Texas Hill Country Road Trip – Episode 794

Hear about a Texas Hill Country Road Trip as the Amateur Traveler talks to Michael Desrosiers from the Attempt Adventure Podcast about his home state.

Michael says, “I’ve done a lot of traveling and Hill Country is my favorite part of Texas. So I’ve done a lot of road trips, a lot of traveling in that area. I went to university at Baylor University in Waco, which is just sort of at the tip of the hill country. So during my college years, I spent a lot of time in that area. I got to know it really well. ”

“It’s the area between Austin and San Antonio, but the cultural Hill Country extends a little bit beyond it. It’s got a very unique culture. It has a lot of German and Czech immigrants, a lot of really cool little European towns, nice vineyards, great outdoor activities, really cool state parks.”

Michael starts us in Waco and points our car south to the town of West, Texas. He recommends two popular Czech bakeries there. Stop at one on the way there and one on the way back. If you go to the town of West on Labor Day weekend, they have a festival called West Fest, which is a Czech Cultural Festival.

Michael says we should know Waco for more than one dark episode in its history. It is a college town. It has one of the newest national monuments in the USA with the Waco Mammoth National Monument. You can see ongoing excavations there. While you are in town you should also stop at the Dr Pepper museum. What other museum ends the tour with a Dr Pepper float?

Fredericksburg is a town founded by German settlers. They are known for their wineries and are proud that they never broke the treaty that the settlers made with the local Native Americans. Come to Fredericksburg in September or early October for Oktoberfest.

While you are in Fredericksburg, Michael recommends the Pioneer Museum as well as the National Museum of the Pacific War. The town is the hometown for Admiral Chester Nimitz who was in charge of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from just after Pearl Harbor to the surrender of Japan.

Nearby you can visit the ranch of LBJ, one of only two presidents born in the state of Texas. Among other things you can see an early version of Air Force One.

Michael recommends camping at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area which will give you access to a hiking permit to hike to the top of this 425-ft. pink granite monolith. Be up there for sunset for some great views.

Tour a cave carved by an underground river at Longhorn Cavern State Park.

San Marcos Texas has a thing for mermaids. There are no mermaids inhabiting  the San Marcos River, but there are still mermaid statutes and a Mermaid Festival in town. If there were mermaids they might enjoy tubing down the river or visiting the amazingly clean Edwards Aquifer where you can see a Texas Blind Salamander.

You probably know of the Alamo, but that is only one of the missions in the San Antonio area. You can visit more as part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

Guadalupe River State Park is one of Michael’s favorite places to camp with great facilities. It is a great place for people to camp who are not sure they are into camping.

The Hamilton Pool Preserve one of series of swimming holes. It is a natural pool, more like a cenote than a pond. Hamilton Pool can get crowded, but Canyon Lake is less well-known.

If you are looking for more water fun, Schlitterbahn water park in New Braunfels should be on your itinerary. Take time to enjoy the German influenced town of New Braunfels as well.

This road trip is a great way to discover the small town side of Texas. You can easily combine this trip with visits to Austin and or San Antonio.

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Sponsors

This episode is sponsored by Cal-Am. With 12 properties across Arizona, Cal-Am Resorts offer experiences designed just for older audiences. Unlike a time share, you buy a home allowing you to come whenever you want and stay for as long as you want. Call Steve Ryerson at 888-883-4609 or visit discovercal-am.com.

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Show Notes

Attempt Adventure Podcast
Texas Hill Country
Travel to Austin, Texas – Episode 471
Travel to San Antonio. Texas – Episode 310
West, Texas
Slovacek’s West Bakery
Czech Stop
Westfest
Waco, Texas
Waco Mammoth National Monument
Dr Pepper
Fredericksburg
Pioneer Museum Fredericksburg
National Museum of the Pacific War
LBJ Ranch
Luckenbach, Texas
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
Longhorn Cavern State Park
City of San Marcos, TX
North Street (Restaurant)
Edwards Aquifer
Texas State Tubes
The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Mariachi Choir – San Fernando Cathedral – San Antonio, TX
Guadalupe River State Park
Hamilton Pool Preserve
Canyon Lake Texas
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels
New Braunfels, Texas
Mermaids in San Marcos, TX
Mermaid Festival

Community

Stuart on Travel to the Coast of Morocco – Episode 793

Hello, I’m a fan of the podcast but this is a special note of appreciation for the latest episode.

I was literally in El Jedida when it dropped and headed down the Moroccan coast to Essouira. I wish I had known about the Casablanca bakery recommendations but there is always something left behind for future visits!

Thanks again and I look forward to more serendipity in the future. Regards, Stuart.

Reviews:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ divebookreader, 03/06/2022

Great podcast

Never miss an episode. Travel inspiration in each episode.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kinzees81, 01/19/2022

Awesome Podcast

I just discovered this podcast about 5 days ago and cant stop listening to it. So many locations to hear about. We’re already planning a family road trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway based off an episode

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⭐⭐⭐⭐ Aosc2, 02/07/2022

Good content but host could be better

The guests on this show are always really great and are always so knowledgeable about their respective destination. It’s always fun learning about a place I don’t know much about and the destinations are really diverse. The host could be better, though. He’s always saying, “I’m looking at this picture” or “I just looked up this information.” I’m sure his intentions are good (supplementing/clarifying what the guest just said) but it makes him come off as uninterested and really disrupts the flow of the conversation. If I want to know more about something that was talked about in an episode, I can just look it up after I’m done with the episode.

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