Tradition:

Nestled in the Hill Country and surrounded by both working and guest ranches, the city bills itself as the Cowboy Capital of the World. Rodeos are held at least twice weekly from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Check the Hill Country Visitor Calendar for the schedule. Bandera boasts a great quantity of Dude Ranches. Dude Ranches (also called Guest Ranches) are modern ranches designed to capture all the best parts of cowboy life. Some are rustic while others are equipped with all the modern conveniences.

Recreational and Relaxing Activities:
Enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Texas Hill Country while riding horseback, just like in the old West. If the heat gets to be too much, take a swim in cool, clear Hill Country lakes, rivers, or resort swimming pools. Visitors enjoy fine year-round fishing. Wild turkey and white-tailed deer may be hunted in season. For more information on hunting season in Bandera, please visit Texas Parks & Wildlife. Plenty more popular cowboy activities such as camping, hiking, rodeos, horse races, golfing, and Country/Western dancing are available to adventurers visiting Bandera.

Nature:
The Hill Country State Natural Area, a 5,369-acre park in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, is only a 20 minute drive from Bandera. Primitive camping is permitted in a 20-acre designated site. Horseback riding, backpacking, and hiking are popular activities offered in the park. It is located on F.M. 1077, at 10600 Bandera Creek Rd, 12 miles west of town.

Scenic Drives:

The Hill Country is made up of many small towns connected by beautiful scenic drives. There are gorgeous Hill Country landscapes in almost any direction. Scenic drives are a favorite pastime for many locals, especially during sunset. So crank those windows down, turn up the radio, and fly over those hills!

–Ranch-to-Market Road: Texas Monthly ranks the drive on Ranch-to-Market Road 337 from Medina, TX to Leakey, TX  as 18th in an article titled “75 Things We Love About Texas”. “Take this drive on a Sunday afternoon in October. Trust me.” – Brain D. Sweany

–Texas 173 North:  This highway winds through scenic vistas to Camp Verde and Kerrville, looking out over private lakes, buffalo fields, and grand traditional ranch houses.

–Texas 173 South: 173 South rolls to the southern edge of the hills and enters the lower South Texas Plains. In the summertime, Texas bluebonnets and wildflowers cover fields as far as the eye can see.

–Texas 46 East: This Hill Country scenic drive explores steep-shouldered scenery through community of Pipe Creek to the German-accented town of Boerne.

Texas 16 and F.M. 470 West: This drive is one of the most dramatic. Blue hills enfold small green valleys threaded by sparkling creeks.