Go-To Guides
Bandera Bucket List
by ELLISE PIERCE
Lew Pewterbaugh of Bandera's Bunkhouse Leather. Photo by James Taylor / Outlaw Photography
On the edge of the Texas Hill Country, just an hour from San Antonio and two hours from Austin, Bandera proclaims itself the Cowboy Capital of the World. The county seat of Bandera County, the town’s small — just 1.2 square miles — but it packs a lot of Western punch: lots of rodeos and parades each year, great boot-scootin’ bars, and more than a dozen area dude ranches. Melissa Benge, owner of Gunslinger and Cowboy Caliente, shares some of her Bandera favorites with C&I.
Best Places to See Real Cowboys
The Super S grocery store, because if he looks like a cowboy when he’s buying a jug of milk and a loaf of bread, he’s the real deal. You can also spot an arena full of cowboys at one of our rodeos. There’s a rodeo every Friday from April 23 through the end of August at the Twin Elm Guest Ranch (830.796.3628, www.twinelmranch.com), and every Saturday from May 30 through August 29 at BR Lightning Ranch (210.219.5262, www.lightningranch.com).
Best Hike Near Bandera
The Hill Country State Natural Area — there are so many gorgeous streams and 5,400 sprawling acres of beautiful, rocky hill country. There are more than 40 miles of trails, and some canyons have a 2,000-foot elevation. It’s very secluded and rustic; we didn’t see another soul the day we went. 830.796.4413, www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/hill_country.
Where to Be a Cowboy/girl for the Weekend
Dixie Dude Ranch (830.796.7771, www.dixiedude-ranch.com) is a real working ranch where longhorn cattle, goats, and pigs are raised, and where real cowboys work horses and compete in rodeos. Guests can saddle up for trail rides on the Dixie Dude’s scenic, hilly 725 acres. There are also more than a dozen other dude ranches in the area (Bandera, Texas Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800.364.3833, www.banderacowboycapital.com).
Where to Buy Reins for your Horse
Bunkhouse Leather, where you can find custom leather anything — chaps, saddles, and tack. Owner Lew Pewterbaugh has been fitting horses and riders for more than 15 years. 888.861.3690, www.bunkhousesaddlery.com.
Best Place to Sleep on a Four-Poster Bed
Stony Ridge Ranch, a bed-and-breakfast perched high on a hill near Lost Maples State Natural Area, where you can see for miles all around. Ask for the log cabin, complete with a four-poster bed with luxurious linens and a romantic fireplace. Rollie and Steve Devlin are your hosts. Bonus: Rollie is a chef and former Dallas caterer who makes specialties such as goat cheese fritters drizzled with local olive oil for breakfast. 830.562.3542, www.stonyridgeranch.com.
Naylene Dillingham-Stolzer from Mac & Ernie's with the cabrito burger.
Best Home Cooking Under the Stars
Mac & Ernie’s! Drive about 14 miles outside of Bandera, sit at big picnic tables under the stars, and order off of the chalkboard menu of daily specials, which could include chicken-fried lamb, the Big Daddy pork chop, cabrito burgers — or order up the best catfish around. It’s only open Friday through Sunday, so plan accordingly. 830.562.3727, www.macandernies.com.
Where to Find Blue Willow China Country
Accents Antiques on State Highway 16 between Bandera and Pipe Creek. Check out the great collection of American antiques, country-store cabinets, and found pieces from old apothecaries, barbershops, and saloons. 830.535.4979, www.countryaccentsantiques.com.
Best “Citified” Dining
The Grotto Grill. Jason Boyd is a food artist who offers some of the freshest ingredients and one of the most creative menus in Bandera — like a fried egg on top of a New York Strip, served with a side salad of spring greens, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, red onions, and goat cheese — oh my! 830.796.9555.
Where to Sit on a Saddle While You Eat
The Old Spanish Trail Restaurant, which has been a Bandera favorite for years. You can sit in a Texas-size booth along a wall lined with John Wayne photos, or you can literally “saddle up” to the bar and order anything from breakfast with bottomless cups of coffee to enchiladas or chicken-fried steak. 830.796.3836.
Best Boot-Scootin’
At Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar Saloon, a 45-year-old tradition located in a basement on Main Street, you can two-step on a concrete floor with just the perfect amount of Texas sawdust. Hank Williams signed a table here, and there are even a couple of bullet holes in the walls with great stories behind them. 830.796.8826, www.arkeyblue.com.
Where to Spend a Wednesday
Night Steak night at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar. Drive on down to the Super S grocery store, buy a steak, and join hundreds of locals each Wednesday as we throw one on the 11th Street grills. Owner James McGroarty provides live music for entertainment and offers sides for just four bucks. 830.796.4849, www.11thstreetcowboybar.com.
Bandera’s Not-to-Miss Honky-Tonks
Bandera Saloon — a longhorn might even be on the porch! (830.796.3699, www.banderasaloon.com); Longhorn Saloon (830.796.3600), operated by Brian Black (Clint’s brother), where the Medina River flows out back; and Blue Gene’s (830.796.7144, www.bluegenesbandera.com), a two-story bar with live music right down the street from the courthouse.
Where to Go Tubin’
Grab something cold and float down the Medina River, which runs through town. The Bandera Beach Club (830.796.7555, www.banderabeachclub.com) rents inner tubes, but be sure to call ahead, or look for the big green buses on Cherry Street.
Where to Take in Cowboy Culture
The Frontier Times Museum has an extensive 40,000-piece collection of prehistoric, pioneer, and Old West artifacts — such as the famous lady gambler Lottie Deno’s trunk. 830.796.3864, www.frontiertimesmuseum.org. —E.P.
