Ranch Blog

Bell Springs Winery in Dripping Springs

Lake Travis Ranch Admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:38:46 +0000

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

Lake Travis Ranch Admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:33:40 +0000

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

Lake Travis Ranch Admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:59:08 +0000

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

Lake Travis Ranch Admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:26:48 +0000

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

Swimming Pool and Spa at Lake Travis Ranch

Lake Travis Ranch Admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:35:43 +0000

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.

Opie's BBQ - Great Food Close to Lake Travis Ranch

Lake Travis Ranch Admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:30:16 +0000

I always recommend to friends and guests at Lake Travis ranch, to make sure and grab some delicious BBQ from Opie's. It's just about 10 minutes from the house and the brisket and ribs are definitely worth the drive. You can read some reviews here on Yelp.

The restaurant moved about 200 yards into a brand new place just about a year ago with lots more space and better setup to serve more folks. Eat-in or take it to go. Make sure you go early, because they close early, usually by 8 pm.

Willie Nelson's personal golf course close to Lake Travis Ranch

Lake Travis Ranch Admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:06:05 +0000

I had heard that Willie Nelson had a golf course in the Spicewood, TX area, but I had yet to get out and actually play it. Today, I got the chance to get away and visit Pedernales Golf Club, otherwise known as Willie's Cut N Putt. http://www.pedernalesgolfclub.com/

The course is tucked away in the Briarcliff area, about 15 minutes from Lake Travis Ranch. Directions can be found here: http://www.pedernalesgolfclub.com/directions.php

The course was a bargain and cost just $30 for 9 holes with a cart. We only saw a few other foursomes on the course at 1 pm in the afternoon on a Monday. The course wasn't Pebble Beach or Barton Creek, but it was a tough little track, good enough for a single digit handicapper like myself and also for true beginners. It was in good shape, greens kept up well, and the fairways in better shape than most municipal courses in the area.

Willie has his recording studio onsite as well, so you may just get a glimpse of him after playing 9 holes. He doesn't advertise or promote the course, so it is never busy, and just the place to take the whole family for a few hours of fun.

Krause Springs Swimming Home

Lake Travis Ranch Admin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:56:53 +0000

I recently spent the day relaxing at Krause Springs, which is about 5 minutes from Lake Travis Ranch. I have been to Hamilton Pool, near Austin, which is pretty incredible, but I couldn't believe how wonder Krause Springs was. If you are looking for a great half day outing for swimming and enjoying the outdoors, make sure you take a trip to Krause Springs.

Elton and Jane Krause bought the property in the 1950s from an aunt. Every year, Elton, his sons, and hired help find more improvements to add to the privately owned park. They did all of the landscaping that makes the area look like a tropical oasis and built all of the rock picnic benches. They used to have wooden picnic tables, but after every weekend the tables would be clustered together and they would have to spread them all out again. Elton retired to operate the park full-time in 1994.

The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was probably used by Native Americans for centuries before white settlers arrived.

There are 32 springs throughout the campground, which made it perfect for the original Native American residents and now benefits latter-day campers and swimmers. Two springs feed the 70' by 20' swimming pool at a rate of 70 gallons a minute at a temperature of about 70 degrees. The springs have never slowed down, even during severe drought.

I believe they charge $5 for adults to get into the ground.