It was the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the small town in the heart of the vast Hill Country, a loosely defined cross-section of the state, felt like a refuge. When I left my home in San Antonio for a yearlong sabbatical one hour northwest in Fredericksburg, Texas, I wasn’t planning to stay. Stone buildings, built by German settlers beginning in the mid-1800s, line Fredericksburg’s Main Street. The surrounding hills are ideal places for long, solo walks.
Known for its wide-open vistas and vibrant spring wildflowers, the region’s newfound buzz and natural beauty have recently put it on the radars of Bravo producers (the network has announced a new show set there) and luxury-hotel developers. Here’s how to make the most out of the sprawling Hill Country, which even as it is changing still feels like a hidden gem. Northwest of Austin, the Auberge Collection is developing a hotel named Mirasol Springs on the Pedernales River. “Then you take that alongside the growth in Austin, the new wealth that’s here and the level of sophistication. It was just a matter of time. As luxury-hotel developers have learned, the Texas Hill Country’s wilderness has long been what brings people there. Even drivers just passing through are known to pull over to take photos among the bluebonnets in springtime. Along with young families and retirees, creatives have been among the Hill Country’s newest residents. One of the best places to witness the region’s transformation into a destination for artists and collectors is Arthouse, a gallery in Marble Falls. Free exhibitions featuring works by artists like Ed Ruscha and Jenny Holzer underscore its mission to make world-class art more accessible to people outside cities.
Spanning at least 18 counties near San Antonio and Austin, the Hill Country has transformed as those two cities have grown in population. Aman is also at work on a ranch-inspired retreat about 90 miles northwest of Austin. And Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts has also announced plans to open its first Texas hotel in Fredericksburg, in 2029. Rachel English, a painter in Spicewood, has watched the region change from her family’s roughly 400-acre farm, which shares a fence line with Canyon Ranch. The hotel commissioned her to paint a 5-by-12-foot triptych depicting a thunderstorm brewing over the Hill Country.
“You have this bucolic beauty and these gorgeous natural spaces that are accessible,” said Canyon Ranch chief executive Mark Rivers of the Hill Country.
