rel="nofollow" href="#fb3_img_img_492558f3-d831-54a2-b01f-cd74ba80a821.jpg" alt=""/> 830/796-4849), is known for its Wednesday steak nights: You bring your own meat, the bar provides the barbecue grills, utensils, and spices—and sells side dishes.
Comfort
16 miles NW of Boerne; 48 miles NW of San Antonio
Situated about halfway between Boerne and Kerrville, the quirky town of Comfort was founded in 1854 on the banks of the Cypress Creek by German freethinkers and agnostics (the town’s first church wasn’t built until 1900). The town’s founders were also opposed to slavery, and sided against the Confederacy in the Civil War. Look for the Treu de Union (Loyalty to the Union) monument in the center of town (High St., between Second and Third sts.), which honors 68 townsmen who were killed by Confederate soldiers in the 1862 Battle of Nueces.
The rough-hewn limestone buildings in the center of Comfort may contain the most complete 19th-century business district in Texas. Noted San Antonio architect Alfred Giles designed several of the structures. These days, most of the buildings, especially those on High Street, host an eclectic array of shops, such as The Elephant Story, 723 High St. (www.the-elephant-story.com;
In all cases, check ahead for hours, but as in other small towns around here, expect lots of places to be closed Monday through Wednesday. For more information, contact the Comfort Chamber of Commerce, 630 Hwy. 27 (www.comfortchamber.com;
Where to Eat in Comfort
Take a shopping break on the cheery back patio of Comfort Pizza, 802 High St. (
Where to Stay in Comfort
If kicking back on a rocking chair overlooking a quiet courtyard sounds appealing, consider spending the night at Hotel Faust, 717 High St. (www.hotelfaust.com;
Kerrville
25 miles N of Bandera; 18 miles NW of Comfort; 34 miles NW of Boerne; 65 miles NW of San Antonio
With a population of about 20,000, Kerrville is larger than the other Hill Country towns detailed here. Now a popular retirement and tourist area, it was founded in the 1840s by Joshua Brown, a shingle-maker attracted by the area’s many cypress trees (and a friend of Major James Kerr, who never actually saw the town and county named after him). A rough-and-tumble camp surrounded by more civilized German towns, Kerrville soon became a ranching center for longhorn cattle and, more unusually, for Angora goats; at one time it produced the most mohair in the United States. After it was lauded in the 1920s for its healthful climate, Kerrville began to draw youth camps, sanitariums, and artists.
Exploring Kerrville
Make your first stop the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2108 Sidney Baker (www.kerrvilletexascvb.com;
A Bit of old england in the Old West
Several attractions, some endearingly offbeat, plus beautiful vistas along the Guadalupe River, warrant a detour west of Kerrville. Drive 5 miles from the center of town on Hwy. 27 W. to reach tiny Ingram. Take Hwy. 39 W. to the second traffic light downtown; after about a quarter of a mile, you’ll see a sign for the Historic Old Ingram Loop, once a cowboy cattle-droving route and now home to rows of antiques shops, crafts boutiques, and art galleries and studios. Back on Hwy. 39, continue another few blocks to the Hill Country Arts Foundation (www.hcaf.com;
Then head to the restored downtown, flanked by the Guadalupe River and a pleasant park. Kerrville’s historic buildings, most of them concentrated on Earl Garrett and Water streets, host a variety of restaurants and shops, many selling antiques and/or country-cute knickknacks. Among the most impressive structures is the Schreiner Mansion Historic Site, 226 Earl Garrett St. (www.caillouxfoundation.org/schreiner-mansion;
To view work by top sculptors and painters from the mid–20th century to the present, head just outside the main part of town to the Museum of Western Art, 1550 Bandera Hwy. (www.museumofwesternart.com;
