Take a Trip to the Hill Country Town of Wimberley

Enjoy events like a gourmet chocolate tasting at this whimsical town just 45 minutes southwest of Austin.

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A touch of whimsy inhabits Wimberley, a charming Hill Country village bestrewn with boho boutiques, creekside eateries, and spring-fed swimming holes cradled by cypress trees. Picturesque streets lined with original limestone buildings stretch out from the town square. Just 45 minutes southwest of Austin, Wimberley radiates fresh, funky energy with new businesses blooming in the wake of the pandemic. 

While spring wildflower season is the prime time for travelers to head to the Hill Country, the holidays hold a special magic in this small Texas town. Wander meandering paths through a glittering winter wonderland at Wimberley’s Trail of Lights, an 8-acre spectacle at EmilyAnn Theatre & Gardens (Dec. 2-26 this year). Everyone ends up at the Yule log for hot cocoa with marshmallows, as well as live entertainment and St. Nick appearances most nights. You’ll also find themed evenings throughout the month like gourmet chocolate tastings to holiday movie screenings.

The Winter’s Eve Festival (Dec. 9) also brings out the holiday cheer with crackling fire pits, music on multiple stages, and face painting for the kids. Shops stay open late so you can hunt for treasures for everyone on your list. If you miss this year’s final installment of Wimberley Market Days (Dec. 2), worry not — shopping is a year-round attraction in this artsy little hamlet. With 50 boutiques clustered around the square, you’ll need more than a day to do them all justice.

Between the shops, you can amble down to Cypress Creek and stroll a 15-minute nature trail to the Blue Hole, a swimming spot par excellence with rope swings and plenty of shade. It’s a splash-soaked, raucous oasis in the summer that requires a reservation to get in. But in winter, you’ll have space to yourself to soak in the quiet beauty of bare trees and clear water. Painters set up their easels, and poets find inspiration between the blue sky and its reflection on the calm, peaceful pool. The Blanco River also runs through Wimberley; it was the culprit behind the devastating Memorial Day weekend flood in 2015 that destroyed hundreds of homes and even shut down Interstate 35 nearby.

But Wimberley has bounced back and beyond — and now the only thing flooding the town is the many tourists who come to eat, drink, shop, and be merry in one of the prettiest Hill Country playgrounds.  

Savor: Plan to linger at Longleaf Craft Kitchen, an uber-cozy pinewood cabin where you’ll have a difficult choice deciding. You can’t go wrong with the crispy potato and warm goat cheese tart or the deviled eggs topped with fried oysters, bacon, and roasted garlic aioli. Save room for the butter rum budino trifle. The creekfront restaurant Leaning Pear doesn’t disappoint; take a perch by the floor-to-ceiling windows or outside on the patio for farm-to-table deliciousness. Their fried-chicken sandwich with Alabama white sauce and pimento cheese on brioche might make you cry in delight. Just outside of town, Hildee’s is the highly recommended new kid off the block, proffering imaginative treats like hibiscus-cured salmon and smoked pork spring rolls. From the blue corn barbacoa doughnuts at Dos Olivos to the cheese croquettes at Jobell’s, your problem in Wimberley isn’t finding a good place to eat — it’s narrowing down the selection.

Shop: Chronologically speaking, start at Creekside Vintage with curated kitsch from the 1950s to ’70s. You’ll have a blast poking around and exclaiming, “My grandmother had one of these!” as you browse the owl cookie jars and olive-green ashtray lamps. Indulge your mystical side nearby at Gold Dust Boutique with creative displays of crystal-infused candles and moon-goddess jewelry. Looking for cowboy boots? Shop for vintage styles at Wild West Store, which stocks over 500 pairs, or go futuristic at Wall Street Western with metallic numbers in orange, purple, and pink. Find your spirit animal in plant form at Ceremony, a jungle of otherworldly foliage and oddball succulents — just follow the aroma of palo santo. Try flower-scented honey at Cypress Creek Lavender and browse two fun floors of home goods and retro Christmas decor at The Tree House.

Enjoy:  Explore Wimberley’s outdoorsy side by flinging yourself through canyons on a zipline or hiking up Old Baldy trail. The Blue Hole isn’t the only swimming game around; you can also go for a dip at Cypress Falls and Jacob’s Well. Visit Rough Creek Lavender Fields to cut your own purple blooms, which grow well in the Hill Country’s rugged landscape. Wineries, breweries, and distilleries also thrive in this area. Head north to reach Wimberley Valley Winery to sip spiced wine in winter and see their vintage double-decker bus/wine bar. Buck-toothed llamas greet you at The Shady Llama, a hilltop beer garden with dozens of brews on tap and the best sunsets around. Feel like boot-scootin’? At Devil’s Backbone Tavern you can dance in a historic honky-tonk dive. 

Snooze: For digs in the middle of town, you can’t beat Wimberley Square Inn — it’s right on the square and has a relaxing covered courtyard. Eight suites are outfitted with custom furnishings and plush pillow-top beds. Located five minutes north of Wimberley, all the cabins at Cypress Creek Cottages have private hot tubs and breezy decks with barbecue grills. The pet-friendly property also sports an enclosed dog park and offers pet day care (for a fee). Just south of the village, the romantic cottages at Blair House Inn share the 22-acre grounds with the B&B’s culinary school, day spa, and pool. Wake up to a three-course breakfast and order a picnic basket full of goodies to enjoy for lunch. 

How to Get There:  For the fastest trip (about 3 hours, 30 minutes), drive south on Interstate 35 to Round Rock and exit onto TX-45 W just north of Austin. In about a mile, take the exit for TX-1 S (Mopac) and continue for 26 miles. Just south of Highway 90, follow the exit for TX-45 W. In 0.3 miles, turn south onto Farm to Market Road 1826. You’ll stay on this road for 24 miles to Wimberley.