Texas is big, and the south-central Texas area commonly referred to as the Hill Country is nothing to shake a stick at either. This guidebook starts with Austin, then moves south through the beautiful stretch of the Hill Country just west of Austin and down to San Antonio.

AUSTIN
Although Austin is geographically south of the center of Texas, it’s definitely the heart of the state. The Austin metropolitan area is situated at the eastern edge of the Hill Country on the I-35 corridor. The Colorado River winds its way through town and has been dammed off, making a lush and beautiful lake the focal point of downtown. Austin is the state capital and the commercial heart of several established industries such as ranching, dairy, and cotton, and in the last decade a thriving tech industry has taken root. To the surprise of visitors, Austin is not in a flat and arid Texas setting as one might imagine. Austin is hilly, and these hills are blanketed with a wide variety of deciduous and evergreen trees and an astounding amount of wildflowers. Rivers, streams, and lakes abound, and all the regional and state parks serve to protect and keep this area beautiful.

THE HILL COUNTRY
The remarkably beautiful region called the Hill Country, to the west of Austin and north of San Antonio, is the Napa Valley of Texas. This slow-paced, wildly beautiful, sprawling region is filled with small towns—some have been frozen in time and others are catching up. Nearly all these wide spots in the road have the signature Hill Country feature at the center of town—a beautiful, historic, ornate limestone courthouse. Between many of these towns there are pristine parks, wineries, antique shops, and roadside fruit stands. The industry in these parts is farming, ranching, wine-making, and tourism. As you drive around the Hill Country you may notice exotic animals such as zebra, bison, and antelope grazing in fields. Many ranches in the Hill Country have become home to these rare animals.

SAN ANTONIO
The age-old city of San Antonio is just to the south of the Hill Country, southwest from Austin. If you look at a map of this vibrant, historic city you will notice that all roads lead to San Antonio. This river town is one of the top 10 largest cities in the United States. It’s also home to Texas’s most visited tourist attraction—the Alamo—as well as the famous River Walk, which cuts its way through downtown, and several Spanish missions. The Mexican border is only 175 miles away; this proximity has given San Antonio an incredibly rich Latino heritage.