Think you know Texas? Well, this itinerary will surprise you...
A driving itinerary around Texas Hill Country delivers everything you would hope from the Lone Star State and just a few revelations too, says our writer.
So, who thought Texas was going to be a desert?” chuckles my tour guide as the bus ventures deeper into central Texas Hill Country, 45 minutes out of San Antonio en route to Bandera. Surveying the bucolic, gently rolling landscape through the window, he has a point – late spring rains have super-charged the lush, forested landscape with wildflowers.
Yet it’s far from being the only revelation on my circular tour fusing Texas’s charming Hill Country towns with vibrant Austin and San Antonio, casting a rich mix of gastronomy, music and history against some truly glorious landscapes.
AUSTIN
Home to March’s South by Southwest (SXSW) and October’s City Limits festivals, America’s self-proclaimed live music capital, Austin, provides the key to unlocking these charms on an escorted tour or self-drive, with Virgin Atlantic and British Airways flying direct from Heathrow. Here, an Austin Detours guided bus tour clues me in on salubrious strips such as South of Congress and East Sixth Street, the MC, local comedian Joey Z, highlighting local institutions such as Franklin BBQ and El Arroyo, whose tasty tacos I’ll wash down later with zingy mezcalitas.
Like any music fan faced with a cavalcade of storied venues such as Antone’s Nightclub, Hotel Vegas and The Continental Club, I’m in hog heaven. Drunk with choice on my Saturday night, I hit upon a guided Live Music Crawl, jamming at Broken Spoke, The Skylark Lounge and C-Boy’s Heart & Soul before a nightcap at Donn’s Depot. Come Sunday, I take my pick from the sundry drag brunches and vintage flea markets.
Clearly no “one-hit wonder”, other attractions include Barton Springs Pool and Lady Bird Lake, where a BYOB bat tour spirits me to Congress Avenue Bridge, joining the paddle boarders and kayakers awaiting the nightly emergence of the winged wonders living underneath.
NEW BRAUNFELS
After an up-tempo weekend in Austin, sleepy New Braunfels, an historic town with proud German roots, feels light years further away than the hour’s drive. Despite missing its famous sausage festival, there’s no shortage of other Germanic japery and I particularly enjoy Krause’s Cafe, its covered beerhall hosting fun events such as beer steinholding competitions.
Clean, quaint and characterful, families will love New Braunfels. I stay in the self-catered Lofts apartments, part of local star attraction, the humungous Schlitterbahn Waterpark & Resort, which is fantastic fun. Over at 444 Tubing I sample another family favourite, a two-hour float down the Comal River on an inflatable ring. More thrill rides await at Natural Bridge Canyons, adjoined by a safari park, where I tour the spectacular caves.
Rich with old world charm, neighbouring Gruene proves more beguiling still. Here, dinner at the charming Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar fortifies me for an evening of live country music at the town’s historic wooden dance hall before my ride home delivers another timely reminder that I’m in Texas, my Uber turning out to be a Jeep Wrangler.
SAN ANTONIO
For the country’s seventh largest city, San Antonio proves refreshingly walkable. With my main points of interest conveniently clustered downtown, I access many directly from the picturesque River Walk winding through it, including Briscoe Western Art Museum and La Villita Historic Arts Village, gaining a closer look on a Go Rio guided boat tour.
Sat below street level and shaded from that fierce Texas sun, the River Walk is San Antonio’s trump card. Riverside wining and dining is a particular treat in this Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy, with the nearby Pearl District home to the delightful Hotel Emma, another excellent “go-to” for food and retail.
Even the Alamo, where I hear about the famous last-stand battle fought by Davy Crockett against the Mexicans, is but a short walk from my cosy riverside bolthole, The Westin Riverwalk.
BANDERA
Heading back up towards Austin, re-entering Hill Country, the small town of Bandera proclaims itself “cowboy capital of the world”. Having spawned the Great Western Cattle Drives of the 1800s, and produced countless rodeo champions, these days it’s the place to bag a dude ranch stay, with Dixie Dude, Rancho Cortez, Twin Elm and Mayan Dude Ranch among the best for groups. Hanging up my spurs at the Mayan for a night, I take my pick of cowboy capers such as guided horse rides, lasso practice and Texas two-step dance lessons, hopping hayrides to alfresco mealtimes in the grounds.
For a small town, Bandera is big on attractions, and I spend a pleasant afternoon trawling the shops and quirky Frontier Times Museum, where I catch some supremely silly gunfight re-enactments. Come evening, I hit its memorabilia-lined live music venues, sipping “longnecks” at 11th Street Cowboy Bar and Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar as couples in Western-style clothes two-step the sawdust-strewn dance floors.
FREDERICKSBURG
Fredericksburg proves another attractive Hill Country enclave with German ties, home to an assortment of souvenir shops, dining options and visitor attractions such as the Pioneer Museum. With various tasting rooms offering samplings of the area’s renowned vineyards, I opt for Narrow Path. More vintages follow over lunch at Hill & Vine and dinner at Sage before Hondo’s picks up the music and margaritas baton.
Just 10 miles from Fredericksburg, the country music mecca of Luckenbach is another must-see. Centred on a clutch of clapboard shops, stages and a dancehall. While legends such as Willie Nelson have held sway here, its famous sign declares “everybody is somebody in Luckenbach” and I have a fine time watching a trio kick out some country jams beneath the aged oak trees.
With my return flight from Austin looming, I rise early at Hangar Hotel, an adults-only, 1940s-themed offering aside Fredericksburg’s airfield, to drive to Enchanted Rock. Here, the dreamy 360° Hill Country views that reward my gentle hike up this natural wonder’s oversized pink granite dome cast one final scenic spell over my wonderful Western wanderings.
Book it: America As You Like It offers a nine-night Texas fly-drive from £1,649pp. Price includes return flights on British Airways from Heathrow to Austin; nine days’ car hire; two nights’ room-only at the Holiday Inn Midtown Austin; two nights’ B&B at Fairfield Inn Fredericksburg; two nights’ full board with ranch activities at Bandera’s Dixie Dude Ranch; two nights’ B&B at Hampton Inn Downtown Riverwalk, San Antonio; and one night’s B&B at Hampton Inn New Braunfels; americaasyoulikeit.com
Resources: Travel Texas traveltexas.com/cities-and-regions/hill-country; Franklin Barbecue franklinbbq.com; Austin Live Music Crawl austindetours.com/tours; bat cruise capitalcruises.com/bat-watching; New Braunfels’ Wurstfest wurstfest.com; Schlitterbahn Waterpark & Resort schlitterbahn.com/new-braunfels; 444 Tubing 444tubing.com; Go Rio, San Antonio goriocruises.com; Frontier Times Museum, Bandera frontiertimesmuseum.org; Pioneer Museum, Fredericksburg pioneermuseum.org; Narrow Path Winery narrowpathwinery.com; Hangar Hotel hangarhotel.com; Phil Hardberger Park Land Bridge philhardbergerpark.org/land-bridge; Bracken Cave batcon.org
Spotlight on Texas
Smarter: Heat-wise, late June to late October is best avoided while late May and early June sees scenic Hill Country stretches such as Willow City Loop festooned with wildflowers. Hill Country also marks a great spot to witness the total solar eclipse on 8 April 2024.
Better: For clients seeking a longer experience, consider tacking on nearby city combos such as Dallas and Fort Worth, or Houston and Galveston. Alternatively, pitch Marfa and nearby Big Bend National Park to art and nature lovers.
Fairer: Bandera’s dude ranches are fun and family-friendly examples of landscape custodianship. I also heartily recommend San Antonio’s Phil Hardberger Park and its Land Bridge project, while Bracken Cave is spearheading local bat conservation efforts.
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