The Serenity of Westcave Preserve
September 19, 2023 | By TH Staff
hill country
The Daytripper Digs Into Gardens and Grub in Goldthwaite
July 25, 2023 | By Chet Garner
Two hours northwest of Austin, you’ll find a town that has served as a Texas crossroads since 1885.
Braving the Narrows, One of Texas’ Most Mythic and Wild Oases
June 27, 2023 | By Bobby Alemán
In a field of brickellbush, hundreds of monarch butterflies move with the
Where to Picnic This Summer in the Hill Country
June 1, 2023 | By Carol Milberger
I recently introduced the term “sack lunch” to my young grandchildren for a park outing. They were so impressed, you’d think I told them I’d invented fire.
Don’t Miss Out on Great Early Season Peaches This Year
May 26, 2023 | By John O. Lumpkin
Seventy Years Ago, Cedar Choppers Ruled the Hill Country with Axes and Muscle
May 10, 2023 | By W.K. Stratton
I had my one encounter with honest-to-goodness cedar choppers just about the time those “almost mythical, gypsy-like people,” as Texas literary legend Edwin “Bud” Shrake referred to them in an essay, were disappearing from the Hill Country.
Shift Your Sightseeing Up a Gear with Self-Guided E-bike Tours
March 3, 2023 | By Pam LeBlanc
Venture to Marble Falls for Highland Lakes Fun and Relaxation
February 28, 2023 | By Melissa Gaskill
Trek Travel Designs Hill Country Rides for Serious Bicyclists
February 28, 2023 | By Lori Rackl
Roadside Oddity: The Statue of Old Yeller in Mason
December 24, 2022 | By Dale Weisman
“We called him Old Yeller. The name had a sort of double meaning. One part meant that his short hair was a dingy yellow, a color that we called ‘yeller’ in those days.
Find Exotic Animals and Hill Country Culture in the No-Stoplight Town of Harper
November 23, 2022 | By Heather Brand
For a Quick Road Trip, the President’s Ranch Trail Takes You All the Way With LBJ
November 22, 2022 | By Joe Nick Patoski
Get Creative in the Scenic Hill Country Town of Wimberley
October 27, 2022 | By Matt Joyce
Paint Rock’s Prehistoric Pictographs Take The Daytripper Back in Time
October 27, 2022 | By Chet Garner
Not every Texas town is full of obvious tourist destinations. Sometimes, you’ve got to flip a couple rocks to find the good spots hidden out of sight.
The Texas Vintage Motorcycle Museum Introduces Johnson City to the Wild Side
August 25, 2022 | By Clayton Maxwell
Kerrville Folk Festival Celebrates 50 Years of Music, Community, and Lasting Memories
May 24, 2022 | By Sarah Thurmond
In March 1972, a short writeup in the Kerrville Mountain Sun described what locals could expect at the town’s brand-new music festival.
Kinky Friedman Introduces Gold Star Kids to the Land That Shaped Him
April 28, 2022 | By Joe Nick Patoski
He’s the bard of the Hill Country—a satirist, author, singer-songwriter, raconteur, and equal-opportunity offender. He’s run for Texas governor, not to mention state agricultural commissioner and Kerr County justice of the peace.
Boerne’s Hill Country Charm and Texas-German Heritage Fuel a Weekend of Fun
April 28, 2022 | By Jacqueline Knox
OroBianco Cultures Small-Town Texas With the Italian Tradition of Slow Food
April 28, 2022 | By Laurel Miller
Editor’s Note: Preserved Paradise
April 28, 2022 | By Emily Roberts Stone
I’ve lived in the Hill Country for five years now, yet I’m still finding new reasons to admire its grandeur on a regular basis.
The Daytripper Drives a World War II Tank in Uvalde
April 28, 2022 | By Chet Garner
At the crossroads where the Hill Country meets South Texas sits a charming town with a history deeper than its swimming holes.
Peeler Farms Is One of Texas’ Premier Purveyors of Wagyu Beef
February 24, 2022 | By Steven Craig Lindsey
Austin’s Beerburg Brewing Forages Plants for Its Wildcrafted Brews
February 24, 2022 | By Laurel Miller
Return of the Winter Texans: Migrating South for Warmer Climes
November 26, 2021 | By Heather Brand
Seasonal migration is underway, and it’s not just cranes and warblers making their way to Texas.
A Mother’s Quest to Give Her Autistic Son an Untethered Childhood
November 24, 2021 | By May Cobb
Hill Country Spring Water is the Secret Ingredient in Nine Banded Whiskey
September 23, 2021 | By Pam LeBlanc
Sympathy for the Devil in Southwest Texas
September 22, 2021 | By Matthew Adams
In a world where we are perhaps overly dependent on GPS—focused on getting from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible—I’ve found that simply unfurling a road map and blindly jabbing a finger down on the page just to see what’s there is a surefire way of reopening my mind to the possibilities of exploration and adventure.
The Daytripper Checks Out the Heart of Czech Country
June 24, 2021 | By Chet Garner
In the rolling hills and prairies between Austin and Houston, you’ll find the heart of Texas Czech country.
Fredericksburg’s 175th Anniversary: 4 Things to Check Out This Weekend
May 6, 2021 | By Amanda Ogle
Fredericksburg has a long history of attracting enterprising people looking for land and new opportunities. During the 1840s, thousands of Germans immigrated to Texas and, under an effort led by the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, the town was founded on May 8, 1846, by Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach.
Jester King Brewery Adds a 2-Mile Trail to its 165-Acre Property
January 23, 2021 | By Kimya Kavehkar
Even before the trail officially debuted last weekend, Jester King was a fun place to socialize while spreading out. But the new addition tap into something else Texans have been craving since March—a connection with nature.
Boerne Writer Finds Lessons and Comfort in Fly Fishing the Hill Country
December 14, 2020 | By Dan Oko
Reading Boerne-based author Steve Ramirez’s first book, Casting Forward, feels a lot like stepping into the refreshing Texas Hill Country rivers Ramirez visits in the book’s pages.
Shhh … This Just Might Be the Prettiest Body of Water in Texas
June 25, 2020 | By Joe Nick Patoski
The Frio is Chilly but That’s the Point
June 25, 2020 | By Pam LeBlanc
Dip a toe in the blue-green swirls of the Frio River and brace for the shiver that’s sure to ripple up your leg.
Texas’ Roadside Peach Stands Report Plenty of Fruit and Brisk Business
June 16, 2020 | By John Lumpkin
Try These 5 Texas Rosés This Summer
May 13, 2020 | By Jill Coody Smits
From frosé to brosé to “rosé all day,” pink wine has moved from fad to favorite among summertime libations. It’s only right—given the light, refreshing wine pairs perfectly with Texas heat—that our state’s vintners are producing rosés that any oenophile would be proud to pour.
Tillie’s is a Dining and Architectural Gem in the Hill Country
February 27, 2020 | By Paula Forbes
Spring Getaway: How to Spend a Weekend in Kerrville
February 27, 2020 | By Kimya Kavehkar
5 Romantic Retreats in Texas
February 6, 2020 | By Julia Jones and Kimya Kavehkar
Valentine’s Day comes with a lot of pressure—gifts, dinner reservations, grand gestures. Perhaps the most romantic thing of all is to eschew the holiday’s expectations and get out of town—with your honey, of course. These Texas resorts offer seclusion with a dash of luxury for a weekend of bonding and relaxation.
See Bald Eagles This Winter at the Hill Country’s Canyon of the Eagles
December 6, 2019 | By June Naylor
The annual pilgrimage became so popular that a resort called Canyon of the Eagles was built around the experience. This month, the eco-lodge—located 60 miles northwest of Austin, and about 19 miles from Burnet—celebrates its 20th anniversary.
A Fredericksburg Native Reckons With His Hometown’s Evolution From a German Enclave to a Tourist Destination
November 27, 2019 | By John Davidson
Commune with Nature at These Treehouses in the Texas Hill Country
November 26, 2019 | By Allison McNearney
This Fredericksburg Restaurant Features a Rare All-Texas Wine List
September 30, 2019 | By John Lumpkin
Asign above the door to Cabernet Grill in Fredericksburg tells patrons what they need to know about the restaurant: “Texas Wine Spoken Here.” Fluently, in fact. Cabernet Grill has landed on Wine Enthusiast’s “America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants” two years in a row with an all-Texas wine list—a feat even the most Texas-centric restaurants haven’t achieved.
Fall Really Does Happen in Texas – You Just Have to Know Where to Look
September 23, 2019 | By
Mother Nature’s autumnal coloration of leaves before she applies her cruel winter grip is a visual gift typically associated with areas of the country that actually experience four distinct seasons. In Texas, where for the most part it’s oppressively hot and dry in September and October, green can abruptly give way to brown, without displaying even a hint of the kaleidoscope of oranges, reds, and yellows typical of a postcard New England fall. There are hidden pockets of the state, however, where the trees, beneficiaries of just the right weather conditions, offer one final, dramatic blush. Follow our photographers to these special places for some of the best foliage in the state—from the Nolan River in North Texas and Garner State Park in the Hill Country, to the Canadian River in the Panhandle and Guadalupe Mountains
National Park in West Texas.
Photo: Keep Cool at Devil’s Waterhole in Inks Lake State Park This Summer
June 24, 2019 | By
A lot of lore surrounds the naming of Devil’s Waterhole along a northeast branch of Inks Lake State Park near Burnet: One legend says the land’s previous owner was known to curse loudly whenever his wagon got stuck crossing it, while others believe Native Americans originally named it for its warmer waters. While the source of the name is unconfirmed, there’s no question that it’s a popular natural swimming area for daredevils. It can only be reached from inside the park by either hiking the quarter-mile Devil’s Waterhole Trail or by paddling along Inks Lake. Upon arrival, hikers and paddlers are greeted by the park’s metamorphic rock, Valley Spring Gneiss, with ledges rising up to 40 feet above the water.
Last-Minute Weekend Plans: Milton Reimers Ranch Park
June 20, 2019 | By Anna-Kay Reeves
Hill Country summer favorite Hamilton Pool has been reservations-only since 2016 due to the swimming hole’s popularity. But if you’re still looking for a scenic place to cool your heels, there’s a more secluded spot five minutes away.
A Road Trip to Utopia, Complete with Wildflowers and the Rugged Wonders of the Hill Country
May 23, 2019 | By
Garner State Park, Lost Maples State Natural Area, and the surrounding Hill Country take you away from it all in the May edition of “A Piece of Texas” video series.
A Relative of German Settlers Retraces Her Ancestors’ Arduous Path to the Texas Hill Country
May 22, 2019 | By Amanda Eyre Ward
Where to See the Most Historic Bat Roost in Texas
April 15, 2019 | By Asher Elbein
On summer nights in the Hill Country, rivers of Mexican free-tail bats stream out of caves and abandoned buildings, spiraling up to hunt in the skies. One colony of bats emerges from a strange, 30-foot-high structure that resembles a church steeple on stilts, with pyramidal shingles, and is visible from a public road in the Kendall County town of Comfort.
