Favorite Local Activities

1) Gruene Hall in Gruene, TX.  Oldest dance hall in Texas with live country music mostly on weekends and some weeknights about 20 minutes from Shade Ranch.  Even if you don't like country music, you'll want to experience it.  Gruene Hall is a great place to visit on a Sunday afternoon as well as they usually have a casual music scene going on and you can have a beer and hang out.  You can have lunch next door at the Grist Mill which overlooks the Guadalupe River.  The town of Gruene is real quaint and has some shops you can visit as well.

2) Visit the local wineries or breweries nearby.

Driftwood Estate Winery is located in a great setting overlooking their vines and the hills to the west.  The wine is pretty good as well.  Get a bottle and sit outside and enjoy the view.

Mandolas Estate Winery is more upscale and offers a nice restaurant for dining.  Beautiful Italian style buildings right next to their vines.

 

Sister Creek Vineyards (830.324.6704; www.sistercreekvineyards.com/) – Located in Sisterdale, TX (pop. 25) about 49 miles west of Wimberley on your way to Comfort, TX.  The winery is located in an 1885 cotton gin and is well worth a visit if in the area.  It’s definitely a pleasant surprise in the sparsely populated area.

Real Ale Brewing Company (http://realalebrewing.com/)  – Located in Blanco, TX, travel 25 minutes west to Blanco to visit the micro-brewery on Friday afternoons.  The tasting room is open from 2:00 – 5:00 PM and tours are generally at 3:00 and 4:00.  Free samples and a tour of the small brewery give you great insight into the process and quality of their various brew types.  Kids are welcome to tag along.

3) Natural Bridge Caverns (210.651.6144; www.naturalbridgecaverns.com) – Texas’ largest and most impressive underground cave about 35-40 miles from Wimberley.

4) Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch (830.438.7400; www.wildliferanchtexas.com) –  Also, 35-40 miles from Wimberley, adjacent to the caverns is the wildlife park where kids can get close to exotic animals.  You drive through the park yourself and are able to feed the animals and go through as many times as you like.  The ranch is actually in a very pretty Hill Country setting and well worth the visit for animal lovers.  They also have a new restaurant and other structures that house exotic birds, monkeys, etc.

5) Enchanted Springs Ranch (800.640.5917; www.enchantedspringsranch.com)  – Located three miles west of Boerne on Highway 46. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.  Originally developed in 2003 as an adaptable movie-shooting location targeted toward Western-themed cinematic productions.  The owner constructed an accurate representation of an authentic “cow” town with multiple clapboard storefronts, dusty streets with planked sidewalks, saloons, adobe church, etc.  The ranch has been successful for movie and commercial shoots with 30% of revenues earned from such activities.  However, they have opened up the ranch to the general public and create an Old West atmosphere with a group of actors that stage various reenactments such as gun fights, hold-ups and demonstrations such as trick roping, six-gun-spinning and quick draws, chuck wagon cooking, arrowhead knapping and various other skills.  They also have a variety of native and exotic animals that can be seen on the rest of the 86 acre property.  They have chuck wagon dinner shows and also host private events.

6) Pioneer Town - Reproduction of 1800's Texas town just across the river crossing and then up the hill.  Good for kids.

7) Wimberley Glass Works.  You can sometimes catch them in the observation room where you can watch the glass making process.  Beautiful, but expensive, artwork!

8) Market Days and Shopping - For shopaholics, Market Days is held the first Saturday of each month from March to December in town.  The Wimberley Square shops are open year round and offer a great selection of artwork, crafts, jewelry, furniture, toys, etc.  Or visit the monsterous San Marcos outlet stores just 20 minutes away.

9) Mt. Baldy - Climb the small "mountain" in town right off

10) Bella Vista Ranch is an olive farm with daily tours.  Very detailed history and overview of olives and the overall process.

11) Head to Austin for the day or evening (45 minutes to an hour away) and visit the State Capitol Building and great Texas Museums.  Great music abounds at the Continental Club on S. Congress.  Guero's is across the street and is a good place for Tex-Mex food; The Broken Spoke on Lamar Blvd.  offers classic Texas country music...half the fun is watching the other people there; Stubb's on Red River is a good BBQ joint and live music venue.  Usually have great acts playing there all during the week and have an outdoor theatre; or just go down to the 6th street area.  6th Street itself is mostly college students but there are a number of live music venues on 6th but also several on other streets around 4th street.  Just wander around and check out the area from Congress Ave. to Red River and between 4th and 6th streets.  People will be more than happy to give you tips.

Natural Springs in the Hill Country

While we think our swimming hole is one of the best, you would be missing out if you didn't explore some of the other great ones in the area.  The largest concentration of Texas springs rises to the surface in the Hill Country, an area bounded by Austin, San Antonio, Del Rio, and Junction.  In the Hill Country, the springs push water up from the limestone beds to feed creeks, streams and the Blanco, Frio, Llano, Colorado, Pedernales, Nueces, Guadalupe, San Marcos and Medina Rivers.  The largest group of springs in Texas surfaces at the base of the Balcones Fault at Comal Springs in Landa Park in New Braunfels.  The next largest surfaces at San Marcos Springs in San Marcos.  Make a visit to enjoy any or all of these springs at the locations listed below.

• Jacob’s Well (www.visitwimberley.com/water/index.php) – In Wimberley, the well feeds Cypress Creek and the Blue Hole swimming area.  It is now owned by the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association.
• Blue Hole (512.847.0025) – Located in Wimberley and is a well known swimming hole. Located in Cypress Creek it has shallow areas for little ones and rope swings for the more adventurous.
• Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve – A county park north of Wimberley that has some hiking trails and a nice natural pool.  Sometimes you may not be allowed to swim so I recommend calling in advance.  I believe it is off of Hwy. 71.
• Barton Springs (512.476,9044; www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm)  – 2101 Barton Springs Road in Austin’s Zilker Park.  Natural spring fed pool with clear 65 degree water that has become an Austin icon during the hot summer months. 
• Krause Springs (830.693.4181; www.krausesprings.net) – 30 miles west of Austin off of Texas 71.  115 acre private property with nearly three dozen springs that is a popular destination for swimming and camping.
• Aquarena Center/San Marcos Springs (512.245.7570; www.aquarena.txstate.edu)  – Located in San Marcos at 921 Aquarena Springs Drive.  Features an aquarium exhibit that explains the unique freshwater ecosystem of the headwaters here.  Also, they have tanks that feature live specimens of some of the endangered or threatened specifies that depend on the springs for their survival.
• Comal Springs – (830.221.4350; www.nbtexas.org/index.aspx?NID=390) – Located in Landa Park Aquatic Complex in New Braunfels at 350 Aquatic Circle.

State Parks Close By

• Pedernales Falls State Park (830.868.7304;  www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/pedernales_falls/)  – Located about 40 minutes from shade Ranch the 5200 acre park is a great area for hiking, camping, picnicking and walking along the Pedernales River.  While swimming is not allowed next to the main falls, the water in the falls is crystal clear provides a great area for picnicking and general enjoyment of the outdoors.
• Guadalupe River State Park (830.438.2656; www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/guadalupe_river/) – Another great state park of over 1900 acres that includes all the basics of hiking, camping, picnicking, swimming, etc.  They have also opened up a 5.3 mile equestrian trail that is also open for mountain biking.
• Blanco State Park (830.833.4333; www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/blanco/) – A smaller state park of 104 acres along the Blanco River, it still offers a good mix of outdoor activities.  They also provide for tube, canoe and kayak rentals within the park.
• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area (www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/enchanted_rock/)  – The park is over 1640 acres and is one of the state’s most impressive sites with a huge granite “mountain” that overlooks the Hill Country.  It was designated a National Natural Landmark as well as added to the National Register of Historic Places. You literally climb a giant moonscape-like rock the whole way to the top. Great hiking, camping and picnicking

 

Nice Drives or Other Towns to Visit

Devil’s Backbone and Fischer – Explore the scenic stretch of Farm-to-Market Road 32 between FM 12 and Blanco for great views of the Hill Country.  It’s a short drive south down to The Junction of FM 32 and FM12.  Turn west on FM 32 and enjoy the views starting a few miles down.  You can stop midway at the former trading-post town of Fischer (pop. Today < 20) to view the barn-style, whitewashed dance hall that was erected in the late 1800’s by the Fischer Agricultural Society as a community gathering spot.  Fischer Hall still serves as a venue for weddings, reunions and other social events.  Be sure to also visit the Fischer Store and the nine-pin bowling alley.  For information, you can call the bowling alley at 830.935.4800 (no set schedule but try evenings).

Gruene, TX – 20 miles south of Shade Ranch.  While not as small town as it once was, the historic district of Gruene is now part of New Braunfels.  However, it is still worth a visit for a variety of reasons: Music at Gruene Hall (830.606.1281 or www.gruenehall.com ) – Texas’ oldest dance hall, it’s where you can see top national acts or musicians just getting started; Shopping – Old Gruene Market Days (8320.629.6441) – Although not the largest, this is one of the better market days in the Hill Country, on the third weekend of the month February through December; Tubing – Tubing down the Guadalupe River is a Hill Country tradition and Gruene is the mecca of the tubing scene.  Make a day trip to Gruene to tube down the river and then retreat back to the quiet and peacefulness of Shade Ranch away from the crowds and party-like atmosphere that you’ll partake in on your float.

Fredericksburg, TX – 60 miles west, northwest of Wimberley.  The Hill Country’s most well known German town, offers up lots of German restaurants and pastry shops as well as tons of shopping.  The are a number of vineyards in the area worth visiting one of which is our favorite at Becker Vineyards (830.644.2681; www.beckervineyards.com). There are several others worth visiting but you definitely have to give Becker a shot.  You can also visit Enchanted Rock State Natural Area for hiking, camping and picnicking.  See the State Parks section below; and the National Museum of the Pacific War (8320.997.4379; www.nimitz-museum.org) – Admiral Chester Nimitz’s home is now a museum dedicated to the Pacific Theater of WWII where he was allied commander in chief. 

Canyon Lake – 20 miles from Wimberley, there are a number of parks that surround the lake.  The lake is formed by a dam on the Guadalupe River and offers up boating, camping, picnicking and swimming.