Irish culture and craft soda in Dublin
Known for its ancestry and an annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, Dublin is the Irish Capital of Texas. Downtown Dublin features brick roads and historic architecture from the Gilded Age. Formerly, it held the oldest Dr. Pepper plant in the country, and it is the hometown of legendary PGA golfer Ben Hogan, with a community culture centered around high school sports. "Most people know Dublin for Dr. Pepper, but they are huge in football," says Mika McInroe, an area local and real estate agent at Ebby Halliday Realtors. "Everyone comes out to support the team, and most people even travel to away games because the community is very involved."
Dining at homestyle restaurants and local farms
Just off Patrick Street, a giant sculpture of a root beer bottle says, "Always made with pure cane sugar." Formerly the site of a Dr. Pepper bottling facility, craft sodas are still produced at Dublin Bottling Works. Residents can dine at Granny Clark's, a local diner serving homestyle breakfast dishes since the 1960s. Another culinary attraction is the Veldhuizen Cheese Shop, which has a tasting room experience and cheese wheels from a family-owned farm. People can pick up groceries at DG Market or Brookshire Brothers, along Patrick Street, close to downtown.
Highly rated Dublin schools offer career-focused programs
Dublin Elementary School earns an A grade from Niche and has a curriculum based on collaboration and individual student needs. Dublin Intermediate School has an A-minus and was on the 2024 Texas Honor Roll, a performance-based list reserved for the upper 10% of districts in the state. Dublin High School receives a B-plus and has vocational courses like Air Force JROTC and agricultural education. "It's a community aspect of Dublin to support the youth and the local teams," McInroe says.
Housing mix with Victorian architecture and acres of land
Dublin has a gridded layout lined with live oak trees, as property sizes gradually increase outside the city center. Dublin features a mix of eclectic Craftsman and ranch-style homes. Historic houses like Victorian Queen Annes have colorful details and European influence, while ranch-style homes often have tan brick exteriors and metal roofs. The median home price is about $290,000, compared to the U.S. median price of around $415,000. Houses on a half-acre or less go for $40,000 to $330,000. Properties with more than five acres cost between $440,000 and $1 million. Manufactured homes cost anywhere from $90,000 to $260,000.
Celebrating history through St. Patrick's Day and downtown museums
The community's most popular event is the St. Patrick's Day Festival, which includes all-day festivities in March, including a downtown parade, live music and an Irish stew cook-off. Another attraction is the Dublin Rodeo Heritage Museum, which features World Championship Rodeo Era artifacts. The Ben Hogan Museum has golf memorabilia about its hometown athlete, who won nine major championships and completed Golf's Grand Slam.
Recreation at Proctor Lake and hiking at High Point State Park
Dublin City Park is a central, shady green space with athletic facilities like baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts. It also features a mini golf course and has a community pool. About 10 miles south, Proctor Lake State Park provides boat launches and swimming beaches. It is also near High Point Park, which has 10 miles of hiking trails. Due to Dublin's dry conditions and high-speed winds, wildfires can affect the area. The fire department monitors conditions and has mitigation strategies, such as issuing burn bans and condition warnings.
Taking the highway to Stephenville and Dallas-Fort Worth
U.S. Highway 281 is the area's primary expressway. From Dublin, Stephenville is about 14 miles north, and Dallas is around 120 miles northeast. "The location is great for getting to Stephenville and the Metroplex," McInroe says. "It's outside the city but close to the amenities of a city." Approximately 110 miles northeast, the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is a significant commercial airline hub that offers direct flights to international cities.
