Bell Springs Winery in Dripping Springs

If you plan on doing some wine tasting while staying at Lake Travis Ranch, make sure you head over to Dripping Springs and do "the loop" of 4 wineries.  Bell Springs Winery is a great place to start your tour of the hill country and is about 35 minutes from the house.  The folks at Bell Springs posted a great blog article on the local wineries with links and information here.  Bell Springs Winery has live music in the Fall and Spring and also plays many of the major sporting events and local games like UT Football.  

Tree House Bistro in Kingsland - Wine and Food

I ventured out this last weekend and went to a few wineries within 1 hour of the house.  To my surprise, I hadn't visited the Lost Creek Vineyard, which is just past Horseshoe Bay, in Kingsland.  Although they didn't have many wines to taste due to the flood in 2007, I was pleasantly surprised at the new restaurant they had opened recently.  The menu looked great and they have a full sushi bar for those of you who would rather shy away from a filet.  They also have live music on the weekends, which is great.

Stone House Vineyard Just Minutes From Lake Travis Ranch

I always recommend to my wine enthusiast guests to make sure and visit Stone House Vineyard when they stay at Lake Travis Ranch.  Stone House is about 15 minutes from the house and sits in a secluded area on Lake Travis.  The folks at Stone House will make you feel right at home when you come and tastings are just $5 and $10, depending on the wines you want to taste.  They bring in most of the grapes they use to make wine, but do have some grapes onsite they use for specific ones.  I highly recommend Angela's Wish and the Old Vine Shiraz. 

http://www.stonehousevineyard.com/

10 unique reasons to stay on Lake Travis at the Ranch

1. The home sits on 6 acres with 200 feet of waterfront.  It doesn't get much more private than this.
2. Lake Travis Ranch has 5 star amenities - no hand me down sheets and leftover utensils from a primary home.
3. Wave runners await!  No need to find the nearest marina, just rent ours right at the house!
4. Putting green, fire pit, horseshoes, swimming pool, hot tub, outdoor television - need I say more?
5. Boat ramp right on the property.  Bring your boat or wave runners and drop them in right at the house!
6. The home is brand new!  Built in 2008.
7. Every room has a private bathroom, flat screen television and DVD player.
8. 100" movie screen and theatre room.
9. Gated community for security and privacy.
10. The best vacation rental on Lake Travis - guaranteed!

Swimming Pool and Spa at Lake Travis Ranch

I regularly get asked by guests who built my swimming pool and spa so I thought I would drop this on the blog for those of you that are wondering.  Starwood Pools is who I used when I built the house in 2008.  They are based in Lakeway, TX and focus on beautiful and unique swimming pools and outdoor living.  The owner, Steve Terry, has quite a portfolio of pools to share and some of them are just downright killer.  He definitely was the most unique pool builder I met when I was going through the process of selecting someone. 

Check out the video slideshow on his home or view the portfolio on his website.  He has a small team and only builds a few dozen pools a year.  Quality is what he focuses on.