Bandera

Bandera is a slice of life out of the Old West, a town that could serve as a John Ford film set. Established as a lumber camp in 1853, this popular guest-ranch center still has the feel of the frontier. Not only are many of its historic buildings intact, but people are as genuinely friendly as any you might imagine from America's small-town past. True, the roads are getting more crowded each year, but once you hunker down, you're unlikely to need to do much driving around.

What to See & Do

Interested in delving into the town's roots? Pick up a self-guided tour brochure of historic sites -- including St. Stanislaus (1855), the country's second-oldest Polish parish -- at the Bandera County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1206 Hackberry St., Bandera, TX 78003 (tel. 800/364-3833 or 830/796-3045; www.banderacowboycapital.com), open weekdays 9am to 5:30pm, Saturday 9am to 2pm. Or explore the town's living traditions by strolling along Main Street, where a variety of crafters work in the careful, hand-hewn style of yesteryear. Shops include Kline Saddlery (tel. 830/460-4303), featuring belts, purses, briefcases, and flask covers as well as horse wear; the Stampede (tel. 830/796-7650), a good spot for Western collectibles; and the huge Love's Antique Mall (tel. 830/796-3838), a one-stop shopping center for current local crafts as well as things retro. Off the main drag, buy beautiful customized belt buckles, spurs, and jewelry at Hy O Silver, 715 13th St. (tel. 830/796-7961). Naturally, plenty of places in town such as The Cowboy Store, 302 Main St. (tel. 830/796-8176), can outfit you in Western duds.

If you want to break those clothes in, the Convention and Visitors Bureau can direct you to the outfitter who can match you with the perfect mount; most of the guest ranches offer rides for day-trippers. Check the CVB, too, to find out if any rodeos or roping exhibitions are in the area. (They occur often in summer and less regularly in fall.)

The Great Outdoors

You don't have to go farther than Bandera Park (tel. 830/796-3765), a 77-acre green space within the city limits, to enjoy nature, whether you want to stroll along the River Bend Native Plant Trail or picnic by the Medina River. Or you can canter through the Hill Country State Natural Area, 10 miles southwest of Bandera (tel. 830/796-4413; www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/hillcoun), the largest state park in Texas allowing horseback riding. A visit to the nonprofit Brighter Days Horse Refuge, 682 Krause Rd., Pipe Creek, about 9 miles northeast of Bandera (tel. 830/510-6607; www.brighterdayshorserefuge.org), will warm any animal lover's heart. The price of admission to this rehabilitation center for abandoned and neglected horses is a bag of carrots or apples; donations are also very welcome.

About 20 miles southeast of town (take Hwy. 16 to R.R. 1283), Bandera County Park at Medina Lake (tel. 830/796-3765; http://wildtexas.com/parks/medinalk.php) is the place to hook crappie, white or black bass, and especially huge yellow catfish; the public boat ramp is on the north side of the lake, at the end of P.R. 37. Outfitters for those who want to kayak, canoe, or tube the Medina River include Bandera Beach Club Kayak & Tube Rental (1106 Cherry St.; tel. 830/796-7555) and Bandera Kayak & Tube (1006 Main St.; tel. 830/796-3861), in the True Value Hardware store.

Most people visit the Lost Maples State Natural Area, about 40 miles west of Bandera in Vanderpool (tel. 830/966-3413; www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/lostmap), in autumn, when the leaves put on a brilliant show. But birders come in winter to look at bald eagles, hikers like the wildflower array in spring, and anglers try to reduce the Guadalupe bass population of the Sabinal River in summer.

Staying at a Guest Ranch

Accommodations in this area range from rustic cabins to upscale B&Bs, but for the full flavor of the region, plan to stay at one of Bandera's many guest ranches (you'll find a full listing of them, as well as of other lodgings, on the Bandera website). Note that most of them have a 2-night (or more) minimum stay. You wouldn't want to spend less time at a dude ranch, anyway; it'll take at least half a day to start to unwind. Expect to encounter lots of European visitors. These places are great for cultural exchange, and you'll learn about all the best beers in Texas -- and Germany.

Rates at all the following are based on double occupancy and include three meals, two trail rides, and most other activities.

At the Dixie Dude Ranch, P.O. Box 548, Bandera, TX 78003 (tel. 800/375-YALL or 830/796-7771; www.dixieduderanch.com), a longtime favorite retreat, you're likely to see white-tailed deer or wild turkeys as you trot on horseback through a 725-acre spread. The down-home, friendly atmosphere keeps folks coming back year after year. Rates are $110 to $130 per adult per night.

Tubing on the Medina River and soaking in a hot tub are among the many activities at the Mayan Ranch, P.O. Box 577, Bandera, TX 78003 (tel. 830/796-3312 or 460-3036; www.mayanranch.com), another well-established family-run place ($125-$145 per adult); corporate groups often come for a bit of loosening up. The ranch provides plenty of additional Western fun for its guests during high season -- things like two-step lessons, cookouts, hayrides, singing cowboys, or trick-roping exhibitions.

The owner of Silver Spur Guest Ranch, 9266 Bandera Creek Rd., Bandera, TX 78003 (tel. 830/796-3037 or 460-3639; www.ssranch.com), used to be a bull rider, so the equestrian expertise of the staff is especially high ($130 per adult). So is the comfort level. The rooms in the main ranch house and the separate cabins are individually decorated, with styles ranging from Victorian pretty to country rustic. The ranch, which abuts the Hill Country State Natural Area, also boasts the region's largest swimming pool, some roaming buffalo, and a great kids' play area.

Where to Dine

Those not chowing down at a guest ranch might want to put on the feed bag on Main Street's O.S.T. (tel. 830/796-3836), named for the Old Spanish Trail that used to run through Bandera. Serving up down-home Texas and Tex-Mex victuals since 1921, this cafe has a room dedicated to The Duke and other cowboy film stars. It's open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; entrees are inexpensive to moderate.

Billy Gene's, 1105 Main St. (tel. 830/460-3200), lays on huge platters of down-home country standards like chicken-fried steak or meatloaf for seriously retro prices. Less health-defying dishes such as huge salads are available here, too. An open deck and huge windows afford excellent Medina River vistas. It's open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; meals are inexpensive to moderate.

The setting, in a motel at the edge of town, is nothing special, but the Bandera Star Steakhouse, 700 State Hwy. 16 S. (tel. 830/796-3093), serves some of the best big meat in town. Small meat too: Half-size portions of, say, pork chops, come with all the sides (salad, veggies, rolls) but aren't as hard on the wallet or waistline. The same menu is served at the more casual and very friendly Morgan's bar next door. Lunch and dinner are served Monday through Friday, dinner only on Saturday. Prices are moderate to expensive.

It's not easy to find a seat inside Mac and Ernie's, a quirky, semigourmet eatery in a shack some 12 miles west of Bandera in Tarpley (tel. 830/562-3250). But that's okay, because the picnic tables out back are the perfect setting for the outstanding steaks, catfish, and specials like quail in ancho honey, served on paper plates with plastic utensils. Hours are very limited (lunch Wed, lunch and dinner Fri-Sat), and prices are moderate.

Some Local Honky-Tonks

Don't miss Arkey Blue & The Silver Dollar Bar (tel. 830/796-8826), a genuine spit-and-sawdust cowboy honky-tonk on Main Street usually called Arkey's. When there's no live music, plug a quarter in the old jukebox and play a country ballad by the owner. And look for the table where Hank Williams, Sr., carved his name.

No one who tends toward the P.C. should enter the tiny 11th Street Cowboy Bar, 307 11th St. (tel. 830/796-4849), what with all the bras hanging off the rafters. But you can always retreat to the spacious deck out back, and listen to Cajun and country bands.

At the Bandera Saloon, 401 Main St. (tel. 830/796-3699), the deck is out front and overlooks the town's main drag, but the boot scootin' to live rockabilly and country music takes place inside the large barnlike structure.

En Route to Kerrville

Each of the roads from Bandera to Kerrville has its distinct allure. The longer Highway 16 route -- 37 miles compared to 26 -- is one of the most gorgeous in the region, its scenic switchbacks snaking through new-growth forest, river-bottom lands, and rolling ranch land. The road is curvy but not precipitous, and you're at river level most of the time. Go this way and you'll also pass through Medina. You won't doubt the little town's self-proclaimed status as Apple Capital of Texas when you come to Love Creek Orchards Cider Mill and Country Store (tel. 800/449-0882 or 830/589-2588; www.lovecreekorchards.com) on the main street. Along with apple pies and other fresh-baked goods, you can buy apple cider, apple syrup, apple butter, apple jam, apple ice cream -- you can even have an apple sapling shipped back home. Not feeling fruity? The restaurant out back serves some of the best burgers in the area.

Military buffs and souvenir seekers might want to take the more direct but also scenic Highway 173, which passes through Camp Verde, the former headquarters (1856-69) of the short-lived U.S. Army camel cavalry. Widespread ignorance of the animals' habits and the onset of the Civil War led to the abandonment of the attempt to introduce "ships of the desert" into dry Southwest terrain, but the commander of the post had great respect for his humpbacked recruits. There's little left of the fortress itself, but you can tour the 1877 General Store and Post Office (tel. 830/634-7722), purveying camel memorabilia and artifacts as well as country-cute contemporary crafts. The store also sells fixings for picnics at the pleasant roadside park nearby.