Visit Hill Country TX

Local wildlife includes the Guadalupe bass (the official state fish) and bluebonnets (the official state flower). White-tailed deer are abundant and hunted from November through December. Wild turkeys are hunted in the spring and fall. Brazilian free-tailed bats enjoy living in area caves during spring and early summer before migrating back to Mexico and South America in mid-July. Tarantulas, muskrats, raccoons, and armadillos are common. There are 15 venomous snakes found in Texas, rattlesnakes and cottonmouths are among those that call Hill Country home.

Humans have occupied the Hill Country for 10,000 years. Native Americans hunted deer and turkey in the hills and fished the streams. The Edwards Chert stone (flint) needed to craft arrow points and knives were abundant in the area. A mission was built for the Apaches in the 1700s by soldiers and missionaries from San Antonio and Mexico. The mission did not last long, as it was burned down by Apaches and other Native Americans who were not looking to change their way of life. German immigrants populated the region in the 1800s and the language is still spoken in some of the regional towns present day.

The culture of Hill Country TX revolves around the rolling hills, rivers, creeks, springs, wildflowers, and wildlife. The landscape, water, and soil of the region have attracted Indian, Spanish, German, African American, and Czech people over the years. The architecture, music, food, and beer of the region reflect a rich amalgam of the people, creating a very unique Texan culture.

There are 25 counties that cover approximately 24 million acres: Bandera, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Comal, Coryell, Crockett, Edwards, Gillespie, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Real, San Saba, Schleicher, Sutton, Travis, Val Verde, and Williamson.

The major cities of Hill Country include: Austin, Big Lake, Blanco, Boerne, Brackettville, Brady, Camp Wood, Del Rio, Fredericksburg, Junction, Rocksprings, San Saba, and Sonora.

Ranch living provides families with an opportunity to work, play, and thrive in wide open spaces. You, your partner, and your family will learn the value of hard work growing crops, raising livestock, and all the rewards that follow. With a large range of skills to learn and master, each family member will need to fill several roles, but everyone will sleep well after a day well spent working to live off the fat of the land.

There are a number of tourist ranches in the region. To give your family a brief sample and feel of what to expect before moving to your new Texas ranching paradise, you should visit a local tourist ranch. You’ll need to make arrangements to do some work, so be sure to discuss the details with the tourist ranch manager. Working in the stables or mending fences will ease family members into the idea of ranch living as they enjoy the other aspects of ranch living: fishing, horseback riding, fishing, river swimming, and fossil hunting.