The Caverns have a long, fascinating history. Over thousands of years, water wore down the limestone bedrock and formed this intricate network of caves, tunnels and caverns. During the Ice Age, animals used the caves for shelter. Thousands of years later, the Comanche Indians dwelled in and around the caverns. During the Civil War, confederate troops found Longhorn Caverns to be an ideal spot to manufacture gun powder in secret.

These days, it is possible to tour Longhorn Caverns State Park in a number of ways: take a hiking tour, or a paranormal tour; take a photography tour, a geology tour, or a wild cave tour. All are interesting – the caverns are simply magnificent, and worth a visit.

You’ll find the Longhorn Caverns a delightful addition to your Texas Hill Country bed and breakfast vacation. The Hill Country is lovely above ground, and it is equally spectacular below ground.

Hamilton Pool Dripping Springs, TX, originally uploaded by JamesGriff.

The name Dripping Springs conjures thoughts of cool green waters and quiet pools, and that’s just what you’ll find near Dripping Springs, Texas. Cool off at a Dripping Springs Texas Bed and Breakfast sometime this summer – you’ll be glad you did.

The town of Dripping Springs is about 30 miles southwest of Austin, in the Hill Country region of Texas. The springs from which it takes its name are still present, marked by a granite marker in town. Ask directions from the innkeepers at your Hill Country Texas Bed and Breakfast, then visit the watering hole that once gave fresh water to Native Americans and early settlers.

Hamilton Pool (pictured here) is a natural deep water pool a few miles outside of town. It is a lovely swimming hole – stand under the 45 foot waterfall for the ultimate experience – and has fabulous nature trails, as well. Nearby Pedernales Falls State Park is a great spot for hiking, river swimming, mountain biking and birdwatching. Slightly farther afield is the Lyndon B. Johnston National Historic Park, where it is lovely to delve into both history and nature.

Texas Hill Country!, originally uploaded by theavonne.

The bluebonnets are starting to appear in the Texas Hill Country. April is a lovely time of year here. Hill Country bed and breakfasts open their doors and windows wide to let it the fragrant fresh air.

When was the last time you were here?

San Antonio, Texas Hill Country Vineyards, originally uploaded by VisitSanAntonio.

Wineries are a joy to visit no matter who you are. Couples find it romantic to linger in tasting rooms. Friends have fun deciding which wine has the better legs and nose. Gaggles of girlfriends reminisce old times as they make their way from one winery to another. This is true whether you are in the Napa Valley or the Texas Hill Country.

The Texas Hill Country has many excellent wineries. Plan a week or a weekend to travel the Texas Wine Trail, staying at Texas b&bs as you go.

Enjoy an afternoon of wine tasting in the Hill Country

The Hill Country is lovely, and filled with many charming historic towns, making this a terrific area to inn-hop (stay at several b&bs over the course of several days). You’ll be hard pressed to find a better selection of antique shops or eclectic boutiques. Shopping really can be fun.

Bring back a bottle of Hill Country wine to share with friends and family. With over twenty wineries, the Hill Country is an enticing place to wine-taste. You are sure to find at least one bottle you adore, and you are even more certain to enjoy the process of finding that bottle!

There are many special packages out there to entice you to step outside your routine and try something new this year. Perhaps what you need is a girls getaway, filled with plenty of time to celebrate your friends while shopping for gifts for your families. Perhaps a weekend of scrapbooking is in order, so that you can create a special gift for someone you love.

Folks who enjoy spending the holidays away from home will find many excellent Hill Country inns ready to welcome you. The company is sure to be excellent, the decorations top-notch, and the whole experience memorable.

Whether you are looking for an interesting place to prepare for the holidays, or a wonderful place to spend them, consider the Texas Hill Country.

Whooping Cranes

Rare Whooping Cranes, pelicans and roseate pelicans are but a few of the species that populate the almost 650 miles of coastline in the Texas Gulf Coast region. A trip to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the San Antonio Bay – between Corpus Christi and Houston – is essential for anyone interested in bird watching in Texas. Over 115,000 acres on the Blackjack Peninsula, Matagorda Island and more provide a haven for migratory birds, including the endangered whooping crane.

The Texas Panhandle is an ideal place to spot prairie chickens, horned larks and baldpate and pintail migrants. Check out the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, the oldest NWR in Texas. When there is sufficient water, thousands of sandhill cranes winter here between December and February. While the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas is the place to seek tropical birds such as Inca and white winged; indeed, without leaving the country this is the only spot to view white-fronted doves, green jays and chachalacas. Be sure to stop by the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge when visiting this region.

The Texas Hill Country is the place to find huge flocks of wild turkeys, roadrunners and rare golden-cheeked warblers. While the pine forests of East Texas offer an entirely different Texas bird watching experience. Look for wood thrash and swallow-tailed kites here; and rumor has it that ivory-billed woodpeckers – once thought extinct – still dwell here.

With such a diverse landscape and such a large variety of birds, Texas is the place to be for bird watching. Consider a statewide trip, staying in different Texas bed and breakfasts along the way. Don’t forget your binoculars.

The Sabine and Angelina National Forests are along the Louisiana border. With plenty of fresh water and trees galore, they are a great place to hike, bike, boat and fish. The Mineola Nature Preserve is a lovely place to stroll through peaceful woods and escape the heat of the East Texas sun; its almost 3,000 acres of preserved land, much of which is along the tranquil Sabine River, is home to a large variety of animals from butterflies to beavers. And just west of Mineola, in the little town of Grand Saline, the Gator Farm is a great place to see alligators up close (but not too close).

There are hundreds of antique shops throughout East Texas, so bring your truck and be prepared to hunt for treasure. Antiquing takes patience, but those of you willing to meander along country roads and peruse the shops at leisure will be rewarded.

Be sure to find time to enjoy East Texas food. Large, tasty burgers, chicken fried steak and seafood await you. They will fuel you for a trip to the East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore, which is a few miles east of Tyler. The discovery of oil in 1930-31 dramatically changed the lives of East Texans. Suddenly that remote place was known to everyone in the country, and men and women flocked to the area. The museum is fascinating, and definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in East Texas.

Anyone who is interested in American or Presidential history should definitely visit this site; it is a fascinating glimpse into the early life of the man who held the American Presidency from 1963 to 1969. According to the Park’s website, “Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park tells the story of our 36th President beginning with his ancestors until his final resting place on his beloved LBJ Ranch. This entire “circle of life” gives the visitor a unique perspective into one of America’s most noteworthy citizens by providing the most complete picture of an American president.”

The Texas Hill Country is a wild and beautiful place. It touches people who visit, and it certainly influences people who live there. President Johnson spent a great deal of time there, throughout his life. Come experience this place.

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

The Tonkawa Indians who once lived here believed they saw ghosts fires on top of the batholith; there is no known explanation for whatever they saw. Geologists do explain the mysterious groaning and cracking sounds heard by the Tonkawa as being caused by the rock’s contractions as it cooled at night. The Tonkawa did not know what caused the sounds, but they did believe the rock was enchanted by the “pale man swallowed by” the great pink rock. A conquistador once did lose himself in the batholith as he escaped the Tonkawa who held him captive, but he managed to find his way to freedom. While the Tonkawa believed that he somehow enchanted the place, he believed that other spirits enchanted it, and that as he wandered lost among the rocks he joined them for a while.

We hope you don’t get swallowed by the rock, but we also hope you spend some time there. There is great hiking and rock climbing, and the area has many interesting historical artifacts and geological features. It is a real gem in the Hill Country of Texas.

Over twenty wineries dot the region, and the fine quality of the wine is gaining the attention of wine aficionados around the world. Over the next couple of weekends, plan to travel the Wine and Wildflower Trail; Hill Country wineries will be offering tastings and pleasant picnic spots. The area around Fredericksburg has many wineries, and is a good place to start your tour; there are many fine Texas Bed and Breakfasts in and around Fredericksburg. The New York Times noted in 2008 that Texas Hill Country was the number one vacation spot in the nation – a more affordable alternative to Europe, with its rolling hills reminding the author of Tuscany and the south of France. Indeed, there are strong European influences in this region; much of it was settled by Germans, Czechs and Austrians, and there is fine beer as well as wine to be had here. Of course, the Spanish also had an important impact on the region, which gives the architecture, music and food an interesting fusion.

Spring is the perfect time to visit the Hill Country.