Start your road trip off with a splash by taking a dip in Hamilton Pool Preserve. From Austin drive west on Highway 290, and then go north on Highway 71. If it’s hot take a dip; if it’s cold gawk for a while at the beauty. Afterwards, head south on Highway 12 through Dripping Springs en route to Johnson City and eat some great Texas barbecue at Ronnie’s Ice House.
Swimming at Hamilton Pool Preserve. Photo © Matthew Carroll/123rf.
Before leaving town stop off at Whittington’s Jerky, because no road trip is complete without some additional beef to gnaw on. Swing by the old limestone jail, which was built back in 1894 and is still in use, then proceed westward on Highway 290 toward Stonewall to LBJ State Park and Historic Site. This ranch was President Lyndon B. Johnson’s retreat from the world. While here see the Texas White House and watch an old movie about the 36th president. Once you’re back on Highway 290 be sure to stop off at Becker Vineyards to do some wine-tasting. After buying a bottle, continue westward on Highway 290, but make sure the poor sap who didn’t drink drives.
Fourteen miles down the road you’ll come to the German hamlet of Fredericksburg. For dinner there’s schnitzel, beer, and German polka music at Auslander Biergarten. If there’s a jazz band playing at the Hangar Hotel head out to the airport for a swinging time. You can also stay at this World War II-style hangar for the night.
Be sure to walk Main Street Fredericksburg to check out the various shops and boutiques, and pay a visit to the Pioneer Museum and funky Gish’s Old West Museum. If you’re a World War II buff check out the National Museum of the Pacific War, where you can see artillery used in the war. Then head north on RR 965 to one of the Hill Country’s most precious natural wonders, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. Take the time to hike the face of the enormous granite-domed rock to check out the view and ponder the myths and legends that were born here. If it’s not past noon, take a drive on the most scenic country road in Texas, Willow City Loop.
Wildflowers and cattle seen along the Willow City Loop in Texas. Photo © Steve, licensed Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike.
From Fredericksburg your journey will continue south on Highway 16 to Kerrville and on to RR 1340 toward Hunt. Out here you’ll be looking for Stonehenge II, a small version of the mysterious rock formation in Salisbury, England. After pondering this head back to Kerrville, where you’ll head south on RR 173 to get to your final destination, the Cowboy Capital of the World, known as Bandera. Once in Bandera be sure to eat at O. S. T. Restaurant. The food is downhome country cooking in the presence of John Wayne memorabilia. One of the area’s many dude ranches, such as the Mayan Dude Ranch, is where you’ll want to stay.
Start the day off with a big cowboy-style breakfast at the dude ranch mess hall, followed by a horseback ride. A guide will take you into the backcountry on trails that have been trodden under hoof for eons. After lunch in the mess hall and a siesta, head downtown and explore the strange Western shops that line Bandera’s dirt sidewalks. Also pay a visit to the Frontier Times Museum.
The courthouse in Bandera, Texas. Photo © Davidlohr Bueso, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
Once you’ve seen Bandera, leave town by way of Highway 46, toward the historic German pioneer town of Boerne. This lovely spot on Cibolo Creek is a great place to hunker down for the rest of the day. The main activity here is walking Main Street, known to locals as Hauptstrasse. Here you’ll find dozens of antiques shops, boutiques, and eateries, all in historic limestone buildings built by the German pioneers. When you get hungry, walk over to the river, turn left, and walk down to the Dodging Duck Brew Haus. Dinner with a beer on the outdoor patio is the only way to go. Most folks who come to Boerne stay in a bed-and-breakfast. A reservation service can help you find the right lodgings for your budget.
First thing you’ll want to do in the morning is drive north on RR 474, where you’ll explore the Cave Without a Name. The cave is full of intriguing rock formations, stalagmites, and stalactites. After this head back to Boerne, then head east on Highway 46. Along the way you’ll encounter Guadalupe River State Park. Stop off here for some incredible scenery, or even better, go tubing down the Guadalupe River. Afterwards make your way to New Braunfels and the charming town of Gruene. Explore Gruene’s quaint buildings full of antiques and a few restaurants overlooking beautiful Guadalupe River. At the base of the old town is the Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar, situated in the ruins of an old cotton gin.
A grand finale to your road trip should be famous Gruene Hall. This old structure with chicken-wire windows is Texas’s oldest dance hall. Country music legends still fill this hall with great foot-stomping music.
Austin and the Hill Country
Excerpted from the Fourth Edition of Moon Austin, San Antonio and the Hill Country.
