Behind the shopping centers at Hwy 377 and Cook Street, past the back doors of the Old Town restaurants, there is now a fresh ribbon of pavement curving through about four acres of trees. Crews poured it in mid-October. It is the Argyle Nature Trail, and the Cross Timbers Gazette describes it as a new park in the heart of Old Town that is nearing completion.
Most of the talk about Argyle's planned Town Center has been about Main Street, the brick road the town plans to run past new shops toward Town Hall. The first piece residents will actually be able to walk is somewhere else. It sits at the back edge of the parking lots they already use for breakfast at Little Joe's and dinner at The Argyle Social. Argyle is building its downtown from the back of its restaurant row outward, and the trail is how those pieces will connect.
A Quarter Mile Tucked Behind the Storefronts
The trail is small on purpose. The Town of Argyle's bid documents describe a quarter-mile loop on roughly 4.85 acres south of 202 Cook Street. Three 5-foot-wide connectors run from the loop to developments and neighborhoods to the east, west and north. The same scope covers hardscape, planting and drainage work.
According to the town, the route will eventually run from the back of the new Argyle Marketplace development to Little Joe's Farmstead. In his November column for the Gazette, Mayor Ron Schmidt pointed residents straight at it:
"Next time you stop by one of our restaurants near 377 and 407, go take a look at the progress being made on the nature trail near the parking lot."
That line comes from the mayor's Around Argyle column for November 2026. He placed the trail in relation to where people eat. A quarter mile is a short loop on its own. It covers a lot more ground once you count it as the walk from your table to the trees.
The Argyle Parks Board approved the rules for the trail unanimously at its Oct. 14 meeting. The Gazette reported the main points:
- Open sunrise to sunset
- Stay on the paved trail to protect the native plants
- Keep pets leashed at all times and pick up after them
- No bicycles or motorized vehicles
- No glass containers, alcoholic beverages, fireworks or firearms
- No smoking and no camping
- Group events need a permit from the town
The no-bikes rule says a lot about the design. This is a strolling path, sized for an after-dinner walk with the dog or a lap with a cone from The Scoop. It isn't meant for training rides. Mayor Schmidt has also suggested the trail as a future home for the Argyle Farmers Market and as a site for a veterans memorial.
The Restaurants at Either End
Look at what sits along the route and the trail reads as a connector for Old Town's dining cluster.
Little Joe's Farmstead at 401 US 377 S anchors the southern end. Community Impact describes it as a charitable farm-to-table restaurant whose proceeds support pediatric oncology patients and their families. Its website lists breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hours run 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and Monday. The Scoop, the walk-up ice cream and bakery window attached to the restaurant, opened in July 2025.
Two neighbors share the same stretch of 377. Quandary Kitchen & Market at 429 US 377 opened in late October 2025 in the former Kimzey's Coffee space, according to Community Impact. The Argyle Social at 427 US 377 took over the former Earl and Isabella's Taverna space this summer and opened July 29, as the Cross Timbers Gazette reported.
The northern end is still under construction. Argyle Marketplace is a 23,000-square-foot retail and office project on Hwy 377 north of FM 407. It broke ground in June 2026. Hurtado Barbecue is its first named restaurant and plans a spring 2027 opening in a new building. The Gazette reports that building will have a patio facing the Argyle Nature Preserve. The town's interest in the trail edge goes beyond Hurtado. The Town Manager's Aug. 1 notes discuss a possible outdoor dining deck on the forest side of the Marketplace's easternmost building.
So the trail is planned with restaurants at both ends, a patio planned to face the woods, and a deck under discussion along the trail edge. It looks a lot like the walkable core the Main Street plan is meant to create, and it is the first part to be built.
Two Shades of Red, Chosen This Fall
The trail and Main Street are being built as one district, and the town has already picked what it will look like. Mayor Schmidt's column says both will be paved with natural clay-fired brick. Gray and black bricks will mark lanes, parking stalls and crosswalks, so the streets never need paint.
| Piece of the Town Center | Brick | When it goes in |
|---|---|---|
| Argyle Nature Trail | "Cherokee," a red brick the mayor calls vibrant | Pavers arrive in late January |
| Main Street travel lanes | "Crimson," a muted red | Argyle Marketplace stretch first, starting in November |
| Lane lines, parking stalls, crosswalks | Gray and black brick | Used in place of painted markings |
According to the mayor, brick orders went in after the council's October approvals, and crews are ready. The agenda for the Oct. 19 Town Council meeting listed a purchase of specialty Town Center paving bricks from Blackson Brick Co. of up to $350,000. The same agenda listed a $150,000 agreement with Architexas for Town Center planning, Main Street design and design standards.
After the Marketplace stretch, the brick work moves north along Main Street toward The Door Church and Cook Street. The trail's pavers follow in late January. Two red bricks in two different tones mean the trail will look like its own thing from the street while still clearly belonging to the district.
Where Main Street Goes From Here
Main Street is a new road. The mayor describes it as a renaming of Cook Street at Hwy 377. From there it turns south through the Argyle Marketplace construction and follows a new route to the intersection of Myrtle and FM 407. When the town discussed the plan in June, the Gazette reported a brick street maintained by the town and kept open to cars. It would be laid out for walking and could close temporarily for public events.
The town is also forming a resident committee to give design input on Main Street. Mayor Schmidt describes the goal for the Heart of Argyle as "inviting, walkable spaces and interesting independent businesses that complement our town's character." He has asked interested residents to get in touch. For anyone who already spends weekend mornings in Old Town, that committee is the most direct way to help shape the street.
Old Town on the Calendar This Season
The next few weekends bring people to the same blocks where the brick is going in. The mayor has also floated the trail as a future home for the Argyle Farmers Market. The dates below come from the mayor's November column and the Gazette's community calendar.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Argyle Farmers Market moves to the third Saturday for November only. It sets up in the parking lot of Argyle Community Church on Hwy 377, the former Baptist church just south of the post office.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Argyle Trading Post 1881 and the Argyle Lions Club Cookie Crawl take place next door at Settlers Center, 306 Hwy 377. It's a holiday shopping morning with local businesses. Details are at argylebiz.com/events.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 4 to 6 p.m. Argyle's Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Festival takes place at The Well, 600 Hwy 407 West. Keep Argyle Beautiful describes it as a free event with Santa and Mrs. Claus, entertainment, refreshments, crafts and activities. It is held on the first Saturday of December. Cactus Canyon, the Tex-Mex restaurant at 700 FM 407 West, is right next door for dinner afterward.
On Nov. 21, the market and the Cookie Crawl sit side by side on 377, a short drive from the Cook Street corner where the trail starts and the first Main Street bricks are going down this month. It's a good morning to take a look at the new trail and the brick work.
If you're curious how Argyle's Town Center plans could change the feel of Old Town, or how a home near it might be presented when the time comes, Betsy Daniel follows these projects closely and would be glad to talk. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll go over what's being built around 377 and Cook Street.
