Weekend Getaway in Texas
Looking for a weekend getaway in Texas? Or maybe a romantic getaway in Texas? Austin, TX and into the Texas Hill Country is a great place to get away in Texas for a weekend. We recently went to Lake Travis/Lago Vista area for the weekend, so I’m sharing the details of our trip!
We typically do one bigger family vacation a year, and then 1-2 extended weekend (Thursday – Sunday) trips that are for just us adults. Extended weekends are a great way for us to relax, reconnect and then fit in another couple trips a year where can explore other places without having to book a week stay and spend a ton of money. If you’re looking for another idea for an extended weekend trip that is great for couples and/or families, check out my blog post on Things to do in Hochatown/Broken Bow.
Where we stayed
There are so many options for places to stay in the Lake Travis area. VRBO and Airbnb are great places to start when looking for a place to stay. We were going with some friends that knew about a resort on the lake called The Island on Lake Travis, so that’s where we stayed! We loved it! The resort has two outdoor pools/hot tubs, an indoor pool, fitness center and restaurant. We did not eat at the restaurant, but the menu looked like it had great options. It also has a beautiful waterfall on the backside that spills into the lake and there is a deck you can sit on next to the waterfall and listen to the water as you take in the lake views. A great spot to have coffee and read in the morning!
This is the condo we rented and it was not badly priced, and newly updated. It overlooked one of the pools and the lake! The resort strictly enforces the 10:00pm close time of the pool, so you don’t have to worry about a lot of noise coming from there late at night. Highly recommend!
The best part of the resort….the deer! There are so many deer all over the property and it is so amazing. While they are technically wild, they are used to people and will often watch you when you pass or come up to you if they think you have any food for them. Our condo had a container of deer corn available that we used to feed them, but I believe the resort also has options for you to purchase corn for feeding. They ate straight from our hands!
Where we ate
We love trying local places that we cannot get at home when we travel, so finding good places to eat is always a top priority for us – especially my husband.
Terry Black’s BBQ – This was delicious! We got there around 1:00pm and there was a line out the door, but the line moves quick. I give them credit because they have their system down! In the end we did not have to wait long at all. Highly recommend if you’re looking for BBQ.
The Bistro at Flat Creek Estate Winery – On the grounds of Flat Creek Estate. They have a small menu with a variety of options. We shared a pizza with our wine and it was great! We did half pepperoni (for my husband) and half “The Claire” pizza. The Claire is an off-menu item that is named after the estate manager (who is leaving in a couple months to travel to Italy to live while she pursues her masters in something related to wine…I mean doesn’t that just sound fun?!). I don’t remember what all was on it honestly, except that is was drizzled with red wine and topped with arugula, but it was delicious. So, ask about “The Claire”. For dessert, we got creme brulee’ which was very good and our friends got the molten lava cake and can vouch that it was equally delicious.
The Oasis – If you don’t go anywhere else, you have to go to The Oasis simply for the views. They are spectacular. This is a massive Mexican Restaurant that overlooks Lake Travis. I recommend going early enough that you can catch the sunset and ask for outside seating so you can be on one of the decks. We’ve read mixed reviews on the actual food, but we have been here a couple times and have not had any issues and thought the food was good.
Highland Lakes Grille – Great lunch or dinner place that also has a great view. It’s tucked back in a neighborhood, so once you wind your way through that and arrive, it is located up on the hillside with open space all around to enjoy the views. We caught the prettiest sunset here! The cheese curds were great and we split the fish tacos that were also good. They have a nice covered patio area with a fireplace that would be great to enjoy, as well.
The Yard – Specialty Milkshakes and sundaes in a mason jar. Holy smokes. Located in Austin in a large outdoor shopping area. They were super busy when we got there so we did have to wait in a decent line that went out the door, but it was not terrible. We probably waited 15 minutes before we ordered and then another 5-10 minutes for our ice cream. We got the Brookie Batter and it was so good!
What we did
We planned for a mix of activities, but also down-time to do whatever we wanted around the resort. We hung out in the pool most of our down time between an activity and dinner each night.
Flat Creek Estate Winery
This was a super cute winery about 35 minutes from the resort. We went on a Thursday night and so it wasn’t busy at all. They have different tasting/tour options that you can reserve a spot at ahead of time. We did reserve a time, but again, it was not busy and we ended up being the only ones there for a tasting at that time so the estate manager was super friendly and just went “off menu” and hand-picked options for us to taste. The sparkling peach wine was our favorite. It reminds me of summertime. We ate dinner afterwards at their restaurant and it was great! I definitely would go back to this winery.
The winery will have weekend music series, so check their website for a schedule of what events they have happening on grounds.
Crystal Falls Golf Course
My husband loves golf so we had to fit that in while we were there. The scenery was beautiful! Lots of hills, water, and stonework throughout so it was beautiful as we weaved through the holes and made for a fun place to play. And the price was not bad at all! If you want to play golf while there, we highly recommend this course!
Top Golf
We drove into Austin to do Top Golf with some friends we were meeting. Top Golf seemed like the easiest place to hang out, eat, drink and spend a few hours casually with friends during the day. I feel like Top Golf is also just a cool place to hang out even if you are not a “golfer” because anyone can participate, or not if they prefer.
Other option: Paddle boarding or Kayaking
The resort had the option to rent paddle boards or kayaks and we totally planned to do this one afternoon, but we ran out of time that day so we didn’t get to. This is another great option to do around the resort. The lady at the rental station did give us a tip to make sure we have water shoes because it is kind of rocky around the water (the resort is built up above the lake and so it makes like a small cliff all around), so if you do this – wear/rent water shoes! We will definitely fit this in next time.
We had a really great weekend and enjoyed everything that we did and all that we ate. Definitely a place we would go back! Have you been to the Lago Vista, TX area? What are some of your favorite things to do? Would love to add them to my list for next trip. If you’re looking for another weekend getaway idea, I
