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How to Make a Perfect Summer Day Trip to Blanco, Texas

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Joleen Jernigan

Blanco State Park Swimming Hole

Hang out in the shallows below or swim above the dam at Blanco State Park

Road trips hold infinite promise and possibilities, and Austinites are spoiled with many easy Texas Hill Country day trip opportunities. Blanco lies less than an hour away, offering plenty of fun to fill your day. Here is my recipe for making the absolute best of a day trip to Blanco, Texas. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Day Trips, Discoveries Tagged With: blanco

Settle Down With Glass in Hand at Andalusia Whiskey Co. in Blanco

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Guest Blogger

Andalusia Whiskey Old Fashioned

Whiskey cocktail at Andalusia Whiskey Co. in nearby Blanco, TX

Guest article by Mathis Kennington

When you think of grain to glass whiskey, what comes to mind? It took me a minute, the first time I let that phrase sink in. It’s less familiar to me than, let’s say, farm to table food. Grain to glass whiskey hints at the same kind of untouched, unmessed with allure our favorite local restaurants offer: raw fruits and vegetables that must only travel a few miles from a local urban farm until they’re in the hands of a discerning chef. Locally and humanely finished beef and pork that didn’t get mixed into a big pile of neon pink mystery meat paste. We Austinites love to know where our food comes from and what our food ate.

It’s strange we don’t demand the same of our spirits.

Enter Andalusia Whiskey Co. This Blanco-based whiskey distillery startup is committed to producing world class whiskeys with integrity. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Day Trips, Discoveries Tagged With: blanco

Experience Perfumed Fields at Hill Country Lavender

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Judy Rae Merhar

Hill Country Lavender in Blanco, TX

Lavender fields forever in Blanco, TX (Credit: Tasha Brieger)

A book introduced me to Tasha Brieger, owner of Hill Country Lavender. Jeannie Ralston’s The Unlikely Lavender Queen: A Memoir of Unexpected Blossoming is the story of a couple who, after several trips to Provence, noted how similar the Hill Country was to the terrain and climate of southern France. Jeannie and her husband Robb Kendrick, a professional photographer, became pioneers when they opened a lavender farm in Blanco, TX in 1999. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Day Trips, Discoveries Tagged With: blanco

3 Reasons Blanco State Park Should Be on Your Austin Summer To-Do List

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Eric Highland

Summer is here in Austin and we’re already starting to feel the heat. For those of you new to the area, it’s only going to get hotter. But there’s good news. Early summer in Austin is one of the best times of the year to break out the picnic basket and get your outdoor time in.

At the Austinot, we love state parks. The parks within a day’s drive of Austin are some of the best in the entire country. Each state park is unique, and every time we write an article we share tips on what to bring, what not to bring and what to expect. Click here to check out related articles on state parks.

One of the parks we visited recently was Blanco State Park. Whether you’re looking for camping, swimming, hiking, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Day Trips, Discoveries Tagged With: blanco, swimming, swimming holes, texas state parks

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