When to Go

There really isn't a bad time to visit the Hill Country. Winters are mild, with days averaging 50°. Summers are undeniably the high season, albeit extremely warm in July and August, with temperatures averaging about 85°–90° (but many days above 100°). Sunny, stiflingly hot days keep visitors in constant search of cool activities that usually involve water.

The summer heat doesn't really break until late October (sometimes even later). But once the weather cools, the Hill Country comes alive with food and wine festivals, such as New Braunfels's Wurstfest and Fredericksburg's Oktoberfest, both of which deliver plenty of beer, German sausage, and good times. October is also Texas Wine Month, with many of the Hill Country wineries offering tastings and special events.

Though late winter can be cold and seemingly desolate, the festive holiday season transforms the small towns into Dickens-like portraits of Christmas carolers, building facades with flickering lights, and main-street parades. Fly-fishers usually find fantastic winter action in any of the 100 stocked lakes and rivers for trophy rainbow trout.

By early March, outdoor enthusiasts are ready to head into the wild for cool fresh mornings at a campsite, hiking Enchanted Rock, and cycling the back roads. It's also the season for wildflowers. Brilliant red Indian paintbrushes, yellow brown-eyed Susan's, and the state's famed bluebonnets flourish in fields along the road. It's a sight to behold, and one deeply cherished by Texans statewide.