“The population remains at 857 because every time a girl gets pregnant, a cowboy leaves town”.
These were the wisely observant words of Jay, my cowboy host at the Silver Spur Guest Ranch in Bandera, Texas: the self proclaimed Cowboy capital of the world.
This was one of my favourite places I visited on a 4 week trip to the states in 2014 and I can’t believe I actually have never written about it before. Actually that’s not quite true, I journaled about it in ‘Notes’, but somehow it never made it to the blog.
Bandera was our second stop of the trip, the first being San Antonio, where K and I had just driven from. San Antonio was great (and so was the Bar-b-q), but we were pretty keen to get out into the Texas Hill Country and see a bit more of nature, and a bit more of what feels like the ‘real’ Texas.
Got time for a quick pin? Just hover.
The drive actually wasn’t too bad. It was a bit hairy coming out of their airport (we had to go back to pick up the car) but it overall it was not too bad at all. We opted not to have a GPS for a single 90 minute drive. Some may say that made it interesting, I say adventure. It worked for people 10 years ago so we can get by. We did have to stop once to check we were on the right track – which we were – and we made it pretty easily in the end.
We pulled up to this large estate on 300 acres of beautiful, rolling Texas hill country. We could have just been at any farmhouse with a pool.
It sleeps upwards of 100 and is big enough to run camps for schools, but we were pretty fortunate in that there was only 2 other families there with us. Enough to chat with over dinner and enjoy activities with, but not so many that it impeded our time there.
We had a quick swim before dinner before heading out on a ‘hay ride’ to Bandera state country area. 500,000 acres of donated land that was given to the area on the condition that is left entirely undeveloped and kept in its original state.
The hay ride is actually a pickup and trailer with bay bales to sit on that we were towed in around the ranch. Before getting to the state area though we stopped to feed the longhorns. Their horns can be huge and they get really close to the trailer.
After dinner we sat around a campfire, made s’mores and chatted with Gino the cook and another couple from Adelaide with a couple of beers. I could certainly get used to this.
The next day began with a big breakfast of crispy American bacon, French toast and hash browns. We had our first horse ride for an hour which took us back down past where the longhorns hang out, down to the main road and up the hill for a nice view of hill country.
America seems to be the only place I ride horses. The last time I rode was in Arizona back in 2011 when I stayed on another guest ranch near the Grand Canyon.
My horse’s name was Whisky and he had to go at the back as he gets quite antisocial. After the ride K and I explored the ranch a bit then played some Phase 10 in the games room. It’s more like a large living area than anything, timber furnishings, a beautiful fireplace, pool table, couches and of course a large long horn skull as a centrepiece above the mantle.
We walked by the chickens and hung out with some more longhorn skulls, which actually look pretty menacing and had a swing on some rocking chairs. As you can tell, it’s a very leisurely time staying on a dude ranch. It’s just great to be outdoors.
Lunch came and went then we played some pool. I went on my second horse ride while K had a nap. This ride went more up the hills and gave a beautiful outlook over the hills and valleys. Such a spectacular part of the country. At the end Whisky went to chase the dog that was following us and he got a bit antsy. Then at the drinking hole he went to bite one of the other horses. I see why he goes at the back now.
Dinner was lamb chops which were delicious with home made BBQ sauce. After dinner we skipped the hay ride and went and explored the town of Bandera. It was eerily quiet and some of the shop fronts really looked like they were from the Wild Wild West. I legitimately still can’t tell if these people are just stuck in the 1850s and never want to leave or if they keep up the novelty for the outsiders. More and more I am leaning towards the former.
We found a bar called the 11th St Cowboy Bar which didn’t look like much from the front but round back it was huge! It had quite a big stage, a big dance floor, plenty of seats and 3 big barbecues so you can bring your own meat. I’ve never heard of such a thing as BYO meat unless it was to a private BBQ, but here were, in a bar, where this is a thing.
Unfortunately tonight it was quite empty: just 6 or 7 people ‘singing’ karaoke. We ran into Jay, our resident cowboy, there and he said that tomorrow night there will 500 people here all dancing the night away. They’ll provide the sides for your meat and as long as you keep drinking they’re happy.
After our drinks (that totalled $7, I’ll never stop being surprised at how cheap beer is compared to Australia) we walked back around to Main Street and had a drink in a place called Chikin Coop. It was not near as big but still had that nice small-town Texan feel to it. At the bar the conversation went a little like this:
Me: “Just a Shiner please.”
Bar wench: “How old are you?”
Me: “25, ma’am”
Bar wench: “Well I’m takin’ your word for it”
In a deep southern accent. Brilliant. Didn’t even check it.
She then thought our accents were from France. I guess she doesn’t get out of Bandera much.
As a sidebar, one thing I noticed: ‘You bet’ is a perfectly appropriate response to ‘thanks’. And ‘yes ma’am’ or ‘yes sir’ is a perfectly appropriate response to a yes or no question.
In the morning, the day began as usual with a big, hearty breakfast. Pancakes, spicy sausage and scrambled egg. What’s great about this place is when everyone has been served, the staff, including the cook will come eat with us. Yesterday we had some South Africans join us who had also just come from San Antonio.
We went for our third horse ride and this was one probably the best. I was more used to riding now and knew how to use my legs rather than just sit there taking every bump. It made it a lot easier for when Whiskey started to trot. It was also good because I was able to have a great chat with Paul, who was decked out in proper cowboy gear, leather chaps, double denim and all.
This was actually one of my highlights because part of what I love about travel is hearing how different people live different lives in a different world. It was great to a bit of Paul’s story. He hadn’t been on the ranch long and before living and working at Silver Spur he moved around quite a few other ranches in California and Montana – some working ranches, some guest guest ranches.
These people live and breath horses, and would not be seen dead without their cowboy hats and leather cowboy chaps. Basically if you’re not a cowboy in Bandera, you must be a tourist.
After the ride we packed our things and played some pool. Jay asked if we were staying for lunch so the cook knew how much to cook. So casual and homely. Despite how great the food is we actually declined because we were planning on getting BBQ to get on the way back to San Antonio.
Speaking of homely, this is one of the sitting rooms in the guest house, just near our room. Just love that decor.
Bandera: The Facts
Where is it?
Located in the heart of Texas Hill Country, 90 minutes from San Antonio
Where to stay?
Staying on a dude ranch is the most authentic way to take in the region. I stayed at the Silver Spur Guest Ranch but there are a number of other great ones. Just have a look at Tripadvisor ratings.
How to get there?
It’s pretty remote and there’s no public transport so you will need to hire a car. I love Rentalcars.com.
When to go?
Make sure you stay between Wednesday and Sunday so you can party down with the locals at 11th Street.
What to bring?
Make sure to bring a plaid shirt or denim/leather jacket so you really feel like a cowboy when horse riding (optional).
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I am so afraid of horses (and scorpions), but it looks like you had a fun time!
So much fun! And thankfully no scorpions, but the horses were generally very well behaved.
This looks so fun!