Easy Vacation Getaways In Driving Distance Of Abilene, Part 1: Texas Hill Country

It's the time of year when just about everybody is looking for some kind of Summer getaway. Gas prices are high, and budgets can be tight. But there are some really good day trips in easy driving distance of the Abilene area.

One of those destinations is the Texas Hill Country. If you head south down 83/84 in the next couple of weeks, chances are that you can catch the Texas wildflowers putting on a show. I saw a report of bluebonnets literally stopping traffic south of San Antonio last week.

Fredericksburg is 173 miles from Abilene. It's a nice two and a half hour drive and you can enjoy a great one day getaway. The town was settled by German immigrants in the 1800s and it retains a lot of its German heritage. The town features numerous historic buildings on Main Street housing unique shops. (more on the unique city here at Fredericksburg-Texas.com

 There's a wine tasting room where you can sample vintages created in the hill country region and from across Texas. Rustlin' Robs is a big food shop that stocks nothing but Texas eats such as jalapeno relish, peach butter, garlic salsas, and spice blends. Every item in the store is set out for tasting.

If you finish walking the main drag and you've got some energy left, you can take the short 20 mile drive to Enchanted Rock and see a Texas marvel. Imagine if a mountain sized, almost perfectly round granite boulder was dropped and buried itself halfway in the ground.  See more here at state.tx.us/enchantedrock

 It's about a 30 minute climb to the top, and you're rewarded with a spectacular view of the Hill Country.

The rock is called "enchanted" because the heating of the sun causes it to "sing". You can hear pops, crackles, and pings emanating from the gigantic granite ball as it heats and cools.

We usually leave for Fredericksburg at about 7:30 to arrive at 10. That gives a full 5 hours to shop, hike, and socialize....and still return to Abilene before sunset. I'll feature some more easy getaways in this space over the next couple of weeks. (All photos by Randy Jones)