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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…

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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…

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Bloodless Bullfights will Continue in La Gloria, Texas

bull in arena with text overlay: Bloodless Bullfights, Santa Maria Bullring, La Gloria, Texas

UPDATE: The bloodless bullfights have not resumed since the beginning of the pandemic and I have been unable to verify if they will start up again in the future. Bullfighting is one of the best-known, and also most controversial, traditions of the Spanish culture. Supporters claim the bulls live a better, longer life than other cattle. They see it as art, much like ballet. As bullfighting aficionado Ernest Hemingway famously said in Death in the Afternoon (1932), “Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death.” Critics claim it is nothing more than torture. I have to admit, I attended a bullfight in Mazatlan in the 70s and would never go again. From the stands, it didn’t seem as “real”…

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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…

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San Antonio Mission Trail: Visions of a New People and Culture

The five missions on the San Antonio Mission Trail, as a group, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015. They are the largest collection of Spanish colonial architecture in the world. #travel #tourism #texas #sanantonio #missions

When I went on my first day of sightseeing in San Antonio, Texas, I learned that the Alamo is just one of five missions on the San Antonio Mission Trail. The five missions, as a group, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015. They are the largest collection of Spanish colonial architecture in the world. If you’ve visited the San Antonio Mission Trail or missions anywhere, tell me about your experience in the comments below. For my three nights in San Antonio, I stayed at Braunig Lake RV Resort in Elmendorf. This park is really conveniently located, just 10 minutes from local shopping and only about 30 minutes from downtown San Antonio, yet it has a rural feel. I will likely stay here…

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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…

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Best Wineries in Fredericksburg, Texas

Although the Texas Hill Country AVA (American Viticultural Area) covers 9,000,000 acres (14,062 square miles), Texas Wine Country centers near the charming town of Fredericksburg. If you search the Internet for the best wineries in Fredericksburg, you’ll find that each article lists different wineries. There are a few, however, that most seem to agree on and those are the ones I tried to concentrate on for this visit to Texas Hill Country. Fredericksburg is centrally located in Texas in the very heart of Texas Hill Country. Since it is only about an hour and 15 minutes north of San Antonio and 1.5 to 2 hours directly west of Austin, it is a perfect getaway location. Many of the wineries are located on Highway 290 between…

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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…

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Best Places in Brownwood Texas in One Day

five photos from Brownwood with text overlay: Brownwood, Texas Four best things to do in one day

While I was in Abilene, I had a great time visiting with other RVers at the Lolapalooza event. During the week there, I decided to go a slightly different way when I left than I had originally planned. Brownwood, Texas seemed to be a good distance for a stop but I knew nothing about it. I decided to stay at Lake Brownwood State Park which was an awesome choice. I spent a couple of days catching up on writing, including two newsletters and a blog post. After two days of that, I had to get out and visit the best places in Brownwood Texas. After a fair amount of research, I put together an itinerary for the day (Friday). Be aware that the Brown County…

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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…

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