Texas Hillcountry

If you asked me a year ago, the first thing that came to mind when I said Texas, the first thing that came to mind was, Cowboys, go and go, long roads that don’t end, the arid barren plains that can see along those roads, large large living spaces spread across large areas. When I was in it and started living in full detail, my perception began to differ. Yes, Texas is a state where cowboy culture is still heavily alive and felt. The roads are long, the distances are long, everything is great. But I certainly can’t say arid or barren, at least from what I see. Summers, yes, are very hot, but yet it’s just as green as a result of the rain falling enough to flood all over the spring months. Texas is a very large state, and yes, there are parts of the desert, but there are parts of the deep green forests.

Cultural and natural wealth in the Hillcountry region completely changes the perception of Texas. This area houses many small towns an hour-2 away from Austin and Austin. San Antonio isn’t all over the Hillcountry region, but it’s one of those things to see when you’re going to this abundance. We stayed in San Antonio for 2 nights in August once in August, and once stayed in Frederickcburg for 2 nights in September. Although it was very hot in August, we had a nice trip. But September was definitely much better than August. Since Texas has plenty of rain and selli months in the spring, it can be difficult to make trips like this. But if you go to Frederickcburg in May, you can see the lavender fields and attend the lavender festival.

Imagine Hillcountry with ups and downs, curved mountain roads, rivers, wine vineyards, flower fields and lovely towns. Next to this painting, put in Austin, one of the most beautiful cities in Texas, where you can only drive an hour and drive, and San Antonio, one of the most touristattractions. If you live in Texas, you might want to spend your long weekends in this area many times. I’m not going to talk about Austin in detail in this article because he may be a subject of writing in itself. We’ve had a break point every time because it’s on the road on our little trips.

First of all, to tell you about San Antoino; The city that was established along the canal, I think, is one of the most touristic places in Texas. It’s one of the few places in Texas, where life is colorful, vibrant, on the street. Despite the unbearable heat we visited in August, there was a crowd of people who wouldn’t fall to the ground if you shot a needle along the river. It’s a pretty long walk along the river and along this route there are many tourist stores, cafes and restaurants. If you choose to go in summer, you have no choice but to take cold drinks or ice cream and continue to wander, or enter an icy-air conditioned café or shop and cool off as you get overwhelmed by the heat:) It is also possible to do a boat tour in the river and i would definitely recommend it. The Alamo castle is definitely another tourist destination to see. The 1,000-year-old trees in your garden are among those I can’t forget. Those interested in history can learn detailed information about the history of the castle and San Antonio while touring Alomu.

There are many museums and galleries to visit in San Antonio, we visited the Buckhorn museum to feel Texas culture intensely, and then took a break from his café at the entrance. Although brutal, you see plenty of interest in Texas, “Taxidermy”, the animal’s head or entire body being filled and displayed on the wall. Especially when you’re sitting in his cage, 100 animals are watching you from the walls. Then we checked what the show would be that evening at the open-air theatre (Arneson River Theatre), which appeared as we strolled along the river. You can plan this before your visit, there are many different shows throughout the summer.

There are many things you can do in downtown San Antonio, as well as a lot of activities around the city, especially with children. If you’re interested in a zoo where you can see animals in its natural habitat, you can safari at Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch without getting out of your car like we do. Animals are ate at your hands when you approach your car and extend it from the entrance to the food you purchased specifically. You see animals that are mostly texas-natured, on safari; antelopes, deer, giraffes and zebras. They’ve made a little petting zoo for kids, the corner of feeding and loving puppies 🙂 Tiny lambs and goats have always been one of our favourites 🙂 If you want to post safari, there’s Natural Bridge Caverns right near this farm.

We didn’t travel, but if you’re interested in going into a huge cave underground, seeing stalactites and staundations, stop and walk, you’ll be right on the road. We decided to return to Dallas via Fredericskburg from our trip to San Antonio in August. So our first visit to this lovely German town coincided with a Sunday, and we saw that the Germans were living in America the ability not to open shops on Sunday. The town was lovely, but it’s not very enjoyable to travel with all the shops and most restaurants closed. So if you’re going to Fredericsburg, don’t make your trip on Sunday. We sat in auslander, the only beer garden that was open on Sunday. If you visit the 3rd month. If you’d come to the weekend, which was coincidentally, if you’re interested in visiting The Fredericksburg Trade Days and visiting the flea market like us, you’re going to be able to do it in World War II. you can make hand or antique 🙂

We’ve arranged this year’s trip to take advantage of our previous experience so that we can stay in Fredericskburg for two nights on Friday and Saturday and spend a little more time in the Hillcountry area. For accommodation, we chose settlers crossing, where old houses were restored and arranged as a comfortable but also authentic, farmhouse, and we were very pleased. It’s a great choice for those who want to be in nature, among the trees, animals. On our first day, after a little trip and dinner in Fredericskburg, we stopped by Becker Vineyards, one of the wine vineyards around the town, and attended the wine tasting. Luckily we ran into a festival, and while the elders were drinking wine, the kids took part in other fun activities and ran around. After tasting, we chose to spend time on the farm where we stayed, hiking and resting.

The next morning, after breakfast, we met with our friends at Enchanted Rock State Park and walked the Summit Trail. It’s a route that can easily be returned to the top with children in 1.5-2 hours. Enchanted Rock, a pinkish marble rock, rises with a slight slope. The view is excellent when you reach the top. You can take a break at the top and eat something and gather energy for the return. It’s a good thing you don’t make the walk in the morning and get warm. If you want to spend the rest of the day in nature on hillcountry’s curvy mountain roads and drive your car south from Fredericksburg to The Medina – Bandera, you’ll love the views along the way and the Medina river. When you reach it, you will enjoy being in nature by taking short breaks along the river, whether you will cool off in the waters of the icy river or. If you go all the way to Bandera, you can have a drink in one of the cafes or bars in this tiny cowboy town, or you can get back on the way after a short break.

There are some nice places in Fredericksburg for dinner. Fredericksburg Brewing Co. if you want to feel the German spirit of the town and taste German food. It’s a place i can recommend with both the environment, the food and the beers with their own production. Another suggestion is otto’s restaurant, which we like with its small and friendly environment but we can’t try for 3 hours when we ask. Coffee lovers should stop by Java Ranch on the road and take a short coffee break. Another sighting is Wildseeds Farm. In the fields where different flowers bloom each season, you can wander among the mis fragrances of colorful flowers and take beautiful photos. We stopped by on the last day of our trip.

We chose to turn over Austin on the way back, while we were on the hico-marble falls-fredericksburg route from Dallas. So we spent a few hours in Austin. In the summer, we couldn’t cross the Ziller park, one of our favorite places in Austin, and barton springs in the park. After cooling off in the icy waters of Barton Springs and coming to our senses, we took a short break at the Mozart cafe. We could be on our way back to Dallas.

In another article, I can write what you can do in and around Austin after i’ve toured Austin in more detail, but i can 🙂

Writing and Photos by Laurel