Judge Roy Bean
The Southwest - Texas
Entrance fees and opening hours
- Free of charge
- Open daily from 8am - 5pm.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
For the GPS: 526 State Loop 25, Langtry, TX 78871
Our visits: So far 1 visit in March 2018
Judge Roy Bean
Description: Roy Bean lived a colorful life that was not always legal. His adventurous spirit often brought him into conflict with the law. Nevertheless, he later championed the law and set up a small courtroom in his Langtry saloon. He had no jail and so most sentences were fines. Conveniently, Bean kept the money for himself and refused to turn it over to the state of Texas. He named his saloon The Jersey Lilly, after the love of his life, a British actress. The only tragic part of the story was that Roy Bean never met Jersey Lilly in person. In her memoirs, Lilly later wrote that she was not in Langtry until after Roy Bean's death.
The story became known through the movie The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean from 1972 with Paul Newman.
Our rating: Roy Bean's saloon is not a must see, but it was a nice stop to stretch our legs on our way from Big Bend NP to San Antonio. In addition to the saloon, there is a residence and a cactus garden to visit. But the nicest feature was the attached visitor center. For that alone it would have been worth a visit. The very nice employee provided us with countless tips and brochures for all of Texas.
