Thanksgiving In Texas Hill Country: A Road Trip From Dallas

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Last year we spent Thanksgiving in Texas Hill Country. We had a 5 days road trip from Dallas during Thanksgiving Break, and we had lots of fun!

As most of you know, my family and I like to make road trips from Dallas to Texas Hill Country. We never get tired exploring Fredericksburg and the surrounding area. There are so many places to visit and things to do there, and we’re still not done with our exploration in Texas Hill Country. 

This road trip from Dallas to Texas Hill Country wasn’t our first during Thanksgiving Break, but it’s the longest as we stayed 5 days in the region. It meant we got to see new places and crossed out things from our Texas Hill Country bucket list. Also, to revisit our favorite places around the area. 

Here I’m sharing with you our itinerary when spending Thanksgiving in Texas Hill Country. This itinerary will work fine even though your starting point is not from Dallas. You just need to modify it a bit, and I’m more than happy to help you. Just send me a message.

Thanksgiving in Texas Hill Country

Day 1 – Dallas to Kerrville

Stops: – Inks Lake State Park in Burnet – Llano – Mason

Normally we stayed in Fredericksburg, but on this trip we couldn’t get a spot for our tiny travel trailer. Either the RV Park was full, or we had to move to another RV Park after one or two nights. That’s not comfortable at all. 

After looking at the Texas Hill Country map, I decided to stay in Kerrville. It is located about 35 minutes drive to the southwest of Fredericksburg. We still had to move on the third night, but just a few campsites away.

As always, we liked to take the backroad rather than a major highway. We drove through Cleburne, Glen Rose, Llano, and a few other small towns. It’s not just a beautiful road, but there are so many interesting stops that you can make along the way.

Our first stop on this trip was Inks Lake State Park in Burnet. Devil’s Hole is one of the spots in the park that you shouldn’t miss. In fact, if you only have a short visit in this park, this is the area in the park you want to go.

Not too many people around Devil’s Hole that day. It’s a bit weird because we thought about staying in this state park, but all the campsites were booked. Then we found out that during the pandemic they didn’t open the whole campsites. Also they still had to limit the number of visitors per day to the park. Lastly, people like to camp here during Thanksgiving Break.

From Inks Lake State Park we took TX-29 W to Llano. It’s only about a 30 minutes drive. 

About 10 minutes after we left Inks Lake, I saw a lighthouse on the right. I asked my husband to stop and turn around because I wanted to take pictures. It’s around the Buchanan Dam area.

If you want to do the same thing, I have to tell you that it’s a bit tricky and dangerous. Traffic on TX-29 W is busy and everyone moves fast. It’s a 70 mph area and of course most people drive faster than that. The lighthouse is on private property. You can only take pictures from a subdivision across the river. It’s too dangerous to take pictures from the side of the road and I strongly do not recommend it.

In Llano we stopped at Grenwelge Park, located on the left side after we crossed the Roy B. Inks Bridge. We had stopped at Llano a few times, but it’s our first stop at Grenwelge Park. 

We took a leisurely stroll along the river and found a few sculptures and rock arts. The Red Top Jail is located a few yards away, but it was closed the day we were there.

We didn’t stay long in the city as we had visited several times before. Here’s the link if you want to know more about things to do in Llano.

Continuing on TX-29 W, we arrived in Mason 30 minutes later. We only drove around as it got dark in the Hill Country. We don’t like setting up our campsite at night. 

Mason is the Gem of the Hill country. It’s the only place in Texas where you can mine topaz in nature. That’s what I want to do next time we go to Mason.

An hour and a half later, we arrived at Kerrville-Schreiner Park, our accommodation for the next 5 days. It’s a city park with sites for RV and tent, and has cabins and ranch houses, too. 

Day 2 – Kerrville to Castroville

Stops: – Camp Verde – Bandera – Castroville – Boerne – Comfort – Ingram

On the second day of our Thanksgiving holiday in Texas Hill Country, we headed south towards Castroville. We drove on TX-173 S before we turned to US-90 E in Hondo. That way we could pass Bandera, the Cowboy Capital of the World.

Just 10 minutes after we left the campsite, we saw a sign to Camp Verde with a camel image. I told my husband that the name was familiar so we made a stop. 

Apparently, Camp Verde is a cute General Store and Restaurant. They have a variety of stuff, from kitchenware to jewelry, baby items to Texas souvenirs, and more. Even though it’s not Thanksgiving Day yet, they already put out their Christmas merchandise and they were so pretty!

Camp Verde General Store was first established in 1857. It offered goods and services to the soldiers stationed at Fort Verde, a mile to the west. By the time the US army deactivated the Fort, the Camp Verde General Store and Post Office continued to serve the growing number of pioneer ranches in the area. 

The present day two story stone structure was constructed after a flood swept away the original building around 1900. 

When you walk around the store, you will see the old post office boxes in different sizes. I really like the store. It’s like finding a surprise gem on a road trip as I never heard about the store before. 

Too bad we just had a full breakfast, so we didn’t get to taste the food in the restaurant. Later I heard from a friend who lives in Boerne that the food in the restaurant is delicious!

Camp Verde General Store & Restaurant is located by the banks of Verde Creek. Bald cypress trees along the creek turned to orange yellow in the fall. So, it’s really beautiful out there.   

Address: 285 Camp Verde Road East, Camp Verde, Texas 78010. Ph.: (830) 634-7722.

Then we left for Bandera, which was a 15 minutes drive away to the south. We didn’t stay long here, just made a quick stop in front of the Bandera County Courthouse. The city already put up the Christmas nativity and instead of three wisemen, they had a cowboy kneeling.  

About 40 minutes later, we arrived in Castroville, the Little Alsace of Texas. 

The town was founded in 1844 by Henri Castro together with the first European immigrant settlers in the area, from the Alsace region in France. 

When you walk (or drive) around the downtown area, you will get to see historic homes and commercial structures that were originally built in the mid to late 1800s in Castroville. 

One structure that you shouldn’t miss is the Alsatian Steinbach Haus. An original house built in Walbach, France between 1618 and 1684. It was a gift from the citizens of Alsace, France for the City of Castroville. Definitely the most attractive architecture in the city. The Castroville Visitor Center is housed inside Alsatian Steinbach Haus, as well as a small museum.

When we were there, the Steinbach Haus was closed because of Covid. So, I must make another trip to Castroville.

Another must stop is the Haby’s Alsatian Bakery. When we were there customers were lining up to pick up their pie orders. I think it’s a thing for celebrating Thanksgiving in Texas Hill Country in this part of the region. 

We spent about two hours in Castroville, but we got to see and do all the fun things in Castroville in just a short visit. 

Then we drove back to the north, to the germantown Boerne. We have spent a long weekend in Boerne before and we fell in love with this small town. Stores and restaurants occupied historic buildings along the Hill Country Mile, which is the 1.1 mile stretch of Main Street (Hauptstrasse) in historic downtown Boerne.

I’ve been to Boerne the weekend before Thanksgiving before, but I wanted to see it again. Sure enough, the historic downtown looked even more beautiful with Christmas decorations popping up almost in every building. Visiting at this time around is also a perfect time for Christmas shopping.

Our next stop was Comfort, around 20 minutes drive to the north from Boerne. 

Comfort’s historic downtown is much smaller than Boerne. Not too many stores and restaurants here like in Boerne. If you like elephants, then you must visit The Elephant Story in town. You can find almost everything with an elephant theme here. The Elephant Story is a not-for-profit organization to promote elephant conservation in Asian elephant countries.

Since it wasn’t dark yet, we decided to drive to Ingram to see the Stonehenge II and the Easter Island torso. Yes! In case you didn’t know, you can see Easter Island and England in Texas Hill Country. Not just Germany and France. And they are located just a few steps away from each other. Cool, right?

From Comfort to Ingram is around 30 minutes drive to the northwest direction. You will drive on I-10 W.

Then we went back to our accommodation in Kerrville-Schreiner Park. We drove through downtown Kerrville and the Christmas nativity set and Christmas lights were already decorating the Kerr County Courthouse.              

Day 3 – Kerrville to Garner State Park

Stops: – Concan – Uvalde – Leakey

Today we started our Thanksgiving road trip in the Texas Hill Country with a trip to Garner State Park. Lately, I’ve been eyeing this park with its spectacular view from the summit of the Old Baldy.

Garner State Park is located near Concan, to the west of Kerrville. Not too far from the park is Lost Maples State Natural Area in Vanderpool. One of the best state parks in Texas for fall foliage viewing. Too bad the park’s day passes were sold out for the whole week of Thanksgiving.

A road trip to this part of Texas Hill Country was also our first. So, we were excited about what we’re going to see.

From the park we took TX-173 S like when we went to Castroville yesterday. A few miles after Camp Verde General Store & Restaurant we made a right to RR 2828. Then we veered right onto TX-16 towards Medina. When we got to Medina, we turned to RR 337. 

On RR 337 we started to see fall foliage in the distance, and I read that this is part of a scenic road in Texas Hill Country. Too bad we had to turn around because there was road construction.

From Medina we continued on TX-16 S. Then turned to RR 470 towards Tarpley. Once we got to RR 187, we made a left towards Utopia. From Utopia we turned to RR 1050 and drove several miles until we arrived at Garner State Park entrance on the left.

At that time, the view between Utopia and Garner State Park was so pretty. There’s a part on RR 1050 where we went down hill and drove like a half circle shape that was exceptionally beautiful. I saw a space for making a stop, but the rock formation and trees were so high that we couldn’t see anything. It would be great if we had a drone. So, bring a drone if you have one for your trip in this area.

The distance from Kerrville to Garner State Park is 69 miles. You will drive around one hour and 20 minutes without any stops.

We were surprised to see all campsites fully booked at Garner State Park. Just like in Inks Lake State Park in Burnet. I guess more and more people prefer to celebrate Thanksgiving Day outdoors and away from home.

As planned, we went straight to hike the Old Baldy in Garner State Park. It was a short hike but very steep and rocky. Once we got to the summit, we were rewarded with a spectacular view. You must do this trail when in Garner SP.

Before leaving the park, we stopped at the Frio River that runs through the park. The weather was nice so people were still swimming and playing in the water. Some were paddling, and some were fishing. Everyone had a good time.

From the park we continued on RR 1050 then made a left to US-83 S all the way to Uvalde. Since we’re already in the area, then why not visit Uvalde, right? It’s only a 30 minutes drive.

Uvalde is known as the Honey Capital of the World for production of huajillo (guajillo) honey, a mild, light-colored honey, dating back to the 1870s. We didn’t get to see or buy the honey while there though. 

I wanted to see the Janey Slaughter Briscoe Grand Opera House with a dragon on its cupola. The Grand Opera is located at the corner of the neoclassical style Uvalde County Courthouse, so I got to see both. I took a walk around the courthouse area and took pictures of the courthouse that was adorned with Christmas decorations already.

Uvalde was the home of John Nance “Cactus Jack” Garner, former Speaker of the House and Vice President of the United States. Maybe most of you never heard about him, but I’m sure you know the actor Matthew McConaughey. He was born in this town, too. 

Also, Uvalde is located at the crossroads of the nation’s two longest highways, U.S. 90 and U.S. 83. It is usually considered the southern limit of the Texas Hill Country or the most northerly part of South Texas. It’s less than one hour and thirty minutes drive from the border.

On the way back to Kerrville, we took TX-55 N towards Camp Wood. Then turned east on RR 337 W to Leakey (pronounced Lay-key.) The drive was about 40 minutes.

We saw a family swimming in the Nueces River along TX-55 N. When we turned to RR 337 N from Camp Wood, the road turned to a hilly drive that reminded me of the drive inside the Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. It was really pretty and part of the scenic drive in the Hill Country. 

In Leakey, we only made a short stop at the Real County Courthouse. It’s almost 6, and we didn’t want to drive in the dark to our campsite.

During spring and summer, visitors to Leakey enjoy tubing on the Frio River. In the fall, the tree-covered Leakey hills are covered with red and gold hues.   

Vanderpool is only 16 miles to the east of Leaky and I could imagine how beautiful the drive was. If only there’s no road construction, we would continue on RR 337 W to Vanderpool. 

So, we took US-83 N instead. The drive up north offers the incredible view of the Texas Hill Country from the higher ground. We weren’t disappointed.

Then we turned east on TX-41 until we got to I-10 E and continued to Kerrville. The drive from Leakey to Kerrville-Schreiner Park was slightly above one hour. With a few stops, we made it to one and a half hours.                                  

Day 4 – Kerrville to Fredericksburg

Happy Thanksgiving!

As planned, we visited Enchanted Rock in the morning. We wanted to hike the Summit Trail on this special day, and explore more of the trails in the park. 

A visit to Enchanted Rock is a must when in Fredericksburg. A few years ago we came here and hiked the Summit Trail during our Spring Break trip to several state parks in Texas Hill Country.

After we hit the summit, we went down a different path and continued on Echo Canyon Trail to Loop Trail. We still saw signs of fall around the Loop Trail, especially behind the pink dome.  

When I made an itinerary for our Thanksgiving trip in Texas Hill Country, the plan was to have Thanksgiving lunch in Fredericksburg. Well, not too many restaurants opened and I wasn’t sure what time we would arrive in the city from the Enchanted Rock. We decided to drive to town and if there’s no restaurant open, we could always have sandwiches. Haha..     

So, after the hike we drove slowly on Fredericksburg’s Main Street, looking for a restaurant. And aren’t we lucky? There’s one restaurant open and it’s dog-friendly. Our dog Snoopy could sit with us. Yay!! 

For our Thanksgiving lunch I ordered pork schnitzel, a chicken fried steak for my husband, and a cheese burger for our son. No turkey, stuffing, and the trimmings. 

After lunch we walked around town. All stores were closed. Then we went to see the German Christmas Pyramid before we headed back to Kerrville. One of the reasons to visit Fredericksburg during Christmas time. 

But first, we made a quick stop at the Coming King Sculpture Prayer Gardens in Kerrville.

Then we just relaxed by the campsite. We talked with our neighbor who towed their big trailer. A neighbor across the street was cleaning up their deep fryer. Yes! They had their Thanksgiving Dinner in the park and brought along their deep fryer. Another neighbor packed up and left because it was supposed to be raining overnight.   

Day 5 – Kerrville to Dallas

Stops: – Luckenbach – Johnson City – Pedernales Falls State Park

No rain overnight – which was good – but it started to drop as we packed our trailer.

Our Thanksgiving holiday in the Texas Hill Country hasn’t ended though. We made a stop at Luckenbach, where everybody is somebody. It’s not even 10 when we got there. They were about to open. So, if you like taking pictures without other people in your frame, this is the perfect time. 

From Luckenbach we stopped at Sauer-Beckmann Farm and Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Johnson City. It’s not our first, but our dog Snoopy’s first time in both places.

Originally, we would boondock for a night at the rest area near LBJ National Historical Park. I wanted to see the lighting of Christmas Lights in Johnson City that Friday night. But, the radar showed a 70% chance of rain, so we decided to go home instead.

Still, we made another stop before we left Texas Hill Country. Pedernales Falls State Park, also in Johnson City. What’s unique about this park is the potholes around the Pedernales River. That year Texas Hill Country didn’t get a lot of rain, so the falls weren’t heavy when falling into the pool. 

Pedernales Falls State Park was the last place we visited during our Thanksgiving in Texas Hill Country. It’s slightly after 5 when we left the park, so no more stopping as we drove in the dark all the way to Dallas.

Things to know before leaving for Thanksgiving in Texas Hill Country

We visited in November 2020 when vaccines were not an option yet. I couldn’t make an itinerary long before we left because we didn’t know what would happen during Thanksgiving Break. Well, even until today, you can’t predict the situation, in my opinion. You just take your own risk.

So, here’s what you need to know before leaving for the trip:

– State Parks still required visitors to make online reservations for day passes in advance. All the state parks we visited during the trip are some of the favorite parks in Texas Hill Country. You must make reservations ahead.

– State Parks have opened limited campsites. If you plan to camp (tent, trailer, or cabin) reserve your spot today. We didn’t get any sites during the trip.

– Some State Parks are open in full capacity, so expect to see a lot of visitors.

– Google what restaurants will be open on Thanksgiving Day and make a reservation.

– Bring enough drinks and food as groceries and stores are closed on Thanksgiving Day.

– Check the weather before you leave. You might still be able to jump into the water. Who knows!

– If you feel a bit under the weather on the day you are supposed to leave, you might cancel the trip.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving in Texas Hill Country!

(Here’s a link to more ideas for road tripping in the Texas Hill Country.)