The Most Underrated Hill Country Destination: Hunt, Texas

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2029 Highway 39, Hunt, TX

A few weekends ago, I made the five-hour drive with my family to stay at a ranch house in the town of Hunt in the Texas Hill Country. It’s a small unincorporated community nestled at the intersection of the North and South forks of the Guadalupe River.

I’ll be honest – I wasn’t expecting much of the tiny town. But by the end of the weekend, I embarked on the five-hour return back to Dallas thinking that it was more than worth the drive. Here’s why:

Surprisingly Chic Properties

This is SecondShelters.com after all, so the real estate caught my eye. There is everything from massive mansions to homey cabins in the Hunt area for every kind of second home buyer. 

If you are looking for luxury and room to spread out, this stylish six-bed, nine-bath property is for you:

1429 Highway 39, Hunt, TX
1429 Highway 39, Hunt, TX
1429 Highway 39, Hunt, TX

On the other hand, this property perfectly embodies the cozy country cabin. The wood floors, ceilings and walls infuse this brand new house with a sense of rustic warmth:

119 Robert E Lee Rd SW, Hunt, TX
119 Robert E Lee Rd SW, Hunt, TX
119 Robert E Lee Rd SW, Hunt, TX

Close to Wineries of Fredericksburg

The drive from Dallas will take you right through the gorgeous wineries surrounding Fredericksburg, just 45 minutes out from Hunt. With a home base in Hunt, you can either make easy Fredericksburg day trips or just stop along the way to snap photos of the cute town and sip on a glass of wine (if you have a designated driver, of course!).

The Guadalupe River’s Crystal-Clear Waters

Guadalupe River 1429 Highway 39, Hunt, TX

The Guadalupe River is seriously underappreciated. Along with the ranch house my family and I stayed at, there was access to a crystal-clear stretch of the river. You could see to the bottom of the riverbed, even towards the middle where it was about five feet deep. My brothers paddled out in canoes to fish and I swam to a dock off the bank of the river to lie in the sun and read. I know … very idyllic. 

Our section of the river was right by the River Inn Resort. There are a few more small inns like that one and a large number of summer camps and ranches scattered around the area as well.

The Texas Hill Country Scenery

Hunt boasts of the classic Hill Country scenery that so many fall in love with. For those of us who spend most of our time in the flat plains of Dallas, it hardly even feels like Texas as the scenery begins to shift on your drive to Hunt. Level land starts to gently undulate into hills. The further you go, the occasional cliffside rises steeply on the side of the road. When the road begins to wind through forest, you’ve made it to the beautiful corner of the Texas woods known as Hunt.

Mary Cate Long

Mary Cate Long

Mary Cate is a writer with a passion for people and travel. She was born and raised in Dallas, earned her journalism degree from Pepperdine University and has embarked on two stints living abroad in London and Australia. Whether it’s going to the new restaurant in town or checking off a country from her bucket list, she’s always looking for the next adventure.