One Tank Trip: Ennis, Official Bluebonnet City Of Texas

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - If you are looking for the perfect place to observe the bluebonnets, you may want to take a trip to the official bluebonnet city of Texas -- Ennis.

Located at the interchange of Highway 287 and Interstate 45 south of Dallas, Ennis boasts some of the most luscious bluebonnet and wildflower fields in the state.

Carol Blaha has been a member of the Ennis Garden Club for decades, and she gets excited each year seeing the bluebonnets bloom.

"I just think it is fantastic that the people get to experience this," Blaha said. "It's just amazing. Sometimes you can't even see one flower, it looks like a sea of flowers."

When you travel to Ennis you can hop on the official Bluebonnet Trail and travel along 45 miles of roads where bluebonnets and wildflowers blanket the horizon. In fact, the city has an interactive map on their app where you can see where the best spots are to observe or take pictures in the fields.

The bluebonnet spirit and history can be seen everywhere in town. Erica Todd and her family have worked to bring that history to life through restoring old and forgotten homes around town.

One home they just renovated is called the Hoefer House, which they named after the previous owners.

"From top to bottom this house had wallpaper. The old-time cheese cloth wall paper, we literally had to burn it all off," Todd said.

The home is now used as a bed and breakfast located just a few blocks from the historic downtown area.

"We thought we can restore it and keep the love in it by letting people stay for the weekend or long term whatever they need," Todd said.

There is history and friendly faces seen around the town, especially downtown. Juliana Gilmore is one of those faces whose family history can be seen hanging on the walls of Felcman's, a store located off Knox Street, that has a legacy that began almost a century ago.

The store has been located in the same building and owned by the same family for more than 90 years.

"It was my grandfather's, then my dad's and then I am third generation," Gilmore said.

Every step you take and every shop you walk into is a reminder that history and the spirit of bluebonnets is alive and well in Ennis.

"We are just a gas tank away from coming to see us down in Ennis," Blaha said.