Updated August 2024
The Texas Hill Country has changed a lot since I first visited over ten years ago, but it is still beautiful. There are dozens more wineries, many fancy new places to eat and drink, and more traffic. If you go on the weekend it will be crowded. And no matter how many people crowd onto Fredericksburg’s narrow sidewalks, you can’t take away the Texas charm and history. The many small towns that comprise the Hill Country receive 100,000 to 200,000 visitors on the weekends and during festivals. Go during the week if you can.
Here are seventeen reasons why you should go to the Hill Country now, not next year.
A big Texas landscape under a cloudy sky. Just another drive in the Texas Hill Country
Luckenbach
Waylong and Willie and the boys no longer frequent Luckenbach but there’s still live music, a dance hall, and the history that seeps from the old post office.
Luckenbach, Texas More than a song Willie Nelson sang, it’s still a place where people gather for community and great music.
The Texas White House
The Texas White is is the former home of the 36th president of the United States, Lyndon Johnson. He spent as much time as possible at his ranch in Texas so it became known as the Texas White House.
Located at the LBJ Park you can tour the house with a guide. The driving tour through the 674 acre ranch is self-guided.
Wildflowers
Every spring thousands of visitors descend on the Hill Country to enjoy the wildflowers that grow along the highways and byways. Ladybird Johnson was responsible for the beautification of Texas Highways . The Wildseed Farm in Fredericksburg is. a good place to see them out of season.
Poppies of all colors and varieties bloom in the spring.
Hye, Texas
Go to the Texas Hill Country now to see the wide-open spaces, star-filled skies, drink award-winning wines, and enjoy some Texas-style hospitality .
The tiny town of Hye is home to one of the states best wineries, William Chris.
Hye, Texas, so quirky and colorful I stopped to take photos. Hye is named after the founder, Hye Brown. In 1966 it was listed in the Register of Texas Historic Places. Hye is also the home of William Chris Vineyards and the oldest legal distillery in Texas, Garrison Brothers.
Blue bonnets, the state flower of Texas, are in full bloom now along highways.
Fredericksburg’s Main Street
Visit Fredericksburg, Texas a small town settled by Germans a virtually exploding with historic and cultural charm. While it’s no longer a secret, it is still a worthy destination.
Main St. maintains much of the architecture of the original German settlers. The Pioneer Museum is a great place to learn more about them. There is an original schoolhouse and two family homesteads, all in excellent condition and furnished with heirlooms of the period. You can tour the buildings at your own pace. The Pioneer Museum is located on Main St.
The original classroom – Pioneer Museum. Notice the German to English lesson on the blackboard.
Architecture
One of the painted churches of Texas. St. Mary’s is in Fredericksburg, Texas.
interior of the painted church, St. Mary’s. photo by Penny Sadler
Landscapes
The Hill Country is the deep heart of Texas–smack dab in the center of the state. It’s an amazing landscape – from vineyards to farmland to granite domes and limestone cliffs, cut by spring-fed rivers and dotted with lakes. The locals refer to it as God’s country while newcomers say things like, “I’m not from Texas, but I got there as fast as I could.”
Ancient oak trees are everywhere and provide much-needed shade for man and beast. A symbol of the Texas Hill Country.
Comfort, Texas
Me sitting in Front of an old bank building made of Limestone and granite in Comfort, Texas
This is only a small slice of what the Hill Country has to offer. It is a huge area and you can’t see it all in a weekend, or even a week – maybe not even in a lifetime. Southern Living and National Geographic have a lot more great suggestions so check them out.
Llano, Texas
Courthouse in Llano, Texas
Have you been to the Hill Country? If so, which is your favorite town? If not, when are you going?
