Cowboy-core has been in the saddle for a while thanks to Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter and the millions of people who attended Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. But there’s much more to Texas than a cultural resurgence, especially when you’re travelling around it. But where to start?

Everything’s bigger in Texas: big hats, big hair, big attitudes. It’s also America’s second-largest state (roughly the same size as France) – so you can’t cover much of it in one trip. But while Austin often tops the travel wishlists, there’s so much more to see beyond the capital, and a good place to start is Texas Hill Country. This is a 31,000 square-mile geographic region that covers the centre of Texas, sweeping a massive 25 counties.

I took a six-night road trip – renting a car is by far the most efficient way to explore the region – and I’d recommend spending a night or two in each location. There’s so much to see; you feel compelled to keep moving. While there’s really no such thing as a low season in Texas, I’d recommend avoiding the hotter months of May to August and visiting late autumn when the rain has passed and temperatures are lower (but don’t be fooled, the temperature is still in the high 20ºCs).

Whether you’re a history fanatic, a foodie, an outdoor enthusiast or someone just looking to experience the warm hospitality of Texas, Hill Country won’t disappoint. Here’s how to spend six nights in the state… 

The flight from Heathrow to Austin, Texas, takes just over 10 hours. But as we cleared the passport desks in Austin, we were greeted by glorious balmy heat and a chihuahua in a miniature cowboy hat and a fringed jacket, which immediately made the flight time feel worthwhile.

Our first stop in the tiny town of Luckenbach feels like a movie set. This famous town has a population of only three, and it’s home to one of the most famous dance halls in Texas. Luckenbach is known as a place where country songs come to life, and many famous musicians have played here, including Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker and Waylon Jennings.

You can catch live music here every weekend, so I’d recommend dropping in for a couple of hours in the evening to soak it in. The town’s motto is ‘Everybody’s somebody in Luckenbach’, and it’s a place where you kick back and forget life’s pressures.  

A short 10-mile drive takes us to the town of Fredericksburg, where we checked into the charming Trueheart Hotel for two nights of sheer luxury and relaxation, from the complimentary dressing gowns to the hand-delivered American ‘biscuits’ (kind of like a savoury scone) delivered to your door for breakfast.

The town’s Main Street is stuffed with over 150 bohemian shops, restaurants and museums (they are protective of what gets a place here – no neon signs, nothing more than 3 storeys, no big brands) and it immediately feels like how I imagined Texas would be. I spent a silly amount of time in Allens Boots, admiring the floor-to-ceiling displays of cowboy boots.

We took the hiking trail at Enchanted Rock, a huge pink granite dome-shaped mountain that has stunning panoramic views of Texas Hill Country. But there’s more to it than just reaching the summit; it’s also a recognised international dark sky park, where they say that you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye. 

Our next stop is the non-profit conservation park Longneck Manor, a short taxi ride from Fredericksburg’s Main Street. The park is home to several giraffes, southern white rhino and one shy sloth. Disney imagineers helped to design this place, which might give you an idea of how magical it is (say hi to Fred the rhino for me if you visit – he likes a scratch between the ears). On top of hands-on animal encounters led by experienced and passionate staff, this haven also offers overnight accommodation, including an award-winning Giraffe Suite, which lets you enjoy breakfast nose-to-nose with the majestic creatures.

Fredericksburg is also in the heart of Texas’s award-winning wine country, and after sampling several Texan wines at Signor Vineyards, it’s easy to understand the hype surrounding the chardonnay and chenin blanc varieties that are grown here. There are over 60 wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms in the area, so you’re never far from a tipple.  

Bandera is an hour’s drive away, and we’re now officially in the cowboy capital of the world. As you wander down Main Street, you’ll come across original saloons, honky tonk bars and shops overloaded with cowboy memorabilia.

This area has multiple dude ranches that offer the opportunity to immerse yourself in authentic cowboy culture (fun fact: the term ’dude ranch’ originated in the late 1800s when cowboys used the word ‘dude’ to refer to the city slickers who visited ranches for holidays). Choose your length of stay and get involved with working ranch activities such as daily horse rides, feeding the animals, hay rides, hiking or simply lounging by the pool.

Keen to try ranch life, we stopped by Dixie Dude Ranch for a horse riding experience through its tumbleweed-strewn 725 acres, a stunning way to experience Hill Country landscapes. I even had a go at lassoing cattle at Cortez Ranch (I say ‘cattle’… it was in reality a plastic, stationary heifer that had no chance of running away).

Cowgirl capers make you hungry, so dinner was at the renowned 11th Street Cowboy Bar. Every Wednesday, there’s a Steak Night Cook Off. Entry is $10 and includes a baked potato and salad, but it’s a BYOM (bring your own meat) situation, where cowboys and guests ‘cook off’ on the communal BBQ pits. 

If you can face dancing after eating so much, the night carries on with live country music, and the people-watching opportunities are plentiful, with locals all happy to chat and share stories. It’s a special place, and it truly captured the Texas spirit.

The Wild West action is a blast, but sometimes it’s nice to kick back and relax, and New Braunfels, an hour’s drive from Bandera, is the perfect place to do this.

River tubing is a big deal here and across the whole Lone Star state. Thousands flock to Texas’s stunning rivers, boarding floatable tubes and taking beers to escape the heat, where they float the day away. Tubing season runs from March to September, but you could visit any time of the year – the Comal River is a glorious 21ºC all year long).

Just up from New Braunfels is the Gruene district, a destination famous for country music and western apparel. After we’d dried off, we explored the town’s eclectic shops and simply had to stop in at Gruene Hat Company. Cowboy hats and boots may be stereotypical fancy dress for Brits, but for Texans, it’s a way of life and a symbol of the state’s heritage. This joint offers customised hats, steamed to the shape of your head, and you can embellish them with whatever you wish. To quote the Gruene Hat Company: “If you can’t find the perfect hat for you, it’s your own damn fault.”

Just a two-step away is Gruene Hall, the oldest continuously operating dance hall in Texas, which has been in operation for 146 years. Yeehaw.  

New Braunfels has so much to offer. If you can, be there on the first Friday of any month between March and October, when the whole downtown area turns out for a party. We had the chance to immerse ourselves in late-night shopping and several stores have free drinks samples with prizes and giveaways.

A must-see on your way out of New Braunfels is the third-largest convenience store in the world, Buc-ees. Originally famous for having exceptionally clean toilets (no, really – it won an award for having the cleanest bathrooms in the US), it is now a Texan shopping giant with a cult following, selling everything from jerky and ‘beaver nuggets’ (puffed corn) to deer feeders and pyjamas. 

Now that we’d stocked up on beaver nuggets, we travelled the 25-minute car ride to San Marcos. Every Texan will proudly drawl that “everything’s bigger in Texas”, and I understood why when we stopped by San Marcos’s premium outlets: the largest outlet shopping centre in the US. It has over 145 brand-name stores – heaven! Better still, Texas has tax-free shopping, so keep your receipts and claim the money back.

There’s plenty to see here, from glass-bottom boat tours to exploring underground caves. This town is also affectionately known as the ‘mermaid capital’ of Texas, a nod to its commitment and encouragement of public interest in the environment and preserving water sources. It even has 10 seven-foot mermaids erected throughout the town as part of a public art project. If you love the quirky and colourful, this is a place you have to see.

And with that, we’d completed our six-night tour of Texas Hill Country and made the 40-minute drive back to the airport in Austin. This tour allowed us to see so much – and a week was a perfect amount of time to explore. For a longer itinerary, I’d also recommend a night in Boerne. With a rich German history, like many Hill Country towns, it is picturesque and surrounded by plenty of parks, rivers, lakes and woodlands. But it’s also the perfect ‘hub’ during a visit to the Hill Country region as it’s so close to the airports and many other towns.

Although these towns have small populations, they’re certainly large in Texas spirit, and I’ll forever have fond memories of sipping a cider in the movie-set town of Luckenbach and dancing in Bandera’s cowboy bars. I’m pretty sure this means I’m now a certified cowgirl, and I feel more qualified than ever to belt out Beyonce’s Texas Hold ‘Em at full volume.

America As You Like It (americaasyoulikeit.com / 020 8742 8299) has a six-night holiday to Texas from £1,470 per person, including car hire, accommodation, and flights to Austin, returning from Austin. Two nights at the in Trueheart Hotel Fredericksburg, one night at Best Western Bandera Suites & Saloon in Bandera, one night at Prince Solms Inn in New Braunfels and two nights at Embassy Suites in San Marcos.

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For more information on Texas visit traveltexas.com.

Images: Rebecca Finan