Under two hours
90 minutes west
Fredericksburg
The default and the best. A German settlement town with a walkable Main Street sitting at the center of Texas wine country, with Enchanted Rock eighteen miles north and the 290 corridor to the east. Two nights covers a full wine day, a real dinner, and a morning on the rock. Book lodging months ahead for spring and fall.
50 minutes southwest
Wimberley and the Blanco River
A creek-side village with an artsy square, Blue Hole and Jacob's Well nearby, and Market Days on the first Saturday of the month. Slower and cheaper than Fredericksburg, and close enough that a Friday evening departure works.
45 minutes south
New Braunfels and Gruene
Tubing the Guadalupe and the Comal in summer, Gruene Hall — the oldest continually operating dancehall in Texas — year round, and a preserved nineteenth-century district. The best summer weekend within an hour.
60–75 minutes northwest
Marble Falls and the Highland Lakes
The Colorado River chain of lakes, with boating, Longhorn Cavern, a scenic railroad, and a few good wineries. The weekend for water rather than wine.
80 minutes south
San Antonio
The Alamo, the River Walk, the Pearl district, and the four Spanish colonial missions south of downtown that together form a UNESCO World Heritage site. A genuinely different city from Austin and underrated as a weekend.
Austin Wine Car
Add a wine day to any of these
We run door-to-door days from Austin to Fredericksburg and Dripping Springs. Three wineries, back in time for dinner.
Not ready to book?
Two to four hours
3 hours southwest
The Frio River, Concan and Garner State Park
Cold clear water under cypress trees, tubing, and a state park pavilion dance that has been running since the thirties. The definitive Texas summer weekend. Cabins book months ahead for peak weeks.
3 hours west
Lost Maples and the western Hill Country
Bigtooth maples that turn genuinely red in November, which is rare enough in Texas to draw crowds. Pair with Bandera, Utopia, and the Sabinal River. Go on a weekday in fall foliage season.
3.5–4 hours southeast
The Texas coast: Port Aransas and Rockport
Barrier island beaches, fishing, and birding. Not spectacular by national standards, but a genuine change of scene and excellent seafood.
3 hours
Dallas or Houston
Big-city weekends — museums, restaurants, and sport. Houston's museum district and Dallas's arts district each justify two days.
2 hours east
Brenham and Washington County
Rolling farmland, wildflowers, the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail, and Blue Bell. Best in the first three weeks of April.
The long ones
6.5 hours west
Marfa and the Davis Mountains
A minimalist art destination in the high desert, with the McDonald Observatory nearby and some of the darkest skies in the continental United States. Better as a long weekend than two nights, given the drive.
7 hours west
Big Bend National Park
Desert, mountains, and the Rio Grande. Genuinely remote and one of the great American national parks. Needs three or four days to justify the drive.
7.5 hours east
New Orleans
Worth it once, and better flown. But the drive along the Gulf is a real trip in itself.
Choosing by season
| Season | Go to |
|---|---|
| March–April | Fredericksburg for wildflowers, Brenham for bluebonnets |
| May–August | The Frio, New Braunfels, the coast, or anywhere with water |
| September–October | Fredericksburg for harvest, Marfa once the desert cools |
| November | Lost Maples for foliage, the Hill Country for cool clear weather |
| December–February | Big Bend, San Antonio, or Fredericksburg at Christmas |
Making a weekend work
- Leave Friday afternoon before four, or after seven. Austin traffic between four and seven adds an hour to any direction.
- Two-night minimums are standard almost everywhere in the region on weekends.
- Book the peak windows early — April and October in the Hill Country, and summer weekends on the rivers.
- Anything with a timed reservation — Enchanted Rock, Hamilton Pool, Jacob's Well — should be booked before the lodging.
- Come back Sunday afternoon rather than evening. I-35 and US-290 both back up returning to Austin after four.