They don’t call Kyle the “Pie Capital of Texas” for nothing and just wait until you’ve had a slice of the good life. This “small” town now has 65,000 residents and growing, but still sits humbly in the shadows of Austin and San Marcos. However, it’s quickly carving out a name for itself with flaky crusts, creamy fillings, and a community spirit as warm as fresh apple pie.
Texas Pie Company
This café is the crown jewel of Kyle’s pie kingdom and even boasts the adorning headwear with a car-sized slice of cherry pie sitting above the door. Here, pie is the appetizer, dessert, and sometimes the main course. The menu reads like a love letter to all that is buttery and delicious in this world: King Ranch casserole, quiche lorraine, chicken pot pie, and more. But the real showstopper is the pie, all 20 flavors of it. My personal rotation includes the Southern Pecan (sticky, crunchy, classic), the impossibly rich Chocolate Fudge, and the tart, sunny Key Lime. You’re not leaving here without crumbs on your shirt and a pie to-go box in your passenger seat.
5 Mile Dam Park
The pie is sure to get your swimsuit body in great shape before heading to this peaceful stretch of park along the Blanco River. Whether you want to splash around in the shallows, skip rocks like a champ, or just lie in the grass and stare at clouds shaped like armadillos, this is your spot. The breeze off the water smells like sunscreen and memories, and you’ll understand why locals flock here every weekend.
Flying Armadillo Disc Golf
This is the strangest disc golf course in all of Texas. Technically it’s two full courses—an 18-hole mini course that looks like a putt-putt fever dream and a full-size professional-grade course winding through oak trees and Texas scrub—it’s as goofy as it is legit. Where else can you throw a frisbee through the gates of the Alamo or around a dinosaur? If you’re new to the sport, the full pro shop can set you up with discs and educate you on how it’s done.
Unchartered Adventures
This place is for those ready to take things up a notch—say, with a sledgehammer and a post-apocalyptic wasteland. If you want to smash an old TV with a crowbar and shatter grandma’s vases, try out the appropriately named “rage room.” If you want to fight off the undead with gel-bullet machine guns, they have that too. Axe throwing, escape rooms, and splatter paint are also on the menu at this wild, family-friendly destination. It’s loud, cathartic, and completely ridiculous—in the best way.
Hays City Store
This is what a Texas evening in the Hill Country should feel like. This destination restaurant started as a humble gas station and is now a culinary and cultural hub, with a stage out back and chicken-fried comfort on the menu. Order a margarita from the bar then find a seat beneath the twinkling cantina lights as a local band kicks into gear. Everything is good, just make sure you use the magic words “jalapeño cream gravy.” Oh, and save room for another piece of pie to cap off the day.
So whether you follow my footsteps or forge your own path, I hope to see you on the road.
Chet Garner is the host of The Daytripper® travel show on PBS.
To view the Kyle episode, visit thedaytripper.com.
Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and X @chettripper.
