San Saba, TX

Do you ever wonder what Fredericksburg would have been like before it became so popular? Did you know that the pecan capital of the world is right here in Texas? Well, San Saba is the hidden gem you never knew you wanted to visit. When I saw the cover of Texas highways with a picture of a pecan pie, I knew I had to head there and see for myself.

TRANSPORTATION:

Located in Hill Country not far from Fredericksburg, the town is about 4 hours away. So, make sure to get your car tuned and ready. You are no longer in the plains!

Our route: Dallas- Weatherford- Stephenville-Dublin-San Saba

Side trips: Lampasas & Lometa

Return: San Saba-Hico-Hamilton-Dallas

STAY

The Dofflemeyer seems like the most popular hotel here. But in pandemic times, we preferred the isolation of an Airbnb, and The RagsDale was just perfect for that! Located within walking distance to most everything. Our apartment was fully equipped and also had a covered patio and backyard perfect for the kids to run around in. We stayed two nights here.

WHEN

Late Nov-Jan is pecan harvest season, and Christmas celebrations draw visitors too. We went right before, in late October. The weather was just perfect!

DO

1. San Saba River Pecan Company & orchards: Great to visit during harvest season, as you can pick your own. But still is must-visit any other time to see the orchards. The store stocks all kinds of pecan products, and the friendly staff is always ready to demo how the nuts are cracked.
2. Millican Pecan Company Store: The family that made San Saba the pecan capital of the world! The store is full of amazing goodies at great prices. Definitely stop here.
3. Oliver & Co: Not only do they sell a variety of pecan items; they also serve up delicious food. So many varieties of pecan pies to choose from, you can’t go wrong with any.
4. Alamo Coffee Co: The variety of pecan snacks and coffees they offer, just blows my mind! They also have a small café on premises where they whip up almost anything you could want at fancy cafes.
5. Mill Pond Park: An incredibly pretty park with a little of everything…a “beach”, tropical areas, waterfall, water wheels, babbling brooks, a suspension bridge and more. The park is well cared for, and makes for great backdrops for pictures.
6. San Saba River Nature Park and Risien Park: Incredibly peaceful with tons of creeks and trails. Kids will love the train tracks that pass through this area.
7. San Saba Soap Company: The yummiest smelling soaps I have ever smelled in the entire state, are right here. Don’t miss this!
8. Harry’s Boots: A huge store with the biggest and nicest collection of boots and other country western style of clothing. But there is something for every age and sensibility here.
9. Wedding Oak: This was a little out of the way, but a fun stop to see this tree beneath whose branches, weddings are sometimes officiated. Also the name of the winery.

 

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EAT:

Since we had the Airbnb with a wonderful kitchen & supplies, we didn’t eat out much. But here are the ones we checked out:

1. Oliver & Co, for their breakfasts
2. Napoli’s Italian Grill, for pretty good pizza
3. Pepperbelly and Agave Jalisco for good Tex-Mex.

NOTES

1. Wedding Oak Winery & Old Man scary Cellars: Both of these were not available for a visit due to the pandemic, but from all the recommendations I had read, these would be a must visit. Instead, we visited Fiesta Winery in nearby Lometa
2. Colorado Bend State Park & Gorman Falls. Wish we had set aside some time to go here, but having spent a considerable part of the trip in the parks of San Saba, we got a good dose of the outdoors.