Blanco offers exceptional live music, art and cultural events and historic options. The beautiful Blanco River is the jewel of this exceptional community.
Blanco, Texas was settled 1853 by a pioneer stockmen who had to fortify homes against hostile Indians. It was named Blanco (Spanish word meaning white) for the Blanco River.
The centerpiece of town square is the Old Blanco County Courthouse, a fine example of Second Empire style architecture. The town was the Blanco County seat from 1858 to 1891, when the county seat was moved to centrally located Johnson City, Texas.
The centerpiece of town square is the Old Blanco County Courthouse, a fine example of Second Empire style architecture. The town was the Blanco County seat from 1858 to 1891, when the county seat was moved to centrally located Johnson City, Texas.
Blanco, Texas is now a popular tourist and resort area in the Hill . The town square is joined to the state park by a two-block City Park, with a nature trail featuring Xeriscape garden.
A sunny climate in Blanco, Texas attracts campers, anglers, and hunters. Hill streams offer game fishing. Hunters take white-tailed deer, wild turkey, quail, and dove during seasons. Antique stores, art galleries, flea markets, restaurants, and artisans occupy the historic buildings around the old Blanco, Texas courthouse. The courthouse and 37 other Blanco buildings on or near the square are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Lavender is a beautiful, hearty and disease resistant plant that has been cultivated for thousands of years by people around the world for its beauty and many varied uses: scents, salves, oils, soaps, shampoos, lotions, teas–even to enhance the flavors of foods and drinks.
Today lavender blooms from May through July throughout Blanco County, the official Lavender Capital of Texas, and is highlighted in the late spring at the Blanco County Lavender Festival.
With over twenty area lavender farms in Blanco County, the towns of Blanco, Johnson City and the surrounding side will be bathed in lavender during the Lavender Festival with the whole county participating in the celebration. Merchants will offer lavender merchandise and restaurants will serve lavender-flavored dishes and selected vendors and artists from across the Hill will offer lavender-related pleasures and treasures from the finest craftsmen.
Blanco State Park, a 110-acre park, in the scenic Blanco River Valley, lies largely within the city limits. It offers camping, trailer sites, picnicking, screened shelters, group pavilion, fishing, swimming, pedal boats, a children’s play area, rest rooms, and showers. It is located on U.S. 281. There is an admission.
For a Scenic Drive take R.M. 32 from U.S. 281 two miles south of Blanco. Portions of the drive toward San Marcos follow a ridge called “The Devil’s Backbone,” a treat of Hill landscapes where white-tailed deer are often seen, especially early or late in the day.
Hill Country Day Trippin’
There’s plenty of opportunities for day trips from the Blanco area.
Enjoy a relaxing drive through the spectacular Texas Hill Country on wide-open roads lined with breath-taking flowers and trees. Relish views only available in the Hill Country. You’ll feel like you’re light years away from a crowded freeway…because you are.
And, you won’t have to pick up and move. No packing and unpacking. While based in Blanco, you can stay as long as you want and experience an abundance of places to go and things to see and do.
Here are a couple of the possibilities:
| City/Attraction | Miles | Approximate Drive Time | Click Below for Directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson City | 14 miles | 14 min | Directions |
| Canyon Lake | 32 miles | 39 min | Directions |
| Gruene | 38 miles | 46 min | Directions |
| Wimberley | 24 miles | 28 min | Directions |
| Guadalupe River State Park | 37 miles | 45 min | Directions |
| Boerne | 39 miles | 45 min | Directions |
| New Braunfels | 39 miles | 48 min | Directions |
| Wimberley | 24 miles | 28 min | Directions |
| Dripping Springs | 25 miles | 28 min | Directions |
| The Alamo (San Antonio) | 49 miles | 53 min | Directions |
| Sea World (San Antonio) | 61 miles | 1 hr 13 min | Directions |
| Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio) | 46 miles | 55 min | Directions |
| River Walk (San Antonio) | 50 miles | 1 hr 5min | Directions |
| San Marcos Premium Outlets | 39 miles | 47min | Directions |
| Tanger Outlets San Marcos | 41 miles | 47min | Directions |
| Texas State Capitol, Austin | 50 miles | 1 hr 10 min | Directions |
| Source: Google Maps |
