San Antonio and Hill Country

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National Geographic Driving Guide: Texas and the South Central

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Right smack in the heart of Texas is a place most Texans hold close to their own hearts: the Hill Country. The rolling terrain and rocky rivers you’ll find here seem a world apart from the state’s sprawling cities—without the lonely emptiness of much of the expanse farther west. It’s a land that inspires a relaxed attitude, with plenty of towns catering to travelers, yet with ample opportunities to hike, ride, or paddle through some of the prettiest parks and natural areas in Texas. CONTINUED

- San Antonio
- Guadalupe River State Park
- Lost Maples State Natural Area
- Fredericksburg
- Pedernales Falls State Park
- New Braunfels

(Continued From Top)

San Antonio
On the eastern edge of the Hill Country lies San Antonio, America’s ninth largest city, as well as one of its liveliest and most exotic. The proximity of Latin America is manifest here (Hispanics make up more than half the city’s population), but salsa is only one ingredient in the cultural smorgasbord you’ll sample on this drive. Germans played an early role in settling the area; San Antonio and several nearby cities still reflect their heritage. And travelers who yearn for the Texas of boots, saddles, and Stetson hats will be happy to learn that Bandera, home of several famed dude ranches, calls itself the “Cowboy Capital of the World.”
This loop begins in San Antonio and travels west through some of the most rugged parts of the Hill Country before turning northward toward Kerrville, on the Guadalupe River. It pauses in the distinctly Germanic town of Fredericksburg, makes a short detour to the amazing geological formation called Enchanted Rock, and then heads eastward through the homeland of President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The Sales Museum, part of the modern Alamo complex, contains the gift shop and exhibits on Texas history.

Photograph © Danny Lehman

Founded as a Spanish mission in 1718, San Antonio (Convention & Visitors Bureau +1 210 270 8700 or 800 447 3372) offers visitors a vibrant downtown scene, colorful history, and a diverse array of museums. All these facets of the city are combined at Mission San Antonio de Valero, far better known as the Alamo (300 Alamo Plaza. +1 210 225 1391). During the war for Texas independence, 189 known volunteers fought Santa Anna’s Mexican army for 13 days here before losing their lives in a final battle on March 6, 1836; Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie were among those who died. Located amid the skyscrapers of downtown San Antonio, this small 1756 church contains Texas patriot memorabilia and exhibits on the battle.
Four other 18th-century Spanish missions comprise San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (+1 210 534 8833), scattered along several miles of the San Antonio River south of downtown. All of these venerable structures are still active churches. The expansive compound at Mission San Jos� (Visitor Center, 6701 San Jos� Dr. +1 210 932 1001), with its reconstructed walls and living quarters, provides the best re-creation of 18th-century mission life, as Spanish Franciscan friars brought their beliefs to the local Coahuiltecan Indians.
Among your first stops in San Antonio ought to be the Tower of the Americas (600 HemisFair Way. +1 210 207 8615. Adm. fee), where an elevator lifts you to an observation platform nearly 600 feet [182.9 meters] into the air; views encompass the city and extend to the green ridges of the Hill Country to the west. Back on terra firma, walk over to the nearby Institute of Texan Cultures (801 S. Bowie St., in HemisFair Way. +1 210 458 2300. Closed Mon.; Adm. fee), which showcases the contributions made by more than two dozen ethnic groups to modern Texas society.

Along the San Antonio?s Paseo del Rio, or River Walk

Photograph © Danny Lehman

By now you may be feeling hungry; if so, it�s a good time to see the deservedly famous Paseo del Rio (River Walk) (From Auditorium Cir. to King William Historic District), where all manner of restaurants and shops line the San Antonio River as it flows through the central city, 20 feet [6.1 meters] below street level. Locals and tourists alike crowd the sidewalks here, eating and shopping, shopping and eating.... Hop on a Yanaguana Cruises boat (+1 210 244 5700. Adm. fee) for an excursion with a guide who�ll pass on a bit of local history along the way. Afterwards, climb back up to La Villita (Between Villita and E. Nueva Sts. +1 210 207 8610), an arts-and-crafts district adjacent to the River Walk with restored historic buildings dating back to the early 1800s.
A bit farther south, the King William Historic District (King William St. and surrounding area) was settled by well-to-do Germans in the late 19th century and now includes many refurbished mansions; the San Antonio Conservation Society (107 King William St. +1 210 224 6163) offers a walking tour brochure of the area. The Steves Homestead Museum (509 King William St. +1 210 225 5924. Adm. fee), a three-story Second Empire-style mansion built in 1876, is the district�s showplace.
El Mercado, also known as Market Square (Commerce and Santa Rosa Sts. +1 210 207 8600), re-creates the lively, crowded feel of a Mexican marketplace, with vendors offering crafts, food, and folk items; with all the belts and bags on display, the smell of leather is almost intoxicating. The nearby Spanish Governor�s Palace (105 Military Plaza. +1 210 224 0601. Adm. fee), built in 1749, was the home of the colonial administrators of Texas; nicely restored and authentically furnished, it conveys a mood of both spareness and elegance.
While you�re downtown, don�t miss the Hertzberg Circus Museu m (210 W. Market St. +1 210 207 7819. Closed Sun. Sept.-May; Adm. fee), with its big-top memorabilia including a carriage used by the famous midget Tom Thumb, a detailed scale-model tented circus, and old-time posters. It�s an amusing twist of history that this lively collection is housed in a dignified 1930s building that was once the San Antonio Public Library.
Some of San Antonio�s best destinations lie north of downtown. Start at the San Antonio Museum of Art (200 W. Jones St. +1 210 978 8100. Adm. fee), located in the former Lone Star Brewery, which includes an extensive pre-Columbian collection, Asian art, and a strong showing of ancient Greek and Roman works. The San Antonio Botanical Gardens (555 Funston Pl. +1 210 207 3250. Adm. fee) is an eclectic place: Its 33 acres [13.4 hectares] include a large area devoted to native Texas ecosystems; formal rose gardens; a Japanese garden with ponds and waterfalls; and a conservatory complex with ferns, palms, and cactuses. The Witte Museum (3801 Broadway. +1 210 357 1900. Adm. fee) focuses on history and science; its well-designed Texas Wild exhibit is an fine introduction to the state�s ecological regions.
If you enjoy zoos, you�ll love the wonderful San Antonio Zoo (3903 N. St. Mary�s St. +1 210 734 7183. Adm. fee) in Brackenridge Park, by any standard one of America�s best. Plan on a long visit here, admiring creatures from tropical fish to endangered whooping cranes and snow leopards. A little farther north, the McNay Art Museum (6000 N. New Braunfels Ave. +1 210 824 5368. Closed Mon.; Donation) deserves to be far better known than it is. Housed in a wealthy oil heiress�s former mansion, the McNay�s collection focuses on the 19th and early 20th centuries, but ranges from Gothic to contemporary; its all-star lineup includes El Greco, Renoir, O�Keeffe, and Hopper, among many others.

Guadalupe River State Park
Leaving the city behind, head north on US 281 to Texas 46, then go west a few miles to the turnoff for Guadalupe River State Park (3350 Park Rd. 31. +1 830 438 2656. Adm. fee). Here, typical Hill Country scenery of grassland, oak, and juniper blends with the southeastern-flavored woodland of pecan, sycamore, willow, persimmon, and hackberry. On a summer day, the river’s cool water is irresistible—especially after a hike on one of the park trails.

Along Texas 16, west of Bandera

Photograph © Danny Lehman

Follow Texas 46 and Texas 16 west to Bandera (Visitors Bureau, 1808 Texas 16. +1 830 796 3045 or 800 364 3833. Mon.-Sat.), a town as Western as a well-worn ten-gallon hat. Check with the Visitors Bureau for information on local dude ranches and trail rides; outfitters here specialize in introducing tenderfeet to the cowboy life without making them too saddle sore. While in town, stop by the Frontier Times Museum (510 13th St. +1 830 796 3864. Adm. fee), one of those terrifically quirky small-town museums cluttered with things from people’s attics, oddities of nature, and just generally browse-worthy stuff. How about a stuffed two-headed goat or a collection of 400 bells and gongs?
By this time you’ve had a glimpse of the Hill Country; now you’ll head into its heart. If you’re ready for a little adventure, follow Texas 173 south to the turnoff for Hill Country State Natural Area (Rte. 1077. +1 830 796 4413. Adm. fee), more than 5,400 acres [2,185.3 hectares] of mostly undeveloped terrain set aside for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and primitive camping.

Lost Maples State Natural Area
Rte. 470 west from Bandera climbs, winds, and descends through a strikingly rugged landscape from the Medina River down to the Sabinal. Here, take Rte. 187 north to yet another lovely park, Lost Maples State Natural Area (+1 830 966 3413. Adm. fee). More developed than Hill Country State Natural Area, yet still beautifully unspoiled, this 2,208-acre [893.6-hectare] park was named for its stands of bigtooth maples, which can turn brilliant red-orange in fall. In truth, Lost Maples rewards a visit any time of year, combining scenery, hiking trails, the crystal-clear Sabinal River, and a unique collection of rare, endemic, and unusual plants and animals.
Continue north on Rte. 187 to Texas 39 and turn eastward, back to the Guadalupe River and Kerrville (Convention & Visitors Bureau +1 830 792 3535 or 800 221 7958), long a favorite Texas vacation and weekend-getaway spot. Stop first at the Hill Country Museum (226 Earl Garrett St. +1 830 896 8633. Closed Sun.; Adm. fee), housed in a stone mansion built in 1879 for Charles Schreiner, a French-born settler who became a successful businessman and a major Hill Country landowner. Schreiner brought in European stonecarvers to work on his home, which boasts fabulous interior woodwork, French chandeliers, and Victorian antiques. Regardless of your taste in art, don’t neglect the Cowboy Artists of America Museum (1550 Bandera Hwy./Texas 173. +1 830 896 2553. Adm. fee), which exhibits works by modern artists carrying on the Western tradition of Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington.
For music lovers within the Lone Star State’s borders and well beyond, Kerrville’s greatest claim to fame is the annual Kerrville Folk Festival (+1 830 257 3600), which has grown since its founding in 1972 into an 18-day song-writer festival of eclectic folk-style music. The concerts and accompanying fun begin the Thursday before Memorial Day at Quiet Valley Ranch, 9 miles [14.5 kilometers] south of town on Texas 16; plan well ahead if you want to attend.

Fredericksburg
Just north on Texas 16, Fredericksburg (Visitors Bureau +1 830 997 6523) was founded in 1846 by German settlers, and today retains a distinctively German feel, modified by a century and a half of Texas influence: sauerbraten roasted over mesquite, say. Old World Fachwerk (half-timbered, half-stone) buildings are still in evidence, and you can pick up a German-style pastry at a bakery on Main Street. Learn about the town�s past at the Pioneer Museum Complex (309 W. Main St. +1 830 997 2835. Adm. fee), a collection of several historic buildings. At the turn of the century it was a long trip into Fredericksburg for many area farm families, so they often built tiny �Sunday houses� in town for use between Saturday shopping and church; the Weber House on the museum grounds is a good example of this specialized dwelling.
The nearby Vereins Kirche Museum (100 W. Main St. +1 830 997 7832. Adm. fee) is a 1935 reconstruction of an 1846 structure that served as a church and meeting hall. Local historical items are featured inside, but the exterior is the most interesting part: One look at the distinctive shape of this octagonal building with its cupola on top and you�ll know why it was called die Kaffee-Muhle-Kirche (the Coffee Mill Church).
A few blocks east on Main Street stands the excellent Admiral Nimitz Museum and Historical Center (340 E. Main St. +1 830 997 4379. Adm. fee), named for Fredericksburg native Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in World War II. Nimitz�s grandfather was one of the town�s original settlers; his hotel, begun in 1852 and later much enlarged, has been restored and now houses exhibits on his grandson�s military career and the war in the Pacific. An important collection of airplanes, tanks, torpedos, and other weapons is displayed along the History Walk of the Pacific War, while the Japanese Garden of Peace, a gift fro m the nation that Nimitz helped defeat, provides a contemplative spot in which to consider the lessons of that terrible conflict.

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Photograph © Richard Reynolds

Do not leave Fredericksburg without making the short trip north on Rte. 965 to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area (+1 915 247 3903. Adm. fee), one of the most remarkable sights in the Hill Country, not to say in all of Texas. At the center of this 1,643-acre [664.9-hectare] park is a mammoth dome of pink granite rising more than 400 feet [121.9 meters] above the surrounding terrain. This billion-year-old geological feature is the second largest granite formation in America, only behind Georgia’s Stone Mountain. Even if all you do is look, you’ll be glad you came; better still, make the 0.6-mile [1-kilometer], steep climb up the Summit Trail for a fine panorama of rugged, oak-covered hills.
Back at Fredericksburg, take US 290 east alongside the Pedernales River, which—as everyone knows who’s old enough to remember President Lyndon Johnson’s down-home speech—is pronounced Purd’n-al-iss. At tiny Stonewall you’ll find the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park (+1 830 868 7128) and the adjoining Lyndon B. Johnson State Historical Park (US 290, 2 miles [3.2 kilometers] E of Stonewall. +1 830 644 2252), both dedicated to the memory of America’s 36th President, who was born right here on the river’s north bank.

LBJ Ranch in spring

Photograph © Bill Ballenberg

National park bus tours (fee), which begin at the state park Visitor Center, take visitors through the LBJ Ranch and past the one-room school Johnson once attended, a reconstruction of his birthplace, and the family cemetery where he is buried. The state park includes a living history farm that interprets rural Hill Country life in 1918, plus exhibits on Johnson’s boyhood and political career.
A half hour to the east lies Johnson City (named, of course, for LBJ’s pioneer forebears), where another unit of the national park comprises Johnson’s Boyhood Home, with family possessions and 1920s furnishings, and Johnson Settlement, a complex of restored ranch buildings owned by LBJ’s grandfather and granduncle from 1867 to 1872.

Pedernales Falls State Park
President Johnson loved the Hill Country and the Pedernales, and during the troubles with Vietnam he often spoke of his homeland fondly, as a place of respite from worries and responsibility. To better understand his feelings, drive 8 miles [12.9 kilometers] east from Johnson City on Rte. 2766 to Pedernales Falls State Park (+1 830 868 7304. Adm. fee), bordering 6 miles [9.7 kilometers] of the river in an area of outstanding scenic beauty. The falls show 300-million-year-old limestone strata that were tilted by the Llano Uplift, a geological event that saw a huge mass of molten rock surge upward toward, but not quite to, the surface. Swimming and tubing aren�t allowed at the falls, but are permitted at points farther downstream. Among the park’s fine hiking trails, the .25-mile [0.4-kilometer] Hill Country Nature Trail provides a good introduction to some of the flora and fauna found here. For a tougher challenge, hike or bike the 8-mile [12.9 kilometers] Wolf Mountain Trail, along which you may see an armadillo, a white-tailed deer, or a coyote�but no wolves.
Return to Johnson City and take US 281 south to Rte. 32, one of the Hill Country�s most famous drives: The next 24 miles [38.6 kilometers] east have been nicknamed the �Devil�s Backbone� for the way the road winds along an exposed ridgetop. At Rte. 12, continue eastward to San Marcos (Chamber of Commerce +1 512 393 5900). The San Marcos River rises from the earth here at springs producing more than 150 million gallons [568 million liters] of water each day. The river�s source is a well-publicized commercial attraction called Aquarena Center (One Aquarena Springs Dr. +1 512 245 7575 or 800 999 9767); tourist trappings abound, but the springs are a true natural wonder, well worth a visit. Glass-bottom boats (fee) and crystalline water allow viewing of subsurface wildlife, and interpretive displays provide information about the endangered species found here, including the fountain darter (a tiny fish).

New Braunfels
South on I-35, New Braunfels (Visitors Bureau +1 830 625 2385 or 800 572 2626) is another German-influenced town, established in 1845—a year earlier than Fredericksburg, which was founded by members of the same immigrants’ society. Among the town’s historic buildings are the Hotel Faust (240 S. Seguin St. +1 830 625 7791) and the Prince Solms Inn (295 E. San Antonio St. +1 830 625 9169). The latter is named for Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, the immigrants’ original leader; the prince named the town for his home back in Germany.
The Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture (1370 Church Hill Dr. +1 830 629 6504. Mem. Day–Labor Day Tues.-Sun., March–Mem. Day Wed.-Sun., Labor Day–Feb.Sat.-Sun.;Adm. fee) lives up to its name, displaying 19th-century pieces ranging from settlers’ spare tables to the elegant works of serious craftspeople. New Braunfels’ history is recounted at the Sophienburg Museum and Archives (401 W. Coll St. +1 830 629 1572. Adm. fee), located on the hill where Prince Carl intended to build a castle for his fianc�e, Princess Sophie. (She never left Germany, and Carl returned to be with her.)
The first Germans to arrive here were assisted by an earlier immigrant named Ferdinand Lindheimer, who was also a pioneer in botany. (A type of prickly-pear cactus with the scientific designation Opuntia lindheimeri is one of many plants named for him.) The 1852 Ferdinand Lindheimer Home (491 Comal St. +1 830 629 2943. May-Aug.Thurs.-Tues., weekends only rest of year; Adm. fee) is a fine example of a German-style Fachwerk house; many of Lindheimer’s original possessions and furnishings are displayed.
Return to San Antonio on I-35.