Since 2000, the population of Elgin has almost tripled to 14,500. Along with thousands of new folks moving in, restaurants and shops have opened up alongside century-old businesses. Beginning with its 1872 founding, Elgin’s unofficial motto—“perfectly situated”—still holds true today. Located 25 miles east of Austin, the community originated as a railroad junction, with cotton and brick production bolstering it as a business hub by the early 1900s. Sausage also became big business when William Moon started selling smoked links, or “hot guts,” door-to-door in 1882. More than a century later, Elgin became the official Sausage Capital of Texas, with a 1995 Texas Legislature resolution proclaiming it “the place to go for mouthwatering, delectable barbecue.” With an intersection of highways along with rail lines today, the town attracts day trippers from Austin and Bastrop who join new residents in appreciation of the small town pace, eclectic food, and boutique shopping.
DISTANCE FROM
Austin
30 minutes
San Antonio
1 hour, 45 minutes
Houston
2 hours
Dallas
3 hours
El Paso
9 hours
Stay
zenfulcove
Part glamping domes, part new homes, Zenfulcove’s five retreats are a 10-minute drive from Elgin’s downtown. The fairy tale-like geodomes feature well-equipped kitchens and curved windows offering panoramic views of oak trees and a pond. Rentals start at $199/night.
Shop
main street
Known as the “Brick Capital of the Southwest,” Elgin’s downtown features late-19th-century brick buildings. Check out Elgin Dry Goods for gifts and Carmona’s for Western wear. The establishment of the Depot District in 2024 allows for locally purchased beer and wine to be sipped within designated areas.
eat
southside market & barbecue
The links that turned Elgin into a virtual sausage factory can be found at the former Security National Bank building on US 290. Today, the restaurant sells 1,400 pounds of the original beef smoked sausage on Saturdays alone.
Shop
Double R Hat House
Starting with a wide selection of felt and straw hats, customers can design their dream headpiece, from a perfectly fitted hand-creased crown to the desired level of curl on the brim.
eaT & DRINK
Lo-Fi Coffee House and Studio
Ashley Dahlke’s baking hobby began as a way to kill time while growing up in North Pole, Alaska. Now she serves items such as guava cheese buns, blueberry cruffins, and fresh sourdough loaves alongside coffee at her bakery and coffee shop.
shop
Things Celtic
Find everything required for full Highland dress, including custom-made kilts from 900 tartan samples and a variety of sgian-dubhs—the small knives tucked into the top of kilt stockings—at this shop that relocated to Elgin in the spring of 2025. Peruse jewelry, shortbread, fudge, framed art, and clothing that hails from all six Celtic nations.
