For all its charms, Austin’s got nothing on the Old West towns and wildflower-filled pastures of the nearby Hill Country.
Start your day early and drive two hours southwest to the tiny enclave of Bandera. There, the tin-ceilinged Bandera General Store sells cowboy boots and root beer floats.
Continue 50 miles north to Fredericksburg, a town founded by Germans in 1846. Today, the streets are lined with boutiques and high-end antiques shops. Stop for lunch at Otto’s German Bistro, where chef Adam Yoho makes a modern version of schnitzel with duck breast instead of veal.
Then grab coffee at Vaudeville, a sort of Texan 10 Corso Como housed in a two-story brick Victorian on Main Street.
Drive an hour east to Wimberley, a village of 2,700 with a surprisingly sophisticated food scene. Have dinner outdoors on the patio at The Leaning Pear, where chef Matthew Buchanan makes wood-fired pizzas topped with locally grown produce.