Places

We Americans love our "wheels." Often finned, fast and flashy, these very mobile extensions of our personalities, for the past century-plus, have, and continue to represent the many freedoms we cherish as citizens of the greatest nation on Earth. For an inspirational (historical and educational) overview featuring more than 80 of yesteryear's high-octaned, chromed, and two-toned heroes of the highway, a "pit stop"

Entering Wimberley from the south on Ranch Road 12, you used to see a large wooden sign by the Blanco River bridge welcoming you to “A Little Bit of Heaven.” Heaven turned into a hell on May 23 for the picturesque valley, but neighbors and complete strangers have been busy from the first moment demonstrating just what heaven can be.

It all started in Blanco, built on the banks of its namesake river. Beginning on the evening of Saturday, May 23, at least 10 inches rain fell, causing the Blanco River to escape its banks with a wall of water that left a path of devastation in its wake. "I had never seen anything like it,"

A homey, mom-and-pop retail wine shop launched in 2007 by a thirty-something couple in a cramped, but intimate limestone building in Ingram has morphed into a thriving business downriver in Kerrville that offers a dining and drinking experience rarely found in the Hill Country. Grape Juice, opened in 2009, exudes a big city ambiance flavored with small-town charm, reflecting Dallas transplants Patrick and Keri Wilt's emphasis on personalized service and their passion for serving simple, but inv ...

Old Ingram Loop (OIL) is a half mile shopping district packed with custom boutiques, artisans' shops, fine art studios and galleries and eateries. Ingram was founded in 1879 on the Old Spanish Trail, making the tiny town a bustling commercial hub. The bustle is long-gone and now OIL is a day-tripper's delight, where you can leisurely stroll through this quaint village of rustic exteriors and walled gardens, browsing its shops and watching craftsmen and artists at work in their studios. You're e ...

If you go to Round Top, you must stop at Royer’s Café. Family-run since its beginning in 1987, Royer’s is legendary for its eclectic menu, eclectic décor, and—oh, my—its pies. Bud and Karen Royer took over the 40-seat Round Top Café, changed its name and its menu, and built it into a renowned Texas institution that attracts visitors f ...

A few miles west of Johnson City, exquisitely utilizing 143 primarily pristine acres, exists an astonishing artistic enclave where myriad incredible and substantial examples of man's conceptual imagination complementarily coexist (almost magically) within the vastness and natural splendor that is the Texas Hill Country.

No one in the 1950s ever dreamed the Texas Hill Country would become the "New Tuscany". In those hardscrabble days, land was deemed so worthless that large tracts of property could be had for as little as fifty cents an acre — and no, that is not a typographical error. As wine in America has became more popular, inspiring growers like the ones that first cultivated California's coveted Napa Valley, it became apparent that the Texas Hill Country shared frequently ideal conditions that mirrored ...

Approximately 300 or so miles lie between Terry County up in West Texas and the Hill Country, a hub for the state's growing wine industry. Despite the distance apart on the map, the two share a common denominator–winegrapes. That's because more than half of the state's winegrapes grow in the High Plains, which provides what they need to thrive–a high elevation, sandy soils, and cool nighttime temperatures. Looking to benefit both regions, a niche business established in 2012 provides a vari ...

Hey Girlfriends! If you were to have a glass of wine at 4.0 Cellars in Fredericksburg, you might be tempted to have a slice of Texas-made, European-style Veldhuizen Cheese along with it! This cheese is definitely "Made by Hand and Blessed by God"