Hill Country/Explore

A Hill Country river running over a dam
Photo: Backroads Hill Country

Explore

Explore the Hill Country

Three hundred and fifty-four places across sixty-one towns — sorted by what they are, what you want to do, and where they are.

354 places 61 towns

By category

The 354 places in the directory, cut by what they are.

Parks & natural areas104 placesState parks, city parks, preserves and natural areas across the Hill Country. Attractions171 placesMuseums, markers, courthouses and the places worth stopping for. Experiences42 placesDrives, districts, and things you do rather than look at. Rivers & crossings37 placesCrossings, access points and river parks. Check conditions before you go.

By what you want to do

Same places, cut by what you are after.

Free to visit88 placesPlaces across the Hill Country that cost nothing to walk into. Good with small kids52 placesPlaygrounds, splash pads, short trails and places built for short legs. Hiking & trails88 placesTrails, summits and the walks worth the drive. Wheelchair accessible33 placesPlaces that document accessible parking, paths or facilities. Call ahead to confirm. Wildlife & nature centres51 placesRefuges, nature centres and the places to see what lives here. Frontier & Texas Rangers20 placesForts, camps, crossings and the markers that record how this country was settled. German & Alsatian heritage22 placesSunday houses, freethinker settlements, and the towns the settlers built. Museums53 placesCounty museums, western art, aviation and the small collections worth an hour. Picnic spots50 placesTables, pavilions and shade — the places to stop and eat what you brought. Camping23 placesCampgrounds, primitive sites and the parks that let you stay the night. Scenic drives18 placesLoops, byways and the roads that are the destination. Caves & caverns11 placesShow caves, sinkholes and what the limestone hides. Historical markers61 placesState markers, monuments and roadside history. Read from the right-of-way. Courthouses & town squares21 placesThe limestone courthouses and the squares built around them. Art & sculpture14 placesGalleries, sculpture gardens, murals and arts centres. Swimming holes61 placesBlue holes, spring-fed pools and the places people have swum for a hundred years. Tubing & floating16 placesChutes, put-ins and the stretches worth an afternoon on the water. Paddling & boat ramps50 placesKayak and canoe access, boat ramps and open water.

Rivers, live

Ten rivers with current USGS gauge readings.

Medinalive gaugeBandera, Medina, Pipe Creek Guadalupelive gaugeKerrville, Comfort, Canyon Lake Friolive gaugeConcan, Leakey, Garner Comallive gaugeNew Braunfels Pedernaleslive gaugeStonewall, Johnson City Llanolive gaugeLlano, Kingsland, Castell Blancolive gaugeWimberley San Marcoslive gaugeSan Marcos, Martindale Sabinallive gaugeUtopia, Vanderpool, Sabinal Nueceslive gaugeCamp Wood, Barksdale

By region

Eleven regions, each with its own towns and guide.

Cowboy CountryHorses, honky-tonks, the Medina Texas Wine CountryWine, peaches, German main streets German Hill CountryLimestone towns, creeks, antique shops Frio CanyonCold water, canyon roads, cypress Guadalupe HighlandsCypress rivers, river parks, western art Wimberley & the SpringsSwimming holes, cypress, spring water Comal CountryTubing, dance halls, German heritage Highland LakesGranite, open water, lake towns Llano River CountryGranite, barbecue, wildflowers Lake TravisMarinas, limestone cliffs, open water Southern Hill CountryAlsatian villages, brick, the Sabinal