October 2026 · Bastrop month by month

October 2026: Fall at The Colony, SH 71 Progress and New Spots in Town

October was a full month. The Colony kept adding to what’s already here, fall events filled up the calendar on both sides of the river, and TxDOT shared where all three SH 71 projects stand.

Published October 25, 2026 · Updated October 27, 2026 · By Joel Garcia · Joel’s Colony Guide

Amenity pool and trails at The Colony in Bastrop, Texas

See October on the 2026 growth timeline →

1. What’s growing at The Colony

The Treehouse keeps getting better. The Colony’s newest amenity center opened the week of Labor Day with a 5,000-square-foot pool and a big shaded patio. This month the developer, Hunt Communities, shared that outdoor grills are being installed on that patio, so it becomes a spot for cookouts and get-togethers, not just swimming.

The Trading Post is under construction. Phase 1 of the food truck site broke ground this summer next to Lake House Park and its pavilion. The plan calls for two food truck areas with permanent hookups, seating, string lights and trail connections. It sits catty-corner to Colony Oaks Elementary, which is inside the community. The developer’s target is Q1 2027. That’s a target, not a promise, and I’ll update it if it moves.

The Colony isn’t waiting to become a neighborhood. Each month it just adds more places to use.

Read my Treehouse and Trading Post update →

Sources:

2. Fall on The Colony’s calendar

The lifestyle team had something going almost every weekend in October. Here’s what was on the New Colony flyer:

Oct. 10: Fishing tournament, 9–11 AM, with a trophy for the biggest fish.
Oct. 17–18: Fall community garage sale at participating homes.
Oct. 17: Boo’s & Brews with Mike Kiddo at the Gated Amenity Center. Live music, food, candy, trick-or-treating and artisan vendors.
Oct. 23: Pumpkin Palooza at the Lakehouse. Painting, a pumpkin patch and live music.
Every week: Tiny Tots at the Lakehouse on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

If you’re touring homes, this is the part I’d pay attention to. Events like these are how neighbors meet.

See the community calendar → · View the October flyer (JPG)

Source: The Colony’s October 2026 New Colony activities flyer. Times are as published; confirm with the Lifestyle Coordinator or me before you go.

3. What already happened around Bastrop

Bastrop had a busy October too:

Oct. 9–10: The sixth annual Rednecks & Rockers at Mayfest Park. Battle of the bands, a BBQ cook-off and an auction raising scholarship money for local students.
Oct. 9: The Bastrop County Museum opened its Día de los Muertos community ofrendas. The display stays up daily through Nov. 2.
Oct. 10: Events on Main brought a full day of local vendors to downtown.
Oct. 9–25: The Bastrop Opera House ran The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).
Oct. 14: The Bastrop High School homecoming parade went down Main Street.
Oct. 24: The Spooks & Scandals walking tour told the ghost stories of historic downtown.

Sources:

4. SH 71: where all three projects stand

Community Impact checked in with TxDOT on Oct. 21. Here’s the short version:

Tucker Hill Lane (under construction): Crews have been setting bridge beams on westbound SH 71 at Dry Creek since July, building culverts at the intersection and working on the westbound frontage road. Expect lane shifts. Completion is expected in fall 2028.
Pope Bend Road (next up): The overpass project finished its pre-bid steps. Bids are scheduled to open Jan. 6, 2027.
FM 1209 (in design): Plans are in final design, right-of-way and utility work. Bids are expected in 2030.

Ross Road and Kellam Road are already done. The long-term goal is a corridor where through traffic doesn’t stop at signals. I won’t promise a commute time. The direction is what matters.

Sources:

5. New spots and what’s opening soon

Lupita’s Kitchen opened a second location on Sept. 20 at 887 SH 21 W. in Cedar Creek, in the old Leo’s Italian Grill. It’s scratch-made Mexican food from a family that’s been cooking in Bastrop County since 2023.
Kung Fu Tea is hiring ahead of a November opening at Burleson Crossing East on SH 71. It’ll be the county’s first one.

That’s the pattern I keep tracking. A “coming soon” sign turns into somewhere you actually go.

Sources:

6. Downtown Bastrop news

More shops on Main Street. The city has proposed rules for the Downtown Historic District. They would require at least 60% of street-facing ground-floor storefront space to be customer-facing, like shops, restaurants and galleries. Planning & Zoning holds a public hearing Oct. 29 at 6 PM at City Hall. If it moves forward, City Council takes it up Nov. 3 and Nov. 17.

The love locks are coming back. On Oct. 13, City Council approved a location for the BTX Love Locks sculpture. City officials told Community Impact it will be unveiled at the Old Iron Bridge ribbon cutting on Dec. 4.

Sources:

7. Coming up

Oct. 31, 2–6 PM: Bastrop Boo Bash downtown. Free trick-or-treating and trunk-or-treat along Main and Spring streets, plus bounce houses and food vendors.
November: The Colony’s trail of lights at Lake House Park opens to the public for its second year.
Nov. 13–14: Heroes & Hot Rods Veterans Weekend Car Show downtown, its 20th year.
Dec. 4: The Old Iron Bridge ribbon cutting, with the love locks sculpture.
Dec. 11: Winter Fest at The Colony, with a planned visit from a live reindeer.

Sources: Community Impact — fall events · Bastrop Current · Community Impact (sponsored) — The Colony · Community Impact — Old Iron Bridge

8. What I’m watching next

Treehouse grills and Trading Post progress, and whether Q1 2027 holds.
Pope Bend Road bids on Jan. 6, 2027, and Tucker Hill traffic changes.
The downtown storefront rules at P&Z and City Council.
Kung Fu Tea and Freebirds at Burleson Crossing East. Freebirds is listed as opening by spring 2027.
The proposed Cedar Creek data center power plant. On Oct. 13, county commissioners asked the TCEQ to hold a public meeting so residents can ask questions. No permits have been issued.

Sources: Community Impact — 14 Bastrop business updates (Freebirds) · KVUE — Cedar Creek data centers and gas plant, Oct. 20, 2026

Also new on my site: a payment estimator

I added a payment estimator to my financing page. You enter the rate your own lender quoted you, and it shows a monthly breakdown that includes HOA and an estimated property tax. It’s a way to think it through before you talk to a lender.

Try the payment estimator →

Want to see it in person?

Fall is a good time to walk The Colony. I’ll show you the Treehouse, where the Trading Post is going in, and the homes nearby. I’ll be clear about what’s open today and what’s still a plan.

See available Drees homes → · Contact Joel

Joel Garcia
Joel’s Colony Guide
Call or text: 512-693-1701

I’m a new home sales consultant, not a mortgage lender, loan originator or financial advisor. Event dates, project timelines and development plans can change. Verify anything important to your decision with the source.

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