In-demand destination

Alluring Texas Hill Country one of fastest-growing vacation spots in U.S.

Texas Hill Country is one of the top tourist destinations in the country.

Photo courtesy of Vista Brewing

For years, the Texas Hill Country has been a go-to getaway destination for residents of Dallas and other Texas cities. Now, it appears travelers outside of the state have learned about the Hill Country’s allure.

Austin-based vacation rental marketplace HomeAway has named the Texas Hill Country one of the 25 fastest-growing vacation rental markets in the U.S.

HomeAway based the list on bookings made on its vacation rental network from 2016 to 2017. The Hill Country is the only Texas destination on the list.

Fredericksburg sits at the epicenter of the Hill Country, thanks in large part to the more than 40 wineries and vineyards in and around the quaint German-cultured town. Lodging in Fredericksburg and the rest of the Hill Country is dominated by B&Bs, guesthouses, and inns.

“The scenic beauty and the big, starry skies of the Texas Hill Country have been a favorite of Texan travelers for decades,” Ernie Loeffler, president and CEO of the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau, said in 2016. “Now, the culinary hot spots, the museums and heritage sites, the nationally recognized art galleries, the upscale shopping, the burgeoning Texas wine industry, and the live music scene of Fredericksburg are being discovered by visitors from across the U.S. and the world.”

Texans make up about 70 percent of the overnight stays in the Hill Country, with non-Texans accounting for the remaining 30 percent, according to a report prepared for the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Division.

Within Texas, the Houston area sends the most visitors to the Hill Country, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin, the report says. The places sending the most out-of-state travelers to the Hill Country are San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.

In 2016, the Hill Country attracted nearly 32 million visitors, according to the report. That’s up from 30.1 million in 2015 and 28.4 million in 2014.

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Horseshoe Bay Resort courts padel craze with $10M addition in Hill Country

Renderings courtesy of Horseshoe Bay Resort

The clubhouse will give players a place to gather and watch matches between rounds of tennis, pickleball, or padel.

Horseshoe Bay Resort, a sprawling lakeside destination in the Texas Hill Country about 215 miles south of Dallas, is going all in on the padel craze. The resort has broken ground on a $10 million racquet sports expansion that will include four dedicated padel courts and a new clubhouse by summer 2027.

According to a release, the expansion will include a 6,690-square-foot Racquet Sports Clubhouse with indoor and covered outdoor gathering areas. It will join the resort’s existing 12 tennis courts — six hard courts and six red clay courts — and 14 dedicated pickleball courts.

Padel combines elements of tennis and racquetball, using a net and tennis-style scoring on a smaller, enclosed court where the glass walls remain in play.

“Padel is experiencing explosive growth, and we’re excited our resort owners are going all-in on the specialized, enclosed glass-and-mesh courts required for dedicated padel play,” says Israel Castillo, the resort’s director of racquet sports, in the release.

The clubhouse will include a central lounge overlooking the courts, along with reception, retail, and additional gathering spaces. Planned furnishings include soft seating, high-top tables, televisions, and a counter running along a wall of windows facing the courts.

A 2,632-square-foot covered outdoor lounge will give spectators another place to watch matches. The clubhouse will also sell athletic clothing, footwear, equipment, and accessories, plus chef-prepared grab-and-go food, sports drinks, and ready-to-drink cocktails.

The new facilities will complement the resort’s Mouratoglou Tennis Center, an instructional program affiliated with Patrick Mouratoglou, the longtime former coach of Serena Williams. The Horseshoe Bay center offers private and group lessons, clinics, and camps led by coaches trained in Mouratoglou’s teaching method.

A rendering shows the exterior patio planned for Horseshoe Bay Resort’s new racquet clubhouse.Renderings courtesy of Horseshoe Bay Resort

Horseshoe Bay dates to the early 1970s, when developers began transforming ranchland along Lake LBJ into a resort community. Its original Slick Rock golf course opened in 1972 and later helped revive the Texas State Open. More recently, the resort served as the setting for the return of Golf Channel’s golf competition series “Big Break.”

The resort’s annual events include Balloons Over Horseshoe Bay Resort in April, Beer by the Bay in August, and the Wine, Dine & Jazz Festival in November. It occupies more than 7,000 acres along Lake LBJ and also offers golf courses, a marina, a spa, hotel rooms, villas, and lakeside condos.

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