Hilltop Hideaway in Spicewood

08/13/2026

I am partial to South Austin!

Every Austinite has a mental map with one hard rule: there is a part of town they simply will not drive to, no matter what. 🚗 Ask a South Austin person to meet up on the far north side and watch them react like you suggested a cross-country road trip.

It is one of the funniest quirks of living in a city this spread out with traffic this legendary. We get fiercely loyal to our own little pockets, our neighborhood taco spot, our regular bar, our stretch of trail, and crossing the highway to the "other side" of town starts to feel like a genuine expedition. East siders, south siders, north siders, and everyone out in the Hill Country all quietly believe their corner is the best corner, and honestly, they are all a little bit right. The result is a bunch of friends perpetually negotiating who has to make the dreaded drive to see who. 😅

We tease each other about it, but that hyper-local pride is part of what makes this city feel like a collection of small towns stitched together. ✨ Be honest, what part of Austin will you absolutely not drive across town to get to?

08/06/2026

The Story of Texas!

Just a few blocks north of the Texas State Capitol stands one of the best places in Austin to dive into the epic saga of the Lone Star State. 🌟 The Bullock Texas State History Museum opened in 2001 and has been telling "The Story of Texas" ever since.

You cannot miss it. Out front, a towering 35-foot bronze Lone Star greets you in the plaza, and the building itself is clad in the same sunset-red granite used to build the nearby Capitol, tying the two landmarks together. Inside, three floors of galleries explore more than 16,000 years of Texas history, from the state's earliest Indigenous peoples all the way through the Space Race. Among the treasures is the hull of La Belle, the 17th-century ship of French explorer La Salle that sank in Matagorda Bay in 1686 and was painstakingly recovered in the 1990s. The museum was the dream of former Texas Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock, and it also houses an IMAX theater with one of the biggest screens in Texas and the multisensory Texas Spirit Theater. 🤠

It is a genuinely unforgettable way to spend a few hours, whether you are a lifelong Texan or brand new to the state. ✨ Have you explored the Bullock Museum, and what exhibit stuck with you most?

08/05/2026

You don’t have to drive two hours to experience the Texas night sky. Stay at Hilltop Hideaway in Spicewood and enjoy spectacular Hill Country stargazing right outside your door, with Enchanted Rock, Pedernales Falls, and other renowned dark-sky destinations just a short scenic drive away.

Look up this month, because the night sky is putting on a show. ✨ The Perseid meteor shower peaks around August 12, and one of the best places in Central Texas to catch it is South Llano River State Park, a certified International Dark Sky Park in the Hill Country.

Out there, far from city glow, the Milky Way arches overhead and the Perseids can streak by at dozens per hour after midnight. The park sits along the spring-fed Llano River near Junction, so you can swim and paddle by day, then stretch out on a blanket and watch for shooting stars once it is fully dark.

It takes a little drive, but a truly dark sky is worth it. Are you planning to chase the Perseids this year, and where is your favorite dark-sky spot? 🌌

08/03/2026

Lake days and Hill Country nights… hard to argue with that combination. We’re just minutes away if you’re looking to turn a day trip into a weekend escape.

08/03/2026

Muleshoe Bend is one of our favorite nearby adventures, just 15-20 minutes from Hilltop Hideaway in Spicewood! Spend the day kayaking, hiking, swimming, or chasing bluebonnets, then come back to relax in the pool or hot tub and enjoy some of the best stargazing in the Texas Hill Country. 🌅✨

For a Hill Country water day without the elbow-to-elbow crowds, point the car toward Muleshoe Bend 🌊 This LCRA recreation area sits at 2820 County Road 414 near Spicewood, about an hour west of Austin, wrapped around a wide, calm bend of Lake Travis.

You can swim off the gravel shoreline, launch a kayak or paddleboard, cast a line, or set up a chair in the shallows and let the afternoon go by. There are miles of trails through the cedar and mesquite too, plus primitive camping if you want to stretch a day trip into an overnight under a huge sky full of stars.

It is a low-key, bring-your-own-everything kind of place, so pack water, shade, and snacks, and check the LCRA park updates before you head out. Then settle in for one of the most peaceful lake days near Austin ⛺

Are you a swim-all-day person or more of a paddle-and-explore type at the lake?

08/03/2026

Pedernales Falls State Park!