The local guide

Where we’d send a friend.

01Eat

Eat.

We send you where we send our own friends. The list is short on purpose.

Otto's German Bistro
01
Refined regional German on Llano Street.
The schnitzel is iconic. Book at least a week ahead on weekends. Bring something from the wine list — they let you BYO Calicheridge if you ask.
Vaudeville
02
Bistro upstairs, market downstairs, gallery in between.
Lunch is the move. Order the sandwich Sara orders — turkey, brie, fig jam.
Cabernet Grill
03
Reliable steakhouse for a celebratory dinner.
Quiet, well-paced, friendly. Ask for the patio table off the kitchen.
Old German Bakery
04
The reuben for lunch, the apple strudel for after.
Cash only. Closes early. Worth planning around.
Hill Top Cafe
05
Twelve miles out, fifty years strong. Worth the drive.
Reservations help. Live music most weekends. Order the snapper if it's on.

02Drink

We are biased about Calicheridge. Here are five more we'd send you to.

William Chris Vineyards
01
Estate Texas wines with a long history in Hye.
Book the tasting in advance. The porch is the best seat in the 290 corridor.
Pedernales Cellars
02
Old-vine Tempranillo from the family that knows.
The cellar tour is worth the additional fee.
Altstadt Brewery
03
German lagers brewed to the Reinheitsgebot.
Get the Pilsner. Sit on the deck. Order the soft pretzel.
Garrison Brothers Distillery
04
Texas straight bourbon, the original.
Tour the stillhouse. Buy a bottle for the porch.
Hye Meadow Winery
05
Quiet, well-made, less crowded.
Bring a picnic. The tables out back are first come, first served.

03See

Hill Country reveals itself slowly. Plan an early start.

Enchanted Rock
01
Pink granite dome. Get there at sunrise.
Park reservations required from March to November — book the day you book us.
LBJ Ranch
02
Drive the loop, see the cattle, tour the Texas White House.
Free drive-through. The visitor center is the place to start.
National Museum of the Pacific War
03
Two hours minimum. Worth the visit.
Take a printed map. The galleries spread across six acres.
Wildseed Farms
04
Wildflowers, butterfly haus, beer garden out back.
April and May are peak. Linger.
Old Tunnel Bat Cave
05
Three million bats emerge at dusk.
May to October only. Bring a chair, mosquito spray, and patience.

04Walk

Some loops we have walked many times.

The lavender walk
01
Our own — 10 minutes, gentle, sunrise or sunset.
Start from the front porch, head east, complete the loop.
Pedernales Falls State Park
02
Twenty minutes out. Trails for every level.
The 1.2-mile loop to the falls is the move with kids in tow.
Cross Mountain
03
In town, 20-minute climb, big view.
Drive up if you'd rather. The sunset spot.