What a charming little town Marble Falls is. The drive out to Sweet Berry Farm alone sets the tone…read morewith all the rolling hills and beautiful scenery. Even though we had chilly weather and a little rain, it didn't stop us one bit. We ended up picking close to seven pounds of fresh strawberries and they were so tasty and juicy. The whole experience of walking row by row and picking the perfect berry was so much fun. There's even a helpful little sign explaining how to pick the strawberries properly so they last longer. *Pro tip, leave a bit of the stem on the strawberry as you pick them, they stay fresh longer. We learned that after the fact, but we'll definitely do it right next time. The farm is huge, around 152 acres of expansive land, which was very green, open, and peaceful. It wasn't crowded at all the day we went, which made it even more enjoyable. The kids had a blast. They have a cute little train ride, a fun bouncing area, and plenty of space for the kiddies to run around. The goats were a big highlight for us. You can buy feed for 25 cents a tiny cup, and we went through four pretty quickly - you might want to grab more upfront because they close at 5 and we didn't get a chance to go back for more goat feed. The setup around the goat area was really nice and whimsical, and there's just so much open space to explore and walk and get fresh air. They also have a small gift shop with ice cream and little goodies, which was a nice touch after being out in the fields. Overall, it was such a peaceful, fun, and memorable day. Beautiful views, great atmosphere, and a perfect mix of activities for both kids and adults. We'll absolutely be back. Easily a five star experience.

It's an annual tradition for my daughters and I to go strawberry picking at Sweet Berry Farms. We…read morekept up with our tradition, braved the heat and visited this past weekend. Love that they don't charge entry fees! They provide you with a box for the berries and charge $3.75 per pound. My girls and I had so much fun picking the berries and eating them after! We also love the farm's homemade strawberry popsicles and ice cream - absolutely delicious. They also offer pick your own flowers, a bouncy area, a barrel train ride, and various arts and crafts activities for kids. There are also baby goats to feed! Fun for the whole family and an awesome day trip.

No rabbits, hot, basically every other festival you go too, if you have a kids I wouldn't recommend…read moreit

Rabbit fest years ago, used to involve showing rabbits ,etc and over the years it grew into…read moreCopperas Cove's most popular annual festival/carnival. People have come from all over to attend. They have tried to change the name. Even had voting on it. The name I recall being 'The Festival of the Five Hills' but never stuck. So I guess Covites just gave up and will continue to hold it's annual 'Rabbit Fest', rabbits or not.

What a great time! Ride the Austin Steam Train to have a hassle free ride, and enjoy the craft…read morebooths, diners and especially the parade and the shoot out! There was also live music and carnival rides for the kiddos.

Two tickets aboard the Austin Steam Train (the steam locomotive is in for restoration), pulled by a…read moresixties era diesel engine, and nearly a two hour relaxing trip on board the City of Chicago sleeper/dinner car, brought us to the annual Bluebonnet Festival in the "hill country " of central Texas ' historic town of Burnett. A town founded as the county seat in 1852, built on cattle and quarries, steeped in Republic of Texas history pre and post civil war. The field of Bluebonnets viewed from the train were out of sight while at the festival, however rows of giant corn dog, funnel cake and craft stands lined the streets and city square. Cloudy skies did not slow the doghouse or weinerdog races, and the local country and western bands (both kinds) played on through the light showers. A small carnival added entertainment and a few thrills, along with a few entertaining "carnies ". Beautiful Bluebonnets, tastes of Texas BBQ and country culture made for a great day trip, and a drousy train ride back to Austin.

Perfect for a weekend afternoon to visit this distillery and ranch. The owners are out and about…read moreand very friendly. Great patio vibes and open air indoor seating. There was music to go with the vast selection of cocktails. They even have tastings scheduled that you can jump on to while you are hanging out. The views are spectacular and the whole feeling is so relaxing. This is definitely worth a drive out of Austin. There are even treats for you pup as this place is dog friendly.

You guys!!! Iron Wolf rocks!!! I am IN LOVE with the Hotscotch...it's whiskey made with pepper and…read morebutterscotch. It's so smooth and tasty on its own. The hints of sweet & spice hit just right! This is a small batch distillery and in addition to whiskey they also make rum, gin, and vodka. The distillery sits on 15 acres so there's ample space for large groups. Like most places of its type in hill country, they've got food trucks, live music, play areas for kids and they're dog-friendly. They've even got a bocce ball setup as well as other games of that sort. The tasting room is modern rustic, farmhouse-country chic and it's also pretty spacious. The craft cocktails are out of this world. My favorite is the espresso martini made with Hotscotch. Seriously one of the best drinks ever. My boyfriend really loved the old fashioned. It's made with Hotscotch & bourbon. Super nice folks working at Iron Wolf. So knowledgeable and seemingly love to be there. Vibes like nobody's business.

I was in charge of hosting a fall company event for my work and I chose the Dripping Springs…read morePumpkin Festival. What intrigued me was that there were so many activities occurring at once for all ages. The company work event was not just for the adults, but also for kids and elders. Entry fee was $15 for ages 4 and up. $0 for babies 0-3, and $0 for elders 65 and older. The entry fee was reasonable for all of the activities that the festival had to offer but some activities had an additional fee. There was a little train ride, a petting zoo, and numerous vendors selling clothes, jewelry, etc. My team loved the food and drink options, my favorite was Pecos Petes! They sold a massive mug/cup for $25 and allowed refills all day. Pecos Petes had a selection of root beers, teas, and lemonade. The cup was a very cute memento as the back of it had the Dripping Springs pumpkin festival on it. There were swings and a talented bubble artist who kept the kids entertained for hours! The pumpkin festival was filled with numerous photo-ops for families and friends. My favorite was the horseshoe toss along with the lasso toss! Overall, we had a great company party, it was nice to be in such a festive environment. I am glad that parts of the festival had trees and tents to provide shade as it got pretty hot out there. A downside was the parking. On the website, they do stress that the parking is an issue and they even offer coupon codes for ride shares, so at least they are trying to make the public aware.

Very impressed with the pumpkin festival!…read more We have three kids that range from 4yrs to 8yr and 10yrs. While our youngest was on the rides and swings, our older boys could play patch pong and football next by. There were so many activities for all ages. They even had this kernel pit where they could all play. My son who is on the spectrum loved it. There is also a throwing ax spot that also has soccer balls so they loved kicking those too on the bull's eye. Then there was a feeding birds and feeding goats section. So much to do and we didn't even do it all. There was also a craft market and food trucks. Such a nice setup. And later in the day there is music and shows which we missed. There are a bunch of spots to take photos with skeletons and lots of pumpkins and gourds to buy at reasonable prices. You pay $15 to enter and parking is free. Then you pay for certain things like train ride, face painting and animal feed which our youngest wanted. All in all a great experience and our kids said they loved it - unprompted.

4 years ago when I was in Austin for my grandson's High School graduation my daughter suggested we…read morego to the Blanco Lavender Festival since she knows I love lavender, the color and the fragrance. A group of us went including two children and 5 adults. We all had a great time. There were lots of Booths to look at selling lots of products. My daughter and I both bought products from a man selling lotions and soaps made from goat milk in 2013 and were disappointed when we went back in 2017 and he was nowhere to be found, either physically or online. We had both hoped to buy more to replace what we had used up. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I came back in June of 2017 for my grandson's college graduation and asked my daughter if she would like to go to the Lavender Festival again. She said yes because she hadn't been since the last time I was in town so the two of us went and as before mentioned were disappointed not to find the goat milk guy. I was also keeping an eye out for the booth of Imagine Lavender Farm which had been there four years ago but never did find any sign of them this trip. I even asked at the information booth and neither name came up on their list of participators. I found a t-shirt for the festival last trip that was on sale because it was a shirt from a previous year but did not find anything like that this time. It would have been fun to buy a lavender t-shirt at the Lavender Festival if they had had one I liked for a good price. I usually try to go through the Lavender Festival twice, the first time quickly and the second time more slowly. I might have bought some lavender lotion or other products from a different vendor since the one I was looking for was not there but my daughter was getting hot, and it certainly was an extremely hot day, so I didn't want to ask her if we could take the time for me to go through again. We had both hoped to find lavender ice cream but did not see any at this year's Festival either. There was lavender lemonade but an extremely long line so we didn't end up getting any. I did get 3 or 4 things when I had the opportunity including some lavender cuticle oil, a jar of spice and s small bag of lavender coffee. If I come back to town in 4 years I'll probably want to come to it again in the hopes that I would find new booths to make up for the old favorites being gone.

Another great year at The Lavender Festival a bit warm so make sure you drink liquids. Lots of…read morefolks on opening day at the festival so vendors seemed busy. Several new booths. One was a guy who makes cigar box guitars very cool and another who makes hiking staffs or walking sticks. Of course lots and lots of Lavender booths to shop for soaps, lotion, sachets, bug spray and more...

This is a well kept sculpture garden that sits inside of a park. There's the garden and then to the…read moreother side is more of a park area. It was pretty calm here and easy to walk around and check things out. It's not terribly large so it won't take to long to see all of it but being right next to a library is a nice bonus. Parking was easy.

I experienced the Kerrville Folk Fest for the first time this year, and despite the torrential…read moreflooding, a few canceled shows, and my rig getting stuck in the mud - I still had a great time. I can't blame KFF for what Mother Nature did to us over Memorial Weekend. (Lucky for me and my gal pals, Friday's flooding brought Emmylou Harris' show right into the lobby of our hotel for an intimate, unforgettable performance.) This folk fest brings in talented musicians and song writers from all over the country for two-plus weeks, along with headliners like David Crosby and Emmylou Harris, and a TON of resources for said artists. Artists take note: You'll find seminars/workshops, like the songwriter school, ukulele workshop, legal consultation, professional development for teachers, harmonica workshops... For spectators like myself with absolutely no musical talent, there are vendors selling delicious hippie food, jewelry, clothing, massages ... and of course, entertainment. My FAVORITE part of the schedule is catching the New Folk Finalists performances. More than 800 writer-performers apply and only 32 finalists are selected to perform at the festival. Each artists performs about three songs, and with a panel of judges, six winners are announced. There is SO much talent, and I left the festival with a list of new musicians to follow. Camping is the way to go if you want the full experience. After the nightly performances, artists go around and have singalongs and gatherings at different tents/campers. Complete hippie fun. As the website says, "18 days. 100+ performers. Bring a guitar and your tent." Tent I have, talent to play a guitar, I do not ... yet. Things to know: :: Bring your own plastic cup/thermos for water stations, wine, beer, coffee, etc. They don't offer any throw-away cups; so you either have to buy theirs or bring your own. :: Bring rain boots, sandals or shoes you don't mind gettin' icky. Bare feet NOT a good idea due to the nature of the latrines. :: Sunscreen, bug spray, camp chair, and hand fan are highly recommended.

The Kerrville Folk Festival is an experience of a lifetime…read moreI've been going for years and have been lucky enough to move to Kerrville and volunteer at the festival It seems to get better every year and the staff and volunteers are one big family Rock on KFF and hopefully more locals will come out and see what they've been missing

Celebrated here 3 years in a row. Its great. They offer so much for the entire family for an all…read moreday event! Every year they offer: Carnival Rides (strawberry whirl (my fave) a bounce house/slide Carny foods Skydivers Austin Symphonic Band Free Watermelon Live Stuntman Show Rubber Duck Race Firework Show Move in the park after Fireworks and more.. not sure if all other things are every year as the above mentioned are.. A nice atmosphere. Lots to do. The regular park is there as well as the lake. Plenty of porta potties all around. Plenty of vendors to stroll through and see all the different stuff. Plenty of alcohol! At night there are many people wandering about with glow in the dark accessories for sale. Bring your cooler, your blanket, your chairs, your sunscreen and find a nice spot on the lawn.. and enjoy your day! I HIGHLY recommend staying for the movie that is playing... even if you don't want to see it, because the traffic leaving after the firework show is unimaginable! HAVE FUN!

In 2008 Money Magazine names Round Rock, Texas (about 20 miles from downtown Austin) one of the…read morebest small cities in America to live. I can see why. It's very modern and family oriented. It's almost picture perfect. We stopped by the Frontier Days Celebration on July 4th. It's a huge event with carnival rides, pig races, food trucks, and a few other vendors. I believe they had fireworks at night but we were there in the afternoon. The event was very organized and there was plenty of parking. I'd say they drew a crowd in the thousands on July 4th. This is a free event and its' really quite nice. Very nice for families with younger children.

Luckenbach is a must-see destination for a unique musical experience in the Texas Hill Country!…read more As you enter the "town loop" with the continual population of 3, you have your pick of visiting the wooden dance hall, outdoor stage, general store, post office, or watering hole. "These days Luckenbach Texas is, to paraphrase John Steinbeck, a "State of Mind" - A Texas state of mind, where you can kick back, relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life--like a step back in time." You can purchase tickets online or head over to the ticket booth if it isn't a sold out show. The monthly lineup usually includes your favorite local artists & in demand bands, special events, festivals & free shows! Even though Waylon & Willie's Luckenbach Texas wasn't actually based on the dance hall, their iconic lyrics did help make it famous. So turn up the volume and get Back to the Basics of Love as you make the trip out to see a show! You can even arrange a Willie Nelson tour to learn about the historic property If you really do love the Lone Star State, you might want to consider having your wedding or anniversary celebration at Luckenbach!

Loved visiting Luckenbach with my favorite person! Hot hot hot in August but worth the live music &…read morefun. Will definitely be back! Cheers!