On our first trip to Bandera Texas with family and our extended family of three horses, we were so…read morelucky to be guided by Backroads Reservations to a wonderful guest house-Hill Country Hideaway. It was less than three miles from Bandera and the entrance to the Hill Country Natural Area State Park, yet we had the seclusion of 40 acres and stalls/round pen for our horses to settle in. Teresa has the eye of an interior decorator with a nicely furnished home that happens to be handicapped accessible with a patio for relaxing and enjoying a sunset over the pecan orchard. The guest house was spacious, immaculate and had entertaining books for night time reading. We also had a nearby creek with some large, but cagey bass and lovely swans to enjoy. Teresa is a gracious hostess, but allows you to feel that your privacy is respected. I can't imagine staying anywhere else in Bandera for our next trip-and our horses probably agree!

It is just so amazing to see all the bats take flight! We had to have seen at least 500,000 leave…read morethe cave and some were even caught and eaten midflight by Hawks! So very cool!! The site is well kept and back far enough that people do not disturb the bats in their natural habitat. There is a guide that gives a nice introduction on the site, the bats and even the guano collection! Just be sure to wear bug repellent in the hot months!! 100% would go back!

Decided to prioritize this on a road trip with my husband after really enjoying seeing the Mexican…read moreFree Tailed Bats in Austin. I couldn't believe there are about 10 million here at Frio Bat cave after seeing the 1.5 million in Austin. We signed up in advance. We had to keep checking the website as the tour availability changes. We got a call earlier in the day of our scheduled tour requesting that we come earlier- Some flexibility is needed here due to the nature of the activity. We arrived at 6:30pm (instead of 7pm) followed the guide in by car and then by foot for a short distance to the cave. The guide shared some info and the area was beautiful to look at. Luckily for us the bats came out of the cave at about 7pm. It was truly beautiful and such a cool experience to see them so up close and the beautiful view added to the experience. We did get lucky with the early time and seeing them in such perfect lighting and well... seeing them at all that day! It was pretty bat-ass !

My hubby and I went here for a late breakfast and it did not disappoint…read more When we turned off of the main road here in Bandera, it seemed like maybe we were headed the wrong way until we saw all the signs directing where to go. It's pretty much a straight drive. It quite a ways down the road but just keep going you'll get there. The owners were so friendly. It's really refreshing when the owners come over to your table and really talk to you. They asked us how we heard out their restaurant, where were we from, gave us food recommendations, and were so sweet. Everything served is 100% made from scratch including their famous sourdough bread. The eggs are from their own chickens and the bacon & sausage comes from their own pigs and it was a just fabulous!!! You have to order the bacon...to die for!! I never really order anything to drink besides OJ at breakfast but for some reason I decided to try their grapefruit juice. OMG!!! I've never in my life had anything like that juice!! It was some special type of grapefruit but I can't remember the name of them. It was fresh squeezed & unbelievable. I could've just had a few more glasses of that and been happy lol. It was a deep yellowy-orange, almost the color of OJ. My hubby & I ordered almost the same thing, french toast (made from their homemade sourdough bread), topped with fresh fruit, 2 eggs (mine scrambled, his over easy), I had bacon, he had the sausage crumbles. Holy Moly!!! Just deliciousness all around!!! We bought a round loaf of jalapeño cheddar sourdough to take home and not only was it delicious but it was enormous! If I could make just one suggestion it would be: I did not like the restroom situation. There is only 1 restroom, which is perfectly fine, but there are 2 stalls inside. While I was in 1 stall a man came in and was using the stall next to me. I felt very uncomfortable. Maybe put a lock on the main door so that nobody else can come inside while you're in there??? But other than that we had a fantastic experience. I highly recommend going there if you love great food. Next time we'd like to try lunch or dinner. To the owners: "Thank you so much, we can't wait to come back!"

Once you find it...it's great, off the beaten path. Your GPS will take you down winding roads, over…read morecattle gates and dusty caliche drives! It's quite a lovely restaurant. Everything is harvested on property or nearby. There is a nice outdoor patio when you pull up. You are greeted when you walk in. They give you menus and once you decide, you order from the counter. It's cute inside with a farm store in there as well. Had a patti melt with tallow garlic fries. Yum!!!!

This place is beautiful and peaceful! It's in close proximity to Garner State and a very fun 5 star…read morerestaurant called Hippie Chicks recommended by the resort staff. When we first got there, I asked if they had coffee filters since we forgot them at home, and they gave me a handful of their personal ones! The entire staff is so sweet and accommodating. We stayed at an RV spot which were clean and had high end BBQ pits. The bathrooms and showers were VERY clean! We were quite impressed. They had great amenities- basketball court, pickle ball, pool, playground etc! We will be coming back for sure, especially in the summer to take advantage of the water fun!

We want to live here!! Besides being lucky enough to have the park to ourselves for 10 lovely…read moredays, the quiet, the night sky and the wildlife (deer morning, noon and night) put the exclamation point on it. This photo says it all. Bathroom/showers scheduled for remodel, but they are clean and tidy. Laundry room is also neat as a pin. Cabins were being re-roofed during our stay. The sites are wide, level gravel and each has a big charcoal grill and picnic table. Half the sites are pull-thru, half are back-in. There is no television signal in the valley, but there is Dish equipment you can get from the office at no charge. Highly recommend it. Towing on Cty Rd 348...I would recommend only doing it from 83, which is kind of a wheel-gripper itself. 348 coming from 127 in Concan would be a nightmare. Once you're unhooked and settled in, take a drive across the river on 348 and you'll see what I mean. You'll love this park, and you'll love the owners. Don't forget to buy some corn for the deer and Rio Grande turkeys when you visit the office!

Bend O'the River is my utopia in Utopia, Texas. Peggy's house is dreamy, cozy, and peaceful. There…read moreare beautiful sunsets, amazing gardens and flowers, plenty of wildlife to hear and see. The grounds are perfect for reflection, laughter, or meditation. I've stayed in two of the rooms over visits and when I say the rooms are clean, I mean not a speck of anything to be seen. I work in the Maid Service industry so if I can't find dust, spills, etc, well that is as perfect as it gets. Peggy is the very nicest you'll ever find for a host and the whole town of Utopia mimics true hospitality. I don't want to leave and I can't wait to come back!

After years of looking for a nice place to stay in the Hill Country, we've found it! Bend o' the…read moreRiver is perfect. My husband and I stayed in one room, and our daughter stayed across the hall. Both our rooms were lovely and comfortable, each with its own bathroom. Breakfasts were a-m-a-z-i-n-g. The Sabinal River is a beautiful spring fed Texas river, clear and green, with a rock bottom. Bend o' the River even let us use their golf cart to drive the couple of hundred yards to their river access, which even has steps into the water. Peggy and Ron were fabulous hosts. I highly recommend Bend o' the River.

I would have liked to give them 4 1/2 stars. We just got back from 4 nights at the FoxFire Indian…read moreMound house. It's 25 acres that we could explore including the creek behind the house. We all loved it including the dog. We had a great stay. The steps down to the creek are steep. There is a washer and dryer on site. I have ATandT for cell service and if I stood in the corner of the LR by the front window/garage wall, I had no problem getting service. I had one minor panic attack cause we aren't used to a well system with a cleaning cycle. It's loud and I thought a water line had busted. They came and checked everything out and it was all good. They were great about it and now I know what that sounds like. We will definitely be back here again.

Whenever we're itching for a getaway in the hill country, we always check to see if Foxfire has…read moreanything available. We've had two separate week long stays and really enjoyed each visit. Despite the name "Foxfire Log Cabins", they have quite a few properties scattered about Vanderpool that are older vacation homes, which is where we've chosen to stay both times. These typically offer great views of the hills, some with lots of beds for larger parties, spotty cell service, full kitchens, cable TV, a few are pet-friendly, and all fairly close to the beautiful trails of Lost Maples State Park. They have a lot of these homes, which all offer something a little different at affordable rates so you could definitely find one perfect for what you're looking for. They certainly have log cabins but they're all kind of bunched around each other near the main office and when we're wanting to drive out that way, we want solitude more than anything, which is what you'll get at one of the surrounding homes. We've stayed at their Creekside Lodge and the Farmhouse. Creekside is located on a beautiful creek, which is dammed at the edge of the property if you'd like to fish or take a dip in the cool water if you're brave enough. With a gas grill and a large porch with rocking chairs, it's easy to forget your troubles as you listen to the sounds of the creek babbling by. No cell service. The Farmhouse is located on a larger piece of land near a very shallow (ankle deep) part of the Sabinal River. The house probably sleeps 18 people comfortably and has gas and charcoal grills for your cooking pleasure. Some cell service in certain areas of the house. A campfire pit is between the house on the hill and the river below and offers an unobstructed view of the night sky. Without the distractions of day to day life, and surrounded by the hills, its easy to enjoy yourself and reconnect with your family. You also get a sense for how wonderfully long a day could be if you weren't wasting it on the internet. 4 stars. Highly recommend.

I've been coming here fir more than 20 years now! By far, the best cabins on or near the Frio…read moreRiver! If you want to party and be loud, this isn't the place for you. They have quiet hours starting at 10pm. Can't wait to return on my next trip.

I recently spent a weekend out at Frio Pecan Farm for a wedding and it was one of the most…read morerelaxing, fun places I've been in a long time. There are tons of cabins, very cute, rustic feel but clean and comfy. We stayed in a 4/4 house which was awesome, fully stocked kitchen, flat screen tv, direct tv, games, huge dining room table, The bedrooms all had their own bathroom and 2 queen beds. Great patio space with a grill and picnic tables. If the river was up we might have been super close but in the drought who knows. It was still beautiful and fun to hike around. We utilized the pavillion/kitchen/band space and smoker room, all were nice. There are some fun bars in town, Lost Maples and Garner but we definitely utilized the kitchen. The only drawback of this place was the reservation process. It was a little confusing and might have thrown some people off but the stay was so wonderful you forgot all about that.

The Hill Country SNA provides for a scenic and tranquil experience of the area; it is often viewed…read moreas the boundary between the American South and Southwest regions. The Brazos River is the unofficial divider of East and West Texas, but the Hill Country serves as the physical boundary of two regions and not simply the state. Its defining characteristic is the karst topography that permeates the landscape. I recommend purchasing the Texas State Parks annual pass which allows for access to all Texas SNA for one year and supports the natural areas in the State of Texas. I really appreciated the staff at Hill Country SNA; I found numerous examples of the trail being maintained to prevent erosion and overuse using natural barriers like tree limbs. On Saturday, February 28th, 2026, I encountered a bobcat on Cougar Canyon Overlook Trail. Cats are very infrequently encountered in the wild by humans; I have seen many black bears in the Appalachian Mountains, but never a cat. If you desire to see a cat, I would recommend hiking in the morning or evening as they are crepuscular.

We decided to hike here on a gorgeous Sunday before the cold front hit, and so glad we did! Located…read morenear Bandera, the drive was nice through winding hills and views of exotic animals along the way. Upon entrance to the park, you'll notice a change in the road, not paved whatsoever. A bit of a rugged drive, but not outrageous. Parking was plentiful and we walked toward the visitor building. Inside that building was the most helpful and friendly park ranger, Ms. Juarez, happy to help and spend time to answer any questions. She gave us a nice big legible map and gave us suggestions on trails. Being our first time here, we opted for the "challenging " peak trail. It was a beautiful hike- plenty of signage, plants were labeled, and many variations of yuccas landscaped the area. The hike up to the peak was not that bad actually, not sure I'd call it challenging, but more moderate. It was very doable and there were quite a few benches along the way for beautiful views and/or to take a break. Coming down was easy and we took a few other trails back to the parking lot for alternate scenery. Horses and bikes are allowed. Bathrooms are located at the visitor center and at a few of the other parking lots. We had a pass- free entrance for military and for me as a family member $6 Wonderful place to hike! Approx an 1 1/2 drive from SA