Our favorite place to stop in any hill country experience. Don't pass go if you're remotely in the…read morearea! Worth a major detour - such a great vibe, wide array of unique gifts, jewelry, antiques, you'll walk away with a gem - and most likely new friends as well. Liz and Richard are the real Texas deal!

Decided to check out the Beloved Gallery in Marble Falls as I read there was a free exhibition of a…read morefamous childhood artist I knew about years ago, Akiane Kramarik. "Akiane: The Early Years" is a collection of original masterpieces painted by Akiane before the age of 16. I was so excited to know it was up here! You have to reserve a time slot online & I did it early this morning. Note that you cannot bring any handbags in the gallery, just clear bags. Also, no photos are allowed. They watch you like a hawk. We checked in the Beloved Cafe where there's a Concierge who can look up your name. The cafe has Beloved T-shirts, tumblers, mugs, trinkets, wallets, keychains & bags. Bathrooms are on the 2nd floor of the office space next door. You can take an elevator or stairs after the check-in clerk unlocks the door. We were led into the gallery by the Concierge where there was a tour guide starting her presentation by a stunning light blue marble wall as a backdrop. There's also a light blue marble waterfall wall below the gallery. The tour guide briefly explained Akiane's life & how she slowly developed her painting & artistic talent, how her parents used to be atheists & agnostic & how her most famous painting, "Prince of Peace" came about. The owners of the gallery met Akiane & her family obtained some of Akiane's works & that the goal is to receive 1 million visitors to the gallery. I believe they've already had 45,000 visitors from all over the world. The gallery has been opened since April 2023. The guide advocated us spreading the word. You're led to a screening room where Akiane speaks about her journey in a short ~17 minute film from 1:17pm-1:34pm. After the film ended, I asked some questions with the gracious tour guide until she told me we had until 1:55pm because the next tour was going to take place. She appreciated my questions but had to cut us off & said we should read Akiane's biography for more detailed info. We literally only had maybe 10 minutes to view all the paintings so it was a bit rushed. I didn't have enough time to read thru & examine the artwork. I thought the film was a bit lengthy & the room was hot. Hopefully the next time we go we can bypass the film. This is a must-see and inspiration. I didn't know it was up here until today when I was looking at the Christmas events at Marble Falls & their 44 Nights of Holiday Cheer.

Just a warning, they kicked my austic child and our family out for being too loud during the tour…read more Should just have made it a rule to not allow kids then to waste our time. Staff not accommodating or friendly.

Great place to catch an outdoor show/festival (live music). Did you know Willie's movie the "Red…read moreHeaded Stranger" was filmed here? I didn't until we visited. I'd always heard of the mystical Luck Ranch and was thrilled to be able to attend. Spacious outdoor area with a big field for parking (paid parking), stage for performers, food, drinks, etc...all you'd expect to find at an outdoor venue. The twist is, at least for me, the old Western, cowboy town feel. There's just something magical about it. Another note-like any other sort of venue of this caliber, drinks & food can be a little pricey. Folks are super friendly and helpful.

My first time here, I went mid-March to see Lucinda Williams/Waxahachie. In addition to the…read moreentrance fee, you have to got on TicketHub (or something similar) just to pay $20 to park! And the 'parking lot' just a field 2 miles away. So you have to pay $20 (plus fees) just to take a shuttle bus back and forth. Once there, there is very little shade, and all the nice places to sit down are- surprise! VIP Areas! I went in mid-March and it was triple digit temps. The show times were NOT announced, so I had to wait 4-5 hours in the sun to see Lucinda. This place IS cool, and a great venue to see once, but i wouldn't go again unless it was someone I REALLY wanted to see, and then it would be in Winter. Good: Nice-looking proper Olde West Town, lots of food trucks, free water.

What a wonderful museum. We were given a guided tour by Sharon. She was absolutely brilliant. Very…read moreknowledgeable kind and funny. They have unique displays and a lot of beautifully hand crafted wood shelves and display cabinets. They also offer tours to groups.

A must stop a visit when you are in Maple Falls. Sharon was our tour guide, she was full of…read morewonderful stories about the history of Maple Falls and made it very enjoyable to listen to the about the waterfalls, arrowheads and the bison skeleton. Gave us things to look for when we visit other place in the state.

If you are up in Johnson City there are 3 things that you have to do. This is #1 of the 3. We…read morestopped in here a while back because the sign said "Wine Tasting." We were greeted by a surly old man that asked us if we were there to "taste" wine or just to drink it. I assume that he could see the confusion on our faces, so he explained that if we just wanted to drink it, he would pour us some and let us do that, but if we wanted to "taste" it he would put us through his "Wine 101 Course." We, obviously, chose to taste. He proceeded to walk us through the reasoning for swirling the glass, how to properly smell the wine, the proper way to taste it and a few other steps to get the full experience and pick out all of the little nuances of the wine. It was very informative and we really enjoyed it, and learned to appreciate wine even more. He has a "Wine 201" as well, but I don't think I am ready to disappoint him by failing that course yet.

Came across this place kind of by accident while driving through Johnson City. What a nice,…read moreunexpected gem. They offer wine tastings from wines around the world - not just Texas Trail wines. And they have rotating art installations, some of which were just uber cool when we stopped in (please see pics). The proprietor's Warren and his wife (sorry, I didn't get her name) were very welcoming and took time to show us around. We will definitely be back! Wine and art without pretentiousness. Yee haw!!!

Located directly behind the rec center. No matter which side you park on, just keep circling the…read morerec center and you'll find it. Nice little sculpture garden. It's free so don't expect anything mind-blowing. However, it's a nice addition to the rec center grounds. It's an activity you can do with kids. They can run around and you get to look at art. There's a little playground for kids as well. Very limited -- a web swing, a slide, and a climbing dome. If you want to keep walking, the trail loops around the pond. I think it's about a mile. Nothing scenic but nice to have the option nonetheless. The art varies -- there were pieces I liked and others, not so much.

We came here recently for a walk around the pond and to check out their sculptures next to the…read moreCedar Park Recreation Center. The total length around the pond was about 0.8 miles, not long but paved. We had our dog with us, and we were happy to see a couple of poopy bag stations along the trail. However, they were in random places and weren't near the recreation center. When we went, few people were on the path, which made for a pleasant time. Bikes can use the same trail, so be sure to yield to them to let them pass. For the sections of the trail that dip towards the water, there is an alternate, higher dirt path you can take whenever the water of the pond rises from rain and light flooding. The trail extends and passes by Costco and a Marriott hotel. Along the way, there are a couple of spots where you can see a small waterfall when you pass under a bridge. We saw several people fishing along the banks, though we're unsure whether or not a fishing license is required. This trail isn't too bad if you don't mind the car traffic noise from cars entering and exiting the Costco parking lot.

The Benini museum is spectacular! You do need to schedule a tour as there are not regular hours…read morethat they are open. But the tour is fantastic and a great way to learn about Benini's work and his genius. Everyone is very kind and gracious. It's a great group activity too.

This place is pretty wild. This unconventional gallery as it were is chock full of sculptures made…read morefrom discarded toys, some distressed by creation or from being in the Texas sun. There are multiple ones scattered on the property and there are some workshops that we were lucky enough to go inside and explore with the artist. He told us about his work and showed us some works in progress. This large lot can be a bit challenging as it's outside in the brush but there's some strange and cool stuff here. Some of it is for sale but most is for the gallery. I had a fun time and there's lots to take pictures and videos of. Parking is a bit odd. We had to park in the driveway on the side of the road but it's not impossible.