It’s easy to fall hard for the Texas Hill Country this time of year, when cooler days coax us outside to revel in all of the seasonal fun unfolding around us. From pitching a tent beneath brilliant star-studded skies to polka dancing at New Braunfels’ annual Wurstfest, here are four quintessential ways to celebrate late fall in Central Texas.
Because Ink Lake’s level usually stays constant, you can play here year-round. Photo by Mauri Elbel
Go camping at a Texas State Park
For outdoor lovers in Central Texas, camping offers one of the most affordable and authentic travel opportunities for collecting undistracted memories with the family. Each time fall rolls around, we spend a long weekend camping out with the same family friends at a Texas State Park –– and, fortunately for Austinites, we’re surrounded with plenty to pick from.
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This year, we pitched our tents at Inks Lake State Park –– an idyllic escape that’s as tranquil as it is close by. Just over an hour northwest of Austin, this 1,200-acre state park is a camper’s paradise and a spot we’ve been toting our tent to since our oldest was a baby. About 9 miles of hiking trails wind through this Hill Country haven where unique pink rock outcroppings of Valley Spring gneiss (“nice”) rise up through the surrounding limestone.
If the weather abides, you can still cool off this time of year at Devil’s Waterhole — a tucked away swimming hole that’s actually a small extension of Inks Lake surrounded by metamorphic rock that towers high above the water. Here, I floated the afternoon away in an inflatable tube purchased from the park store with my 9-year-old daughter, holding my breath as her older brothers and their friends took turns plunging into the refreshing water from the rocky ledges 30 feet above.
Devil’s Waterhole is secluded swimming hole which is almost completely surrounded by rock. Photo by Mauri Elbel
When the weather gets too cool for swimming, there’s still plenty of fun to be had on this constant-level lake. Aspiring anglers can fish for catfish, sunfish and bass (you don’t need a fishing license to fish from a pier or the shore in a state park). Or head to the park store to rent paddle boats, canoes, single and double kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards. All rentals are $20 for the first hour and $10 for each additional hour.
Be sure to make camping and day pass reservations well in advance –– Inks Lake State Park is one of the most visited state parks in Texas –– and check the website for the most up-to-date information. Right before our camping trip, we realized a burn ban had just gone into effect, meaning no wood or charcoal fires are allowed anywhere within the park. We always bring along our trusty propane stoves for cooking, but we also stopped off to purchase a propane grill for cooking up hearty burgers one night and delicious fajitas the other.
Swirl some award-winning wines just an hour from Austin at Carter Creek Winery Resort and Spa. Contributed
Wine down with a Hill Country weekend
When most people think of wine tasting in the Hill Country, Fredericksburg –– the charming (and increasingly popular) German town an hour and a half from Austin –– comes to mind. But the Texas Hill Country is now home to more than 100 different wineries, many of which are pouring excellent wines closer to home and without the crowds.
On a recent weekend, we left the kids behind for a grown-ups-only getaway at Carter Creek Winery Resort and Spa, a cozy Hill Country retreat set amid the rolling hills of Johnson City less than an hour from Austin. It was our second time staying at Carter Creek Winery Resort and Spa, home to 78 cottage-style villas, an award-winning winery and tasting rooms, an onsite restaurant and microbrewery, live music on the weekends, an outdoor pool and hot tub, and an incredible spa offering a wide range of pampering treatments spanning facials to massages.
Spa director Gülçin Johnson has her own organic body and skin care product line, Gülçin Botanicals, which are used at Carter Creek’s spa and a handful of five-star spas throughout the country. Contributed
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You don’t have to leave the property to sip impressive wines. Master winemaker Jon McPherson, well known in the Texas viticulture industry along with his father, Dr. Clinton “Doc” McPherson, oversees the production of their wines, including their award-winning NV Carter Creek Group Therapy and NV Carter Creek Tempranillo Rosé Sparkling Wine.
But if you do venture out, you’re moments away from some notable wineries garnering attention along the 290 wine trail. In neighboring Hye, we’ve grown fond of the Spanish, Italian and Rhone-style wines being poured at Ron Yates Wines, and you can’t beat sharing a bottle of Enchanté –– a unique blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite verdot and malbec –– in William Chris Vineyard’s beautiful tasting room. In nearby Stonewall, don’t miss the wine and food tasting experience at Kuhlman Cellars –– an intimate “wine 101” style tasting that marries five wine samples with chef-prepared, bite-sized food pairings. For a memorable dinner out that’s just a stone’s throw from the resort, reserve a table at Bryans on 290 where Chef Bryan Gillenwater brings his extensive culinary experience and love of live fire cooking to Johnson City.
Harvest seasonal fun on the farm
Whether you’ve just made the trip to a local pumpkin patch or you’re getting ready to hunt for the perfect holiday tree, surrounding farms are ripe with family-friendly fun this time of year.
Sweet Berry Farm in Marble Falls is a spring and fall seasonal pick your own farm. Photo by Mauri Elbel
Fall fun is in full swing through mid-November at Sweet Berry Farm where you can have your pick of a plethora of pumpkins or colorful cut-your-own zinnias after running through corn mazes, taking a tractor-pulled hayride, or watching the kiddos bounce atop giant jumping pillows. I’m a big fan of this Marble Falls farm because admission and parking are always free, so you only pay for the activities that you want to do –– a big money-saver when you have multiple kids with varying interests. taking a tractor-pulled hayride, or watching the kiddos bounce atop giant jumping pillows. I’m a big fan of this Marble Falls farm because admission and parking are always free, so you only pay for the activities that you want to do –– a big money-saver when you have multiple kids with varying interests.
Want to pick out this year’s holiday tree fresh from the farm? Around Thanksgiving, nearby farms transition with the seasons, offering the chance to chop down Texas-grown trees while experiencing some old-fashioned fun. Entry is free during the holiday season at Elgin Christmas Tree Farm where you can choose and cut down your own Virginia pine grown right on the farm. For the best selection, come out the weekend before Thanksgiving. Evergreen Farms, also in Elgin, is a choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm where you can breathe in fresh country air and take a wagon ride out to the field to cut down your own Christmas tree. Open daily starting the day after Thanksgiving until they run out of trees, Evergreen Farms has saws for cutting and plenty of country fun on offer, from farm animals to campfires where you can roast marshmallows.
Alex Meixner is a nationally acclaimed musician, performer, bandleader, and educator dedicated to the vibrant world of polka music –– and his band is a staple at Wurstfest. Contributed
Fall for a Festival
Whether donning your favorite lederhosen or dirndl at New Braunfels’ epic Bavarian bash or dabbling in the holiday magic twinkling throughout the Hill Country, this time of year doesn’t fall short on festive fun.
Head to New Braunfels for Wurstfest –– the German town’s annual 10-day celebration of German culture, sausage, bier, and music taking place Nov. 1-10 this year. New Braunfels’ version of Oktoberfest brings the finest in Alpine and Bavarian style entertainment to the Wurstfest Grounds in Landa Park, where festival goers can get their annual fill of sausage-on-a-stick, wurst-n-taschen (grilled bratwurst and sauerkraut in a pita), kartoffelpuffers (potato pancakes) and more while enjoying a festive lineup of German music, bier, dancing and contests.
Weekday evenings and Sunday afternoons are great times to enjoy Wurstfest with the kids. Photo by Mauri Elbel
There’s carnival rides and games for the kids, and dirndls, lederhosen and silly hats are always encouraged. Admission is $20 on Friday and Sunday, $25 on Saturday, and free Monday through Thursday, when you can also avoid weekend crowds.
Later this month, book it to Boerne for Dickens on Main, which transforms the quaint town’s historic Hill County Mile into a vintage holiday wonderland complete with live music and performers, holiday lights, food, kids’ activities, and snow along Main Street. Taking place over Thanksgiving weekend, Fri., Nov. 29 and Sat., Dec. 1, the festival features two days of free holiday fun including ice carving shows, a tree lighting ceremony, Christmas carol sing-alongs, street entertainers, Dickens characters, holiday shopping and more.
