The Texas Hill Country offers a weekend getaway for large cities like Houston and Dallas. The rolling hills marked by wooded canyons carved out by springs and dotted with occasional cacti and wildflowers provide an opportunity to unwind and embrace the country life. Wimberley is located in the heart of the Hill Country with only a one-hour drive to Austin, San Antonio and Fredericksburg. The small town of Wimberley is the perfect place to stop and spend a few days or even a week.

July 2013-My husband and I wanted to explore some of the top swimming holes in Texas.   After researching options, I chose Wimberley for its central location and glamping accommodations. Glamping, or “glamorous camping”, was a way to enjoy the perks of camping with more glamorous accommodations. My first lodging choice was Sinya on Lone Man Creek:

http://www.hillcountrysinya.com

Unfortunately, it was already booked for a year in advance! My second choice was an Airstream trailer called Dixie Daisey. This adorable retro Airstream trailer was outfitted with a real bed, flushing toilet and small kitchen. The outdoor shower, hot tub, hammock, and fire pit surrounded by 10 acres to explore made the glamping experience top notch. This was a road less traveled lodging for sure!

There were four great swimming holes within a 30-minute drive from Wimberley that we could experience.

1) Blue Hole Regional Park-Located in the heart of the town on Cypress Creek, this park provided a beautiful swimming hole bordered by cypress trees. Because the park closes when it reaches capacity, we made sure to arrive early. The actual swimming area was not large and only offered a few picnic tables in the shade. The water was so cold that it took my breath away! But to float underneath the huge canopy of cypress trees in crystal clear water was a treat on a hot summer day. We made our way to the far end of the swimming area to get away from the crowds jumping into the water. The next day, we actually stumbled on the outer perimeter of the Blue Hole Park off of FM 3237 when we got on the hiking trails. We didn’t realize you could hike all the way down to the Blue Hole. The hiking and biking trails were well laid out and extensive!

2) Jacob’s Well Natural Area-We came to this swimming hole located on the north side of town to observe the teens jumping off the cliffs into the water below. Since our visit, this popular swimming hole was closed for repairs because of major flooding and has recently reopened. It now requires online reservations and a fee for the summer swimming season.  Local Master Naturalists offer free tours on Saturday mornings year-round to discuss the rich history of the famous diving spot and the importance of protecting this water source. The water flowing from the well is an artesian spring coming from the Trinity Aquifer 140 feet below the surface. The limestone caves and passage segments below make one of the longest underwater cave systems in Texas.

3) Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve-Located in Dripping Springs, this swimming hole was worth the drive! We called ahead to see if they would allow swimming. Rains can increase the bacteria level which makes swimming unsafe. We made sure to arrive early since the waits to enter the park grow quickly once capacity levels are reached. Because there were no amenities outside the parking area, we brought plenty of water and visited the portable toilet before hiking. We decided to hike first to the Pedernales River. The 30-minute hike was lovely and we were the only guests for the first hour! We were glad we brought floats and had on good hiking shoes. By the time we hiked back to the Hamilton Pool around noon, it was swarming with people. We spent about 30 minutes hiking around and taking pictures, but decided not to swim.

4) Blanco River State Park-Looking for  a less crowded place to swim, we drove to the town of Blanco. This Texas State Park was the swimming hole less traveled! The water was warmer and we were able have the river to ourselves.

Besides swimming, Wimberley offered plenty of other activities nearby. We enjoyed touring the Devil’s Backbone, a beautiful scenic drive on Ranch Road 12 with hairpin turns that offered spectacular views of the Wimberley valley. On the drive to San Marcos, we visited Wimberley Glass Works, which offered live demonstrations of glass blowing techniques and a beautiful gallery of glass art pieces. On the way to Dripping Springs we visited Texas Hill Country Olive Company on a whim. The friendly staff guided us in tasting their oils and vinegars with homemade bread cubes. They also had gelato and cheese trays available. I had rosemary gelato topped with blackberry balsamic vinegar-yummy!

Since our visit in 2013, Wimberley Zipline Adventures has also become a popular tourist attraction. Another favorite activity is touring the town with a “Bootiful Wimberley” map to see the 50 boots painted by local artists and displayed throughout the town.  On the first Saturday of each month, the main drive in town comes to a slow creep because of Wimberley Market Days, the oldest outdoor market in Texas and the second largest in  Texas. Vendors booths provide antiques, collectibles and crafts for sell.

Our favorite restaurants included the Leaning Pear, which offered great outdoor dining, Cypress Creek Café with awesome chicken fried chicken and jalapeño gravy, and Kate’s Place. 131 Café in Dripping Spring offered a farm to table experience with excellent salads and sandwiches!

If you are looking for a weekend getaway to experience the Texas Hill Country, take the road to Wimberley…and hammock for awhile….