THE HILL COUNTRY

The central region of Texas, known as the Hill Country, is perhaps the most lush, beautiful, and culturally interesting area in the state. It’s characterized by rolling hills, oak trees, dance halls, wildflowers, wineries, abandoned cars in fields, honky-tonks, dude ranches, state parks, and frontier towns scattered throughout the hills. Every square mile and every corner of the Hill Country is spilling over with history and legend. From clashes between the native Apache and Spanish settlers, to the founding of towns by German settlers, to old ranches as large as 50 square miles, the history here is rich and compelling. Over the past 150 years the Hill Country has been home to many wildly interesting characters such as outlaws, pioneers, presidents, rodeo cowboys, and musicians.

Today the Hill Country is a place where people come to get away and have a unique Texas experience. In the Hill Country you can be a cowboy for a weekend at one of Bandera’s many dude ranches; hike to the top of an enormous pink granite rock at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area; see an original Rembrandt hanging on a wall in a bank in Uvalde; go horseback riding in the Hill Country State Natural Area; catch a live performance at Gruene Hall, Texas’s oldest dance hall; tube down the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels; and encounter the German heritage of Central Texas by visiting Fredericksburg. Although it’s expected that visitors will romanticize the Hill Country as being a living Wild West, it’s still 21st-century America. Some areas in the Hill Country look like scenes from the movie Deliverance, while some are reminiscent of Napa Valley. This intense combination is what makes this region so interesting.

Hamilton Pool Preserve: This extraordinary place is the most beautiful spot in all of the Hill Country. The grotto-like pool is a great swimming hole as well as a gorgeous place to hike. (read more)

Becker Vineyards: Sipping a glass of wine on the porch at sunset at Becker Vineyards is one of the top Hill Country experiences. Be sure to walk away with at least one bottle of Texas’s best wine. (read more)

Fredericksburg: This historic town settled by German immigrants in the 1800s is a favorite Hill Country getaway. B&Bs, quaint shops, schnitzel, and polka music make this a Texas version of Bavaria that bewitches and bedazzles visitors. (read more)

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area: Legend and mystery surround the natural wonder that is Enchanted Rock. The giant pink granite dome is the highlight of this park, affording spectacular panoramic views of the Hill Country. (read more)

Boerne: This little spot on Cibolo Creek is another one of the Hill Country’s German heritage towns. Walk the historic streets with old limestone buildings, check out art galleries, and eat down-home cooking. Be sure to stay in a B&B while there. (read more)

Natural Bridge Caverns and Wildlife Ranch: The Hill Country is beautiful on the outside and dark and mysterious on the inside — that is, in the many caves that have been discovered in the hills. See a great example at Natural Bridge Caverns. (read more)

Stonehenge II: In a field in the middle of nowhere is a smaller version of the mysterious monument in Salisbury, England. This version wasn’t created by aliens or Druids, but by a local attorney with a crazy idea. (read more)

Lost Maples State Natural Area: This remote state park explodes with color in the fall when the bigtooth maple trees turn from green to bright red. (read more)

Tubing the Guadalupe: In the summer you’ll find thousands of folks sunning, relaxing, and drinking as they bob down the Guadalupe River through groves of bald cypress and over mild white-water rapids. (read more)

Gruene: Although small and off the beaten path, the old town of Gruene is a place visitors to the Hill Country have to visit. Eat in the ruins of an old cotton gin at the Gristmill, hunt for antiques, and catch some of the Lone Star State’s best live country music at famous Gruene Hall, Texas’s oldest dance hall. (read more)