Day Trips

Promoted both in Texas Monthly and Texas Highways magazines; Mason, “The Gem of the Hill Country,” is rapidly becoming a contender for destination wine tasting. Saddled up alongside a growing number of bed and breakfast standouts that include a boutique lodge, wineries are springing up in and around Mason. Grape growing has rapidly become an agricultural win in Texas and depending upon whether a grower utilizes their own grapes for signature wines or sells the crop to other wineries for p ...

Fredonia-Pontotoc Wildflower Drive Take RR 386 north from NE Corner of Courthouse Square in downtown Mason. Approx 8 miles, turn right on FM 2618. This area of Mason County is particularly scenic with hills, valleys, and exposed granite boulders. Approx 7 miles, turn right on RR 1900. Road passes the first Fly Gap community school originally built in 1884.

Just inside the city limits and behind the population signs on the fringes of Mason, Texas; there lies a town, which at first glance; looks to be as if one were taking a step back in time. Appearances can be deceptive. While there is no doubt that Mason retains its original charm, centered around architecture, pride for community and tradition; one need only scratch the surface to find an exciting array of eclectic restaurants, interesting shops, antiques, wine bars and a thrift store filled ...

Magical Mason will soon be popping with color in more ways than one! Mother Nature is working her magic on the hills and in the valleys to bring us Spring wildflowers, while talented artists and winemakers are planning displays for their creations during Mason Arts & Wine Fest on Saturday, April 2nd.

Depictions of humans collecting honey from wild bees date date back as far as 15,000 BC. Evidence of beekeeping, in which hives were kept for the purpose of the collection of honey, has been found up and down the Nile river in ancient Egypt, and substantiated by written records which date back as far as 3000BC.

Vintage versus antique–what’s the difference? Denise Horrigan and Lori Hayward use general ages to help describe their eclectic mix of merchandise at Little Red Hen Antiques & Gifts in Blanco. “Antiques are usually more than 100 years old,” Denise explains. “Vintage pieces can date back to the ’50s but also to the ’80s and ’90s.” She chuckles.

If you missed out on a white Christmas and want to experience a day of snow, plan a visit to the Science Mill in Johnson City. On January 15th, the museum will transform into a winter wonderland with 30 tons of real snow. Visitors can partake in several winter-themed activities throughout the science park including a snowball slingshot, a snowman laboratory, and chainsaw ice sculpting.

The Mason County WinterFisch season provides an opportunity for Hill Country residents and visitors to reel in their limit of rainbow trout, a sportfish not native to area rivers and lakes. But there’s no limit on the amount of fun you can catch! Texas Parks & Wildlife Department releases 1,500 rainbow trout immediately preceding the annual WinterFisch Celebration, a day filled with activities, vendors, demonstrations and lots of fishing.

It all started with a lake and a dream. Born of a quest for a personal family lakeside retreat in the Hill Country west of Austin, Horseshoe Bay Resort is the realization of one man’s vision. More than that, it is the crystallization of a dream — Norman C. Hurd’s dream. In the mid-1960s, Hurd, a prosperous entrepreneur, decided he’d like a retreat on the lake for his family.

When it comes to listening to live music in Texas, fans both devoted and casual can find great bands and original acts performing round every corner, from inside an historic dance hall, to urban clubs, theaters, concert halls, or on an outdoor stage in a rodeo arena. But the truest way to enjoy Texas music just might be kicking back in an outdoor cafe, sampling continental cuisine with cool drinks, surrounded by like-minded souls and the sounds, scents, and starlight provided by a Hill Coun ...