Historic Towns
& Villages.

The "Little Alsace of Texas" — founded by French empresario Henri Castro in 1844. A 96-building historic district, the Landmark Inn on the Medina River, and a cultural heritage found nowhere else in the state. 42 miles from Boerne.

A quiet valley settlement of roughly 30 people, founded in 1847 by German freethinkers. Wine tasting at a converted 1885 cotton gin, a 130-year-old dance hall, and Hill Country BBQ — 18 miles from Boerne.

The Hill Country's most recognized destination. Main Street shopping, winery tasting rooms, the National Museum of the Pacific War, and a deep German heritage that still shapes the food and festivals.

A Hill Country river town with an 1886 limestone courthouse square, spring-fed state park swimming, and the Buggy Barn Museum's collection of historic horse-drawn vehicles. 35 miles from Boerne.

A small town with a serious food and antiques scene. Comfort's downtown is compact and walkable, with a historic district that tells the story of its founding as a German colony.

Texas' oldest dance hall — Gruene Hall (1878) — anchors a 15-acre National Register Historic District on the Guadalupe River. The Gristmill, shopping, and river access make this one of the Hill Country's most rewarding stops. 43 miles from Boerne.

A German-founded river town 45 miles from Boerne with spring-fed waterways, Gruene Hall (Texas' oldest dance hall), Schlitterbahn, and a thriving downtown. The most destination-dense option within an hour's drive.

The self-proclaimed Cowboy Capital of the World — 25 miles from Boerne with weekly rodeos, dude ranches, the Medina River, and 5,369 acres of rugged Hill Country trails.

The Pecan Capital of Texas — one of the oldest towns in the state, founded in 1838 on the Guadalupe River. Home to the Sebastopol House limecrete mansion, the World's Largest Pecan, and ZDT's Amusement Park. 52 miles from Boerne.

The hometown of Lyndon B. Johnson. Home to the Science Mill — a world-class STEM museum in a restored 1880s mill — the LBJ Boyhood Home, and a walkable downtown with local restaurants and craft breweries. 55 miles from Boerne.

The Watermelon Capital of Texas. The historic Zedler Mill on the San Marcos River, a self-guided tour of painted oil pump jacks, a free oil-patch museum, and legendary Central Texas barbecue. About 75 miles from Boerne.

The official Barbecue Capital of Texas. The Big Four smokehouses, an 1894 sandstone courthouse square, the Dr. Eugene Clark Library, and Lockhart State Park. About 82 miles from Boerne.

The Honey Capital of the World and gateway to the Frio River canyon country. The Briscoe-Garner Museum, an 1891 Grand Opera House, a New Deal fish hatchery, and the spring-fed Nueces River, about 86 miles from Boerne.

The Birthplace of Texas Independence, home of the Come and Take It cannon. The original cannon, an 1896 courthouse square, the Pioneer Village living-history center, and the 1848 Eggleston House, about 90 miles from Boerne.

The Gem of the Hill Country. A rebuilt 1910 courthouse square, Fort Mason where Robert E. Lee served, the 1928 Odeon Theater, and the Eckert James River bat cave, about 95 miles from Boerne.

The Bluebonnet Capital of Texas and anchor of the Highland Lakes. A 1936 pink-granite courthouse square, the 1849 Fort Croghan, Lake Buchanan canyon cruises, and Texas' only chairlift-served bike park, about 95 miles from Boerne.

The Lost Pines town on the Colorado River. One of Texas' oldest settlements, with a 130-building National Register Main Street, the CCC-built Bastrop State Park, and river recreation, about 105 miles from Boerne.