Part 2: Kerrville, Texas
Our Tour the Texas Hill Country series will guide you through some of the best destinations the hill country has to offer. The beauty of this self-guided hill country tour is that it can be a series of shorter trips or weekend getaways; or you can knock it out all at once if you have the time. It can be customized entirely to suit your preferences, timeline, and starting point.
You’ll find more resources on what to do along the way, restaurants, and places to stay at the end of each series of the article, or you can stop by our Texas Hill Country Visitor home page to start planning the specifics of your trip.
The first leg of our trip was a stop in Bandera TX. If you stayed in Bandera for a night or two, I recommend leaving town just a bit before lunch time and heading toward Kerrville. This will give you the opportunity to grab lunch on the way to Kerrville, or something in town once you arrive.
A foggy winter morning in the Texas Hill Country by Paul Huchton Photography
Before you leave Bandera you’ll have to make a choice. You can take Hwy 173 to Kerrville or stay on 16 to go the “long way” through Medina before hitting Kerrville. They are both scenic routes, and I have a hard time making a definitive recommendation about which one to choose, so I’ll give you the high points of each.
The benefit to taking Hwy 173 is the chance to stop off at Camp Verde Restaurant and General Store when you are a few miles outside of Kerrville. This is an especially attractive option if you are heading that way around lunch time. The Camp Verde Restaurant is a favorite among locals and visitors alike, and definitely one of the best restaurants in the hill country. If you go this route, stop for lunch and do a bit of shopping in their unique store before proceeding on your trip.
Alternatively, staying on Hwy 16 will take you through Medina, a sleepy little town known as the “Apple Capital of Texas”. This route is one of the best scenic routes in the hill country (though only slightly better than taking Hwy 173 in my opinion- both are quite scenic). You’ll also have the opportunity to stop off at the Love Creek Orchards Apple Store and Restaurant to pick up some amazing apple pie or an apple ice cream cone, along with a great burger or sandwich in the restaurant on the back side of the store. Hwy 16 will take you through some tight turns and moderate to steep inclines along the way to Kerrville, so you’ll want to take your time along this route and enjoy the scenery. This is a popular motorcycle route, but the tight turns near what many of the locals call “Medina Mountain” can be dangerous if you aren’t cautious, and cell phone reception in that area is poor at best so you’ll want to use caution no matter what your method of travel.
Sunrise on a cool winter morning on the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country by Paul Huchton Photography
You really can’t go wrong with either route. Check our restaurant listings section, the restaurants’ websites, or call to confirm their hours of operation before you finalize your route if you intend to stop for lunch.
If you’ve had enough driving and sightseeing for the day, and are looking for overnight accommodations at this stage of the trip, Kerrville will probably be your best bet. It is the largest town in this area of the hill country, and provides a business hub for the region along with plenty of lodging and dining options.
If you’ve timed your visit correctly, you may be able to see a play or catch some other live entertainment at the Cailloux Theater in Kerrville or the Point Theater at the Hill Country Arts Foundation in nearby Ingram. Other attractions in Kerrville area include the Museum of Western Art, the Coming King Sculpture Garden, Kerrville Schreiner Park, Louise Hays Park, and the newly constructed Kerrville River Trail that provides visitors an opportunity to walk or bike a wide paved sidewalk along most of the Guadalupe River through town. The River Trail provides visitors with access to some of the most scenic areas along the Guadalupe for fishing, photography, or other recreation purposes. Not all property near the River Trail is public property. 
Downtown Kerrville offers shopping, restaurants, and Azul, a very nice lounge that often features live music. If you’re in Kerrville for a day or two, I would also recommend a trip to nearby Comfort or Ingram for some shopping, sightseeing, and area attractions. Use the search bar toward the top of the page to find more information on restaurants, places to stay, and things to do in Kerrville and the surrounding area.
