Hidden Gems of the Texas Hill Country
When PBS travel writer Peter Greenberg set his compass for Central Texas, he didn’t chase headline towns—he chased stories. The result is Hidden Gems of Texas Hill Country, a sharp-eyed half-hour that lingers where most folks drive right past: wildflower rows at Wildseed Farms, mash-steam at Carter Creek Winery & Brewery, a violin echoing through Cave Without a Name, grease-spattered dino-burgers at Pecan Grove Store, and a bucket-list barrel pull at Garrison Brothers Distillery. Watch the trailer, then start plotting your own chapter.
The Five Hidden Gems You'll Talk About on the Ride Home
- Wildseed Farms
Rows of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and poppies run clear to the horizon. Wander the trails with growers’ tips in your back pocket, then pop into the country store for seed packets, local products, and all the know-how you need to start your own patch of Hill Country color. - Carter Creek Winery & Brewery
Part estate vineyard, part German-leaning brewhouse, this stop quenches two cravings at once. Sip a Hill Country viognier, chase it with a crisp pilsner, then tuck a bottle of each into the cooler for later. - Cave Without a Name
Beneath a quiet goat pasture lies a limestone cathedral of hush and wonder. Stalactites ring like tuning forks when chamber musicians play the Queen’s Throne Room—bring a sweater; it stays a steady 68 °F year-round. - Pecan Grove Store
A 1950s Sinclair station reborn as an ice-house swirling with blues riffs and burger smoke. Order the dino-burger, ask about the accordion above the grill, and collect a roadside story with your mustard. - Garrison Brothers Distillery
And of course us, the first legal bourbon distillery in Texas and the trail’s unmistakable heartbeat. Book a tour that starts with the grains and ends in the barrel barn, then settle under the live oaks with Hill Country bites and a pour of award-winning bourbon that captures the day’s last streak of sunset.
Book The Hidden Gems Day Tour
For a worry-free day, let a local tour company handle the driving, secure the behind-the-scenes stops, and keep a cooler handy for the bottles you pick up along the way. Hill Country Tours is a trusted choice.
Locals call it day-trip heaven, but the smarter move is to book a B&B, let cicadas sing you to sleep, and start again at sunup.
Book With
Come Find Your Own Gem
Pack an empty cooler, a curious mind, and a phone on airplane mode. Follow the PBS itinerary or ditch the map and chase whatever dirt road feels right. Either way, the Hill Country will hand you something unexpected: a bloom you can’t name, a limestone shadow that feels like grace, a bourbon pour that tastes like state pride in a glass.
Ready? Point the hood west, crack a window, and let the hills rise to meet you. Come spend the day—then stay long enough to discover the hidden gems with your own signature on them.
How to Watch Hidden Gems of the Texas Hill Country
