There’s no better time to take a little road trip down the scenic back roads between Ft. Worth and Austin. Get off the busy interstate and take highway 377 from Ft. Worth to Granbury, from there head south on relaxing, meandering roads. You’ll discover many interesting stops and beautiful sites as you enter the Texas Hill Country. We’ve taken this road trip several times and it never gets old. There is always something new to discover and explore in the Lone Star State!
Granbury:
The Granbury Texas Square is very historical and super charming with great shopping and lots of restaurants to choose from. This is one of the best town squares in Texas, crowned by a beautiful historical courthouse. They also have horse drawn carriage rides around the square. The town is built around Lake Granbury and there’s lots of lakeside dining. It’s an ideal romantic getaway with many lovely B and B’s. Also, the Granbury Opera House is legendary – well known for fabulous musicals since 1886.
Glen Rose:
Heading south, your next stop would be Glen Rose. It also has a great little town square with a pretty courthouse and an awesome weekend farmer’s market. It even has an original ice house on the square and next door a coffee house called Jitter’s Coffee Bar. It’s fun to dine at Riverhouse Grill – it’s an inviting restaurant in a historic home.
Nearby is Fossil Rim Wildlife Center where Africa comes to Texas. The 1,800-acre facility offers a 7.2-mile scenic drive where you can interact with approximately 1,100 exotic and endangered animals roaming free in herds. Dinosaur Valley State Park is also in the area. You can actually search for fossilized dinosaur footprints at this state park located along the Paluxy River.
Hico:
This is a real Wild West town and even has a Billy the Kid Museum and Festival every November. We love this town and would recommend stopping in the Blue Star – a beautiful, upscale store that is “All Texas.” It also has a second floor with a photo exhibit of Hico in the 1800s that is fascinating with part of the original post office and a bank vault that is original to the building. The Koffee Kup is a family restaurant and is a Texas landmark known for its fresh house made pies and delicious home cooking serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Or Eis Ice Cream Parlor is fun. It’s a great place for an authentic Texas lunch with homemade sides along with craft sodas. You can even build your own ice cream sandwich with fresh baked cookies for dessert. Then work it off at Siloville that is housed in a converted grain silo turned climbing gym. Climbing at Siloville is a challenging and unique activity. It has climbing walls on the inside and outside of the silos, also a zip line and ropes course.
Marble Falls:
This is one of my favorite little lake towns that is built around Lake Marble Falls. We love to stop at the famous Bluebonnet Café. It’s known for its amazing pies with mile high meringue and tasty blue plate specials. It’s one of the most famous pie joints in Texas and has been featured in Southern Living Magazine many times! But be sure to turn onto Main Street. There are so many cute boutiques and restaurants. I could spend several hours here shopping or wine tasting. They have several award-winning wineries. The Old Oak Square on Main Street is a favorite for both locals and visitors. It’s centered around the city’s legendary oak tree in the historic downtown. There are also several state parks nearby and the annual LakeFest – drag boat racing!
Horse Shoe Bay:
This is a town and a resort community that actually rests on the shores of Lake LBJ. It is just 6 miles from Marble Falls and 45 minutes west of Austin on highway 2147. Horseshoe Bay Resort is an AAA four-diamond lake and golf resort offering 400 rooms of luxurious accommodations, family friendly amenities and world-class golf. It is a great place to getaway!
Texas charm definitely radiates throughout the streets of each of these little quaint towns…and if you go in April you will surely see fields of our beautiful and legendary Texas Bluebonnets!
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