The popular Texas travel show The Daytripper hosted by Chet Garner filmed in Yorktown and Nordheim in November, and the episode aired on Austin’s PBS station Feb. 19.
Garner and his crew’s tour of DeWitt County sites, which became available on YouTube Feb. 23, included stops at Yorktown Memorial Hospi- tal, Yorktown Historical Museum, Nordheim Shooting Club Dance Hall, Abuelita’s Café and 5D Steakhouse & Lounge. The segment followed the Daytripper’s traditional theme of showcasing what there is to do in a Texas community on a day trip, including favorite local eateries.
The show opened with a history of the Indianola Trail from the now extinct port city where German immigrants landed in droves, and how it contributed to the birth of Yorktown in the 1840s. Yorktown was named for Texas Revolutionary Captain John York.
Yorktown, which was developed as a rest stop for travelers on the trail that ran to San Antonio, was the site of the first American Lithuanian settlement.
The episode highlighted Yorktown Memorial Hospital, its history from 1951 as a medical facility run by the Felician Sisters until 1986, then its time as a drug rehab center before becoming a tourist site under private ownership of two San Antonio men, Fred and Stephen Garza-Guzman, who conduct paranormal tours due to the building reportedly being haunted by ghosts.
Curious Twins Tours gave Garner and his crew a tour both during the day and the night.
During the nighttime visit, the use of paranormal equipment to detect such activity, was demonstrated. Specific spots in the hospital reputed to be haunted, such as the chapel, were shown.
The Daytripper episodes typically generate tourism to a community after they are aired and new customers for the dining establishments featured. The show’s producer reaches out to organizations and businesses in a community to arrange interviews in advance of the crew’s arrival.
The Daytripper launched in 2007 by Garner, a former attorney who loved travel but couldn’t find the time for it, as a show about daylong trips around Austin but expanded because of its popularity to statewide journeys. Its mission is to “obscure the hidden gems of Texas.” The oftenhumorous show is an Emmy Award-winner that is shown by PBS stations statewide in addition to Austin PBS that produces it.
Visit https://thedaytripper. com
