Posts Tagged ‘Hill Country’

Horseback Riding in the Hill Country

Friday, February 10th, 2012

Do you dream of mounting a horse and cantering off across a field in Texas? Can you imagine the scent of the tall grass, the feel of the reins in your hands, the rush of air against your cheeks? Yes? Then it’s time for a horseback riding vacation in Texas.

Horseback riding vacations in Texas

Make your dream come true. Go horseback riding in the Texas Hill Country.

Many of our Texas Bed and Breakfasts offer horseback riding. Some have horseback riding on site, as does Blisswood Bed and Breakfast in Cat Spring and 9E Ranch B&B near Smithville and Bastrop. Others, like McCardell Cottage in Livingston, can help guests locate riding opportunities. McCardell Cottage is near Lake Livingston State Park.

Many of us don’t have the opportunity to ride horses very often. We live in cities, and perhaps it’s not a priority. Yet it calls to us. Something seems so wonderfully freeing about horseback riding across a field or down a trail. The very thought conjures images of that American icon, the cowboy. If you’ve been horseback riding, you know what we mean. If you’ve never had the pleasure, you know you want to try it.

The Texas Hill Country is a wonderful place to ride horses. The land is lovely, the weather mild. Think about it, and then find a Texas Bed and Breakfast with (or near) horseback riding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Texas Wildflower Days

Monday, March 21st, 2011

March 14 through May 31, 2011 are celebrated as Wildflower Days in the Texas Hill Country and Central Texas. Green grasslands and fields are transformed into a shimmering blue as bluebonnets blossom. The road beckons at this time of year; we feel compelled to hop on a bike or drive with the windows open, delighting in spring blooms and the fresh fragrance of spring.

It's spring! Come see the Texas wildflowers.

Follow the wildflowers.

Travel itineraries at this time of year tend to be built around what is blooming. A good place to start is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, at the University of Texas at Austin. The Gardens are expansive and diverse, showcasing gracious Live Oaks, large Mountain Laurel, and of course meadows full of Central Texas wildflowers. Before you leave, stop by the store to see the current exhibit, Ken Moore Bluebonnets, through May 30. His colorful oil paintings are a nice way to keep bluebonnets forever in bloom on your walls.

After learning a bit about the wildflowers native to Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country, take to the road. Traverse the Texas Hill Country, staying in Bed and Breakfasts from New Braunfels to El Dorado, Marble Falls to Boerne. Then head into Central Texas, over to Brenham and up to Madisonville. Enjoy lodging in a number of Central Texas Bed and Breakfasts and Hill Country Bed and Breakfasts as you go.

Additional information about Texas wildflowers may be found at Wildflowers in the Hill Country.

Spring in Seguin, Texas,

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Seguin Texas Bed and Breakfasts make a great base for exploring South Texas and the Texas Hill Country. San Antonio is just thirty five miles away, Austin fifty miles, and New Branfels less than twenty miles from this peaceful historic town.

candied pecans

Don't leave Seguin without pecans.

By the end of February, wildflowers in the Guadelupe Valley will be peaking. Birds such as Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Green Kingfishers, and Crested Caracaras will be looking for mates. The temperature will be just right – not too hot, not too cold.

Plan a Seguin Texas Bed and Breakfast vacation for early spring, when the community blossoms along with wildflowers. Festivals such as the Noche de Gala, Main Street Trade Days, and the Cajun Jamboree fill the calendar. Enjoy walking tours that highlight the historic limestone architecture of Seguin and feast on locally grown pecans. Wonderful.

The Old Spanish Trail in Texas

Saturday, January 22nd, 2011

The Old Spanish Trail once ran from St. Augustine, Florida, to San Diego, California. It was created to be the shortest route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and the southernmost transcontinental highway. It took fifteen years to complete, as work was often hampered by difficult geographic conditions such as rivers and swamplands, but it finally opened for travel in 1929. Today, Interstate 10 largely follows the old OST, although it begins in Santa Monica, CA, and ends in Atlantic Beach, FL.

One third of the Old Spanish Trail runs through Texas – from swamps by the Sabine River in East Texas to deserts west of El Paso. Some of the best preserved parts of the OST are found in Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country. A great way to craft an itinerary is to travel sections of the Old Spanish Trail, staying in comfortable Texas Bed and Breakfasts along the way. (more…)

Get Comfortable in Comfort

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

Comfort is a charming, historic town in the Hill Country of Texas. It is less than an hour northwest of San Antonio and just over an hour west of Austin. There is much to do and see in and around this town, so we recommend making yourself comfortable at a Comfort Texas bed and breakfast.

Indeed, architecture buffs may never want to leave. Comfort is said to have one of the most well-preserved historic business districts in all of Texas. Buildings date back to the mid 1800s, when the town was first settled by German immigrants. It is interesting to note that many of the first settlers were Freethinkers, and that the first churches in Comfort were not established until 1900.

Several of the old buildings in town were designed by Alfred Giles, a well-respected architect based in San Antonio. Ask your Comfort bed and breakfast innkeepers to point out his buildings, and enjoy wandering through town in search of them. Some blocks are truly reminiscent of another era.

Head to Comfort Texas for historic architecture, antiques, and wine tasting.

Comfort, texas, originally uploaded by extension 504.

Comfort features many antique shops. Allow time to poke around in them and speak with the shop keepers. Many people in town are directly descended from the early settlers, and they are full of interesting stories about the town’s history.

Enjoy wine tasting at the three Texas Hill Country Wineries in Comfort, as well as the good cooking at the eateries in town. Like we said, you may be so comfortable in Comfort that you won’t want to leave.

Texas Barbecue

Friday, April 10th, 2009

There is nothing quite like perfectly done Texas Barbecue. Throw in some potato salad and a special sauce, part sweet, part tangy, and you’ve got the makings for a great afternoon.

A personal BBQ favorite of this author is from the Hill Country of Texas, just outside of Llano TX.  Coopers BBQ is a collection of unmemorable buildings; what stays with you is the vast collection of Pit Bar-B-Ques located outside. The aroma of brisket, chicken, chops and other carnivorous delights fills the senses and you are drawn to the black BBQ Pits to select your lunch off the grill.

The Barbeque Pits at Coopers outside Llano, TX

The Barbeque Pits at Coopers outside Llano, TX

Once inside, you sit on one of many long picnic-style benches with rolls of paper towel on the table for the mess you are about to make. Also scattered along the tables is the sweet nectar of Texas Hill Country: Coopers BBQ Sauce. A delicious blend of vinegar and sweet hickory smoked flavors, it should be drenched on everything.

As you dig into your meal, come up for breath about five minutes later to take in the surroundings. Large blow up prints of the former President Bush are displayed proudly; he lifts a piece of the finest Texas BBQ to his mouth in the same benches which you sit in now.

No trip to Texas Hill Country is complete without some spectacular barbecue, and Coopers is guaranteed to supply!