Blog | Golden Country Cowgirl

Buckhorn Saloon and Museums – Not What I was Expecting!

If you ride the hop-on hop-off bus or look up things to do in San Antonio, chances are you’ll become aware of the Buckhorn Saloon and Museums. I didn’t really have any interest in the saloon or getting something to eat in the cafe, but I definitely was interested in seeing the Texas Ranger Museum. So, while I was doing a self-guided walking tour of downtown San Antonio, I decided to take the short walk to the Buckhorn Saloon and Museums from The Alamo. When I arrived at the Buckhorn Saloon, I went in to the gift shop which is where you purchase your tickets. The gift shop is large with lots of merchandise including plenty of Texas memorabilia. I spent some time looking around…

Dripping Springs Distilling Tour and Tasting

copper pot stills with text overlay: Educational and informative tour Dripping Springs Distilling

When you visit Texas Hill Country, you can go wine tasting to your heart’s content. But did you know you can also visit distilleries, often for a tour and tasting? There are several spread out all across Texas Hill Country so no matter what your plans are while you are in Hill Country, you can add one (or more) to your itinerary. On my recent RV trip, I spent a few days in Dripping Springs and visited Dripping Springs Distilling for a tour and tasting. I spent most of my life in California and a few years in Nevada. Both places have fairly liberal alcohol laws. You could buy alcohol pretty much anywhere – the corner gas station, the neighborhood grocery store, Walmart, Costco…

The Alamo – More than a Famous Battle

When I visited San Antonio in 2018, I knew there were two things I had to experience: the Riverwalk and The Alamo. On that trip, I really had no idea what to expect in San Antonio or from these two attractions. I enjoyed both of them so much that I wanted to see them again in more detail. When I visited The Alamo in 2018, I missed out on a guided tour so I made sure to work that in this time. I’m a big fan of guided tours! Misión San Antonio de Valero Guided Tour of the Alamo The guided tour of the Alamo is $40 but the group is small and the education well worth it in my opinion. History is always a…

Best Places to Eat in Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas, Mexico

Just across the border, in the state of Tamaulipas, is the town of Nuevo Progreso. It’s an easy 30-minute drive from where I live so I am fortunate to be able to go often. I go to shop, get a pedicure and, of course, eat. Over the past three years, with a brief timeout when the border was closed to all but essential travel, I dined at several of the restaurants in Nuevo Progreso frequently. Here are my thoughts on the best places to eat in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. The Best Places to Eat in Nuevo Progreso Renee’s On my very first visit to Nuevo Progreso with my friend Linda, she took me to Rene’s Restaurant and Bakery for breakfast. Even though it’s a very…

San Antonio Riverwalk Downtown Reach – What to See and Do

I always feel full of joy and peace anywhere near water. For me, that is especially true on the magical San Antonio Riverwalk. It is easy to see why the Riverwalk is the most popular attraction in Texas. People plan entire trips to San Antonio around the Downtown Reach of the Riverwalk! Although there is more to the Riverwalk than Downtown, that’s what we will explore in this post. The Riverwalk, also called the River Walk, or in Spanish Paseo del Rio, is a 15-mile long series of lushly landscaped walkways in San Antonio along the San Antonio River. Five miles of those walkways wind their way through what is known as the Downtown Reach. The Downtown Reach is what most people think of when…

Most Viewed Posts of 2021

Happy New Year! I can hardly believe it’s time for my annual Most Viewed Posts article. But I’m a bit of a statistics junkie so I love contrasting and comparing lists from one year to another. I enjoy seeing which posts resonate the most with readers. It’s very enlightening and there were a few surprises for me on my most viewed posts of 2021 list. With no travel and many businesses closed, I didn’t write much in 2021. With things opening up a little along with the purchase of a new trailer, I finally scheduled an RV trip and got on the road the beginning of October. I had an amazing 2-month trip through part of Texas and am still writing about it! Most of…

Wildseed Farms – From Albariño to Zinnias

When I was researching what to do in Fredericksburg and Texas Hill Country, several times I came across Wildseed Farms in the list of top recommended attractions. It sounded to me like it was just a large nursery and gift shop so I didn’t put it on my list of things to do. As luck would have it, I came across it after another plan fell through so I pulled into the large parking lot to check it out. Calling it a nursery and gift shop doesn’t begin to do it justice! Display Gardens and Walking Trail Wildseed Farms was established in 1983 by John R. Thomas to fulfill the demand for high quality and less expensive wildflower seeds. The farm has over 200 cultivated…

Lost Maples Winery – A Winery in Transition

I have been a member of Harvest Hosts since the beginning of my RV adventures in 2018. The program offers interesting and unique places to stay while supporting small businesses. It’s such a win-win program you can’t help but love it. My favorite places to stay through Harvest Hosts is wineries. You usually have a beautiful parking spot with awesome views and you can walk to go wine tasting and never have to worry about driving. Sometimes you meet the winemaker or get a special behind the scenes tour. My stay at Lost Maples Winery in Vanderpool, TX, certainly lived up to all expectations. About Lost Maples Winery History Tom & Glenda Slaughter were the original owners of Lost Maples Winery. The winery sits within…

Tower of the Americas – Amazing Views

When I visited San Antonio in 2018, I didn’t do a whole lot of research before I arrived. As a result, I didn’t really know what I wanted to see and do there other than The Alamo and the River Walk. As I rode around on the hop-on hop-off bus, I learned about so many more things to see in downtown, including Tower of the Americas. Tower of the Americas Fun Facts Built for the 1968 Hemisfair World’s Fair which celebrated San Antonio’s 250th anniversary Construction started in 1966 and took 18 months to complete At 750 feet, it is the tallest observation tower in Texas It was the tallest observation tower in the US until the Stratosphere Tower was built in Las Vegas in…

Natural Bridge Caverns – A San Antonio Must-see

outdoor display of flowers on a wagon with text overlay: Natural Bridge Caverns A Sam Amtonio Must-see!

If you love caves and caverns as much as I do, then Natural Bridge Caverns should definitely be on your list of things to see in San Antonio. When I lived in Northern California, I visited Mercer Caverns in Calaveras County and Black Chasm Cavern in Amador County. Neither of these caverns prepared me for the breathtaking enormity of Natural Bridge Caverns. Now, don’t get me wrong. Natural Bridge Caverns is definitely not the largest cave in the world, or even the US, by any means. To clarify, the largest cave in the world by volume is Hang Sơn Đoòng located in Vietnam and the largest in the US is Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, which is also the longest in the world. You might wonder…