Blanco, Tx

Nancy and I were up for an outing today.  We planned to go to Wimberly but our first stop was going to be Blanco, Texas.  I have been through this town so many times on Hwy 281 but almost never stopped.  There is a state park here right off the highway too.  So we decided to check it out first.  This is entrance.  There are lots of picnic tables and nice areas on this side of the river for day visitors.  A road runs both ways along the river on the entrance side.

You have to cross the river using the low water crossing road in order to get to the camping area.  Once across you go up a small hill to the campground.

It's not a large campground, only about 25 or 30 spots.  There is one circle with full hookups including sewer.  The other circle has electric and water.  There are nice restrooms, a small playground, and lots of shade trees.  You can see several of the camping sites below.  It is a lovely place.  Swimming is in the Blanco River.  When you pass the park in the summer, you can see everyone having fun in the swimming area but you cannot see the campground.  There are plenty of places to walk and enjoy nature in this little jewel.

This shelter was built during the old CCC area and is really nice.  There is a nice fireplace in one end of it.  They also have screened shelters for rent with a concrete table in one end with lots of room to set up your own cots.

Another thing that is unique about this park is that you feel like you are out in the country but you can actually walk into town without much effort as it is only a couple of blocks to the town square.  Here you will find a couple of restaurants, antique shops, pottery, etc.  There is also a very friendly visitor's center just waiting to provide you with all kinds of info about the area.

As is common in many small Texas towns, the courthouse is at the center of it all.

Did I mention that Blanco is the Lavender capitol of Texas?  There are several lavender farms in the area and a big festival in the summer.  There are also wineries in the area.

Next we headed off to Wimberly--but that's another blog.  On the way, we stopped at this farmer's market.  While you can't see anything outside, there are things inside.  Since it is during the week, everything is "on the honor system".  You pick what you want and leave the money there.  As it is the end of October and nearly lunch time, fruits and vegetables are not in big supply.  But there were huge bouquets of beautiful fall flowers for really reasonable prices.  There were eggs and cheeses as well.  Very interesting.  Off in the distance behind the building we could see greenhouses and planted fields.

Stay tuned for a visit to Wimberly, TX.  And stop by and take a look at Blanco the next time you are in the area.  You won't regret it.