gonna do a blackened fish taco and a chipotle chicken taco.

- Oh my God, okay, let's go.

- So this is my chicken, I'm fittin' to blacken it.

- Okay, y'all like black and seasoning.

- You will too.

- Okay.

(Chet laughing) All right, so what kind of fish are we working with?

- I'm gonna black that fish.

You said it, we like blacking.

- We do, yeah, no.

- So that's what I'm fittin' to do, I'm gonna black it.

- I'm from Southeast Texas, I'll blacken everything.

I've even been known to blacken my morning coffee on occasion.

But they've also got less conventional ways of spicing things up.

Wait, what did she put on this?

- So that is pepper jack cheese that we have tossed in Tabasco.

- Ooh.

- We call it Tabasco Jack.

- I've never seen that in my life.

- Got a little kick to it.

- I like that a lot.

(Heather laughing) (upbeat music) It's a kitchen of tight comradery, keeping the food quick, creative and delicious.

(upbeat music) Did you know the French word for taco is taco?

And I've got a taco of my very own.

We got chipotle chicken, grilled chicken, blackened fish.

I'm most excited about this one, a little new menu item.

It's got diced pickles and banana peppers on top of it.

- Wait, what?

- I've never had that on a taco, so.

Pickles on a taco kind of works, y'all.

Ooh, and the spice coming from the Tabasco soaked cheese.

Like, that's pretty legit, y'all.

♪ Moving down the line, I'm gonna try another taco ♪ That's good.

I mean, y'all, I've been to Paris a few times, like the one in France.

There are a few things that Paris, Texas does way better than Paris, France.

These tacos are one of them.

(person speaking in foreign language) There you have it, folks.

Your excursion de Paris.

Excuse me, trip to Paris.

♪ Ooh la la - A town with French name but that's 100% Texan, with an esprit decor that would make even Napoleon jealous.

Paris, France may be the city of light, but Paris, Texas might be coming for that crown too.

Is romantique, no?

So I will see all y'all out on the road.

(Chet speaking in foreign language) That means Vaya con dios.

Au revoir.

(Daniel laughing) - The "Daytripper" is made possible by Rudy's, real Texas barbecue.

Shipping nationwide at rudys.com.

Karbach Brewing Company from Houston, Texas, makers of Karbach Lager, a beer that is proudly partnered with Don't Mess with Texas, please dispose responsibly.

Visit Georgetown, where big ideas meet small town charm.

Georgetown, the most beautiful town square in Texas.

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, protection and peace of mind for Texans since 1952.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick in Georgetown.

Making Texas road trips possible for over 50 years.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Texas True.

Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Texas' local bottler providing the Lone Star state with a variety of Coca-Cola products.