On the Road

Eat, drink, or boutique in the Hill Country's Leander

With its lakefront locale, historic Leander has plenty of green space, too.

Photo courtesy of Leander Chamber of Commerce

Just 30 miles north of downtown Austin, historic Leander is a go-to destination that’s part of the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

The charming Old Town district boasts a unique collection of shops along with local flavor in the form of dining destinations, distilleries, and more. You can even ride the rails when you’re in town — or you may even stumble across a hometown event or festival.

Here’s your short list of things to do.

Get in on these freebies
Leander is filled with free fun and adventures to explore, including Lakewood Park, the newest green space in town that boasts a skate park, kayak launch and rentals, basketball courts, a huge playground for all ages, fishing spots, and an extensive trail system.

The 16-acre Robin Bledsoe Park is another good place to get outside with outdoor activities, including a swimming pool, lighted sports courts, playscape, splash pad, and a walking trail.

Go on a scavenger hunt to spot all 13 painted cabooses that make up the Trail of Trains, including an iconic Whataburger one — in front of an actual Whataburger restaurant, naturally — with orange and white stripes, the “Just Like You Like It” slogan, and branding that mimics the look of the original Corpus Christi location.

The Leander Library has an impressive roster of daily activities for all ages, from their teen book club to adult workshops, LEGOs in the library, and more.

Leander also makes a great base camp for the Texas Hill Country Passport, if you want to explore more of the area. You can pick up your passport and your first stamp at the Leander Visitors Center, and then collect a stamp at every visitors center you go to in the Hill Country and mail your “passport” in for a prize.

Shop local
Leander has cool shops you can’t find anywhere else, including Wildfire Artisans in a vintage Airstream. It’s an uncommon gathering place to talk, hang, and browse everything from bohemian-eclectic to ’70s pop items for decor and dress.

The coolest outdoor market comes by way of Smooth Village, which pops up every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm and features a range of unique vendors and a farmers market. On Saturday evenings, you can often catch karaoke, live music, and other entertainment at the village, too.

For bridal and other formal wear, Lace & Grace Bridal Boutique has luxury looks at affordable price points along with all the veils, sashes, jewelry, and accessories to match.

Ride the rails
Sit back for a relaxing journey into the passenger railroad's glorious past onboard the Austin Steam Train Association’s Bertram Flyer. The vintage train cars are from the golden era of rail travel, built in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, and all fully restored.

The 44-mile journey spans the South San Gabriel River and stops for a 15-minute layover at the historic 1912 Bertram Depot. You’ll see views of Short Creek Canyon, the 300-foot-long wooden trestle bridge over the South San Gabriel, and the Duffy-Shamrock communications mast — one of the tallest structures in the world!

Dine well
Find your perfect table among local restaurants, starting with Guaco Taco where they serve up frozen margs and fresh, homemade Mexican fare (and they have an outdoor patio, too).

For southern faves with Cajun flare, Mouton’s is your place. The “pit is lit” at Smokey Mo’s barbecue joint, and Blue Corn Harvest is a farm-to-table restaurant with a Southwestern spin and lots of delicious, creative cocktails.

Have dessert after (or before) your meal at The Sweet Cupfe, where they bake up endless sweet flavors and even have a top-shelf list, too — think red wine chocolate cupcakes, a Jack Daniel’s-infused chocolate creation, a vanilla Tennessee honey cake, and more.

Grab a drink
From Leander’s very own distillery — Leanderthal Distilling, makers of Leanderthal Vodka and more — to local bars and breweries, your favorite drink is waiting for you.

Make sure to swing by for a craft beer during Whitestone Brewery’s weekday happy hours; they also bring in live music almost every Saturday. Wine aficionados will also love the tasting room at Bent Oak Winery.

Cheer on the local teams
From Texas Stars hockey to the Leander Wolfpack on the football field and the Austin Spurs on the basketball court, catch a game when you’re in town.

Discover more ways to love Leander here.

The weekly Smooth Village outdoor market often includes live entertainment, too.

Photo courtesy of Leander Chamber of Commerce

The weekly Smooth Village outdoor market often includes live entertainment, too.

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Your Expert Guide

Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman

Kay Wood

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Bishop Arts is a huge attraction, but Realtor Kay Wood wants people to know that Oak Cliff is a lot more than just Bishop Arts.

"Oak Cliff has a really rich and complex history," the Briggs Freeman agent says. "I think it's one of the most underestimated neighborhoods in Dallas."

Wood has lived in Oak Cliff with her high school sweetheart-husband since 2008, but she's been helping people buy and sell homes there for the past 15 years, currently with her business partner Brian Davis.

"The neighborhoods here are close to everything but still relatively affordable compared to other areas of DFW," she says. "I love all the historic homes with their architectural interest and variety, the strong sense of community engagement, and how there's so much to explore. Whether you're looking for the best new restaurant, the most authentic taco, film festivals, the zoo, the best public high school in Texas, parks, nature preserves — I could go on all day!"

Wood offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in "the Cliff." Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
The list is long: Nova ("you have to get the hummus," Wood says), Encina (pro tip: don't skip the blue cornbread), Cibo Divino for pizza and wine on the patio, coffee from Peaberry ("my husband swears their Vietnamese coffee is the best in town"), oysters at Boulevardier, the Perfect Picnic at Eno's Pizza Tavern, tio's elotes next to El Si Hay, the pistachio ice cream at Joy Macarons, and the spicy lobster ramen at Ten Ramen.

Wood advises picking up a great bottle of wine from Neighborhood Cellars and some steaks from Cooper's Meat Market. And, of course, there are tons of taco options in the neighborhood: "We can't get enough of Maskaras, Trompo, and Taco y Vino," she says.

Where to play
Marvel at the best skyline views in town while playing a round at Stevens Park Golf Course, take a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Preserve, bike along the Trinity River, or play disc golf at Founders Park.

The Kessler Theater is "such a great and intimate venue" for concerts, while the Texas Theater adds a touch of history to movie-watching. Escape to The Wild Detectives for books, music, and poetry, or head to the Dallas Zoo for a wild day out — "our whole family loves to feed the giraffes," Wood says.

What to see
Oak Cliff is home to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial at Kiest Park and the La Reunion Monument at Stevens Park Golf Course that honors some of Dallas' earliest settlers.

On Jefferson Boulevard, you can pop into the Oak Cliff Cultural Center for regular art shows, and "my daughters love to walk down the street and look at all the quinceañera dresses in the shop windows," she says.

Where to live
A few years ago, Wood helped her buyers purchase 626 Rainbow Dr., a rare, two-acre midcentury modern estate that's wrapped on three sides by a babbling creek.

"When you're there, it's really hard to believe you're less than four miles from downtown Dallas," she says. The buyers hired local architect Eddie Maestri to update some aspects of the house while carefully preserving its midcentury style. There was an original barn that had been previously converted to a studio, but the buyers reinvented it as a guest house and added a pool and outdoor kitchen.

"It's hard to say what a 'typical' Oak Cliff house would be, because we have some of the very best examples of almost every architectural style in town," Wood says.

"In Winnetka Heights, you'll find Craftsman architecture (four squares, bungalows, Sears catalog, etc). Kessler Park has Tudors and Colonials and Texas eclectics from notable local architects like Charles Dilbeck and David R Williams. Stevens Park has all of these, as well as Spanish Revival and Dutch colonials. Wynnewood, North Kiestwood, and Wynnewood Hills have some of the best midcentury moderns in Dallas, as well as wonderful ranches. East Kessler has cutting-edge contemporaries that take advantage of the rare-to-DFW hilly terrain. You could teach a pretty comprehensive architectural history of Dallas without ever leaving Oak Cliff."

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Kay Wood lives, works, and plays in Oak Cliff. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kwood@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-908-5442.