Hill Country Equals Cowboy Country

For generations, the work of the cowboy has meant branding cattle, mending fences, and breaking broncos. On ranches throughout the Hill Country, the cowboy career still means those same activities, all carried out by seasoned pros.

But the cowboy lifestyle is one that can be enjoyed by vacationers as well, whether that means a chance to “cowboy up” for a few days at a local dude ranch, to grab some boots and dance to Western tunes, to visit a Western movie set, or to check out a local museum and appreciate Western exhibits. Whatever your idea of cowboy fun, you’ll find it within easy range of San Antonio—and right in San Antonio itself as well.

Ropin’ and Rodeos

There’s no better place in the region to get a real cowboy atmosphere than the town of Bandera, located 50 miles northwest of San Antonio on TX 16. Nicknamed  "The Cowboy Capital of the World," this town is dotted with dude ranches, rodeos, and dance halls guaranteed to get your boots scootin’.

The summer months are an excellent time to visit Bandera thanks to Cowboys on Main, a special event scheduled for every Saturday through October from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Main Street. Sponsored by the Frontier Times Museum’s Living History Project, the free event includes horseback riding cowboys, storytellers, trick ropers, musicians, and a lot more.  While you’re in the area, make a stop at the Frontier Times Museum on 13th Street, one block north of the courthouse. Established in 1927, this museum is a good place to learn more about Bandera's early days. The stone building is filled with cowboy paraphernalia, Native American arrowheads, and prehistoric artifacts.

Bandera is also synonymous with rodeos. One favorite held every Tuesday and Friday through the summer is at the Twin Elm Guest Ranch. And save time for a visit to at least one honky tonk where you’ll find dances several times a week. Put on your boots, crease your best jeans, and get ready to two-step with locals and vacationers alike.

Ranch Fun

Bandera is also well known for its many dude ranches, the perfect way for you and your family to experience life as a cowboy for a few days. Properties like the Flying L Guest Ranch have plenty of traditional ranch activities including horseback riding, hayrides, fishing, and hiking as well as group activities like Cowboy Olympics which are perfect for a family reunion.

Another famous ranch is found 32 miles from Kerrville. The Y.O. was established in 1880 by Captain Charles Schreiner, who became a Texas Ranger at the age of 15 then, following the Civil War, began a dry goods store in Kerrville and started purchasing land and raising sheep and goats. Before long, Schreiner made Kerrville the mohair capital of the world. In 1880 Schreiner acquired the Y. O. Ranch, which grew over the next 20 years to over 600,000 acres, covering a distance of 80 miles.
           
After the devastating Texas drought in the 1950s, the Schreiners began to diversify the use of their ranch, stocking the land with the largest collection of natural roaming exotics in the country, including many rare and endangered species. Over 10,000 animals range the hills, including zebra, ostrich, giraffe, emu, and ibex—plus plenty of Texas longhorns. Visits to the Y.O. Ranch are by reservation only; both day and overnight programs are available.

Movie Magic

Does Western fun make you think of the cowboy movies of the big screen? There’s no more famous Western than John Wayne’s The Alamo, filmed at Brackettville’s Alamo Village. This family park, located on a 30-square-mile ranch, is often used as a movie set. It features a replica of the Alamo along with many other Western buildings from a bank to a saloon. Through the years, many movies, commercials, documentaries, and TV shows like “Lonesome Dove” have been shot here.
           
Visitors can tour the John Wayne Museum, filled with pictures and posters from his many films, as well as an Old West jail (complete with cells), a blacksmith's shop, a chapel, and a bank that's been the scene of many movie holdups. During summer months, gunslingers bite the dust several times a day at showdowns staged in front of the cantina.

You’ll also find another Western movie set in the nearby community of Boerne. Here Enchanted Springs Ranch, an 86-acre working ranch that’s home to its own 1800s Western town, welcomes visitors. The 30-building town was originally designed for use as a movie set but you and your family can enjoy a look at the Old West town on a self-guided tour, followed by a tractor ride through the ranch’s wild animal park (where you might even have a chance to spot the ranch’s buffalo). You’re welcome to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy a day of Western fun. The ranch is open to visitors Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 am- 5:00 pm.

Western Museums

The history and heritage of the West is also preserved in several local museums. In Kerrville, the Museum of Western Art showcases the work of cowboy artists. The museum, designed by the late architect O'Neill Ford, is a work of art itself.  Framed within 10 acres of the rolling Hill Country, the limestone building is tucked into a landscape dotted with native Texas plants.  Behind massive hacienda-style doors, the museum is massive in scale, a fitting environment to showcase the work that captures the spirit of the sprawling American West.
                          
For both artist and art lover, the museum is a place to view some of the finest example of Western art in the country.  In each of the galleries, examples of western art remind guests of the rugged individuals who called this land home a century ago: the Native Americans, who lived off the land and made it part of their culture, the pioneers, who left the security of the East for a new life, and the cowboys, who welcomed the challenge of breaking a wild mustang or rounding up a herd of cattle.
           
And right in San Antonio you’ll find another Western themed museum: The Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. Located at 318 East Houston Street, the museum is actually several museums in one and traces it roots back to 1881 when the Buckhorn Saloon opened as a Texas watering hole. Soon hunters and trappers were stopping by and swapping furs and horns for a cold brew. Today you can see trophies (over 1200 in all) on guided tours through the Buckhorn Hall of Fins (marine trophies and fishing lures), the Buckhorn Hall of Feathers (mounted birds), and Buckhorn Hall of Horns (heads, hides, and horns that were often exchanged at the bar for a drink). Not all exhibits are stuffed—some are wax. The Hall of Texas History Wax Museum features a recreation of the Battle of the Alamo and other important Texas events.

For More Information

Bandera CVB, 800-364-3833,  www.banderacowboycapital.com
Frontier Times Museum, 830-796-3864,  www.frontiertimesmuseum.com
Flying L Guest Ranch, 800-292-5134,  www.flyingl.com
Y.O. Ranch, 800-YO-RANCH,  www.yoranch.com/YORanch.html
Alamo Village, 830-563-2580, www.homestead.com/thealamovillage/AlamoVillage.html
 Enchanted Springs Ranch, 800-640-5917, www.enchantedspringsranch.com
The Museum of Western Art, 830-896-2553,  www.museumofwesternart.org
The Buckhorn Saloon & Museum, 210-247-4000, www.buckhornmuseum.com