San Antonio’s location – perched at the southern edge of the Texas Hill Country -- also puts the fun of exploring the countryside and its small towns just a short drive away.

Floating down cool rivers, strolling quaint Main Streets in search of unique bargains or hiking, biking and riding horses through rolling, scenic terrain – all this and more await on a trip to San Antonio. Here you don’t have to choose city or country, because you can have both.

Hill Country Outdoors

The idyllic Texas Hill Country, with its clear rivers and abundant wildflowers, starts just north of San Antonio and offers recreation year-round, from hiking and biking to rock climbing and cave tours. Visitors interested in Hill Country biking tours can join Saturday or Sunday rides with the San Antonio Wheelmen.

One of the prettiest places nearby is the 8,622-acre Government Canyon State Natural Area, where 40 miles of hiking and biking trails lead to rugged canyons, scenic overlooks, spring-fed creeks and rolling prairies. Guided hikes focusing on birdwatching, wildflowers, cultural history, family fun and other themes are available by reservation on weekends. Other Hill Country favorites for hiking include Lost Maples State Natural Area (especially in autumn), Pedernales Falls State Park and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. North of Fredericksburg, Enchanted Rock — a massive pink granite dome — is also popular with rock climbers. The easy hike to the dome’s top provides a panoramic view of the surrounding Hill Country.

Tubing may be Texas’ numero uno summer sport on this region’s clear rivers. It’s easy to rent inner tubes, as well as canoes and river rafts, for floating down the Guadalupe, San Marcos, Comal and Frio rivers, and most vendors have shuttles to pick you up at the end of your float. It’s not unusual to see a whole flotilla of friends drifting along, complete with a round ice chest in the middle of a special tube. You’ll also find picture-perfect places for swimming, such as Blanco State Park, Guadalupe River State Park and Blue Hole Regional Park. For dedicated anglers, the Guadalupe River is the place for fly-fishing.

Just a little north of San Antonio, Canyon Lake offers a recreational playground. Nestled among steep and wooded hills, this 8,230-acre lake is one of the deepest and most scenic lakes in Texas and features eight public parks with camping, fishing, swimming, scuba diving, picnicking, wildlife viewing, boating and other water sports.

Mix the Hill Country’s limestone foundation with rainwater percolating down through it over eons, and the result is breathtaking underground wonders. Caves abound here, and among the most beautiful are Natural Bridge Caverns near New Braunfels and Cave Without a Name outside of Boerne.

Hill Country Culture

Settled by Germans and Eastern Europeans, the Hill Country has a culture all its own. Storybook farms and ranches dot the countryside, and you may still hear older folks speaking German in Fredericksburg, Boerne and New Braunfels. You’ll also find some of the best barbecue in Texas, antiques shops on old-fashioned Main Streets and celebrations with roots in the Old World, like Wurstfest (a sausage festival) and Weihnachten (a Christmas festival).

Shopping in picturesque Hill Country burgs brings a sense of discovery — you never know what treasures you’ll find among its boutiques, antiques shops and galleries. Jewelry, quilts, ceramics, paintings and even handmade furniture by local artists can be especially tempting, along with homemade jams, jellies, bread and other edibles. Keep an eye out for home-grown lavender from Blanco, Stonewall peaches in June, locally made goat cheese, and mohair sweaters and shawls from the region’s angora goats. Many towns also have monthly flea markets with everything from earrings to stained glass: check out Gruene Market Days (Gruene is at the edge of New Braunfels), Trade Days near Fredericksburg, Boerne Market Days and Wimberley Market Days. Wildseed Farms is a haven for wildflower seeds and local specialty foods.

Vineyards are another specialty: the Hill Country has become a hot spot for wine connoisseurs. Follow the Wine and Wildflower Trail in April or the Harvest Wine Trail in August to sample some of the award-winning vintages produced by more than 20 regional wineries. To make the circuit in style, sign up with Texas Wine Tours for an escorted trip by limo. During San Antonio’s New World Wine & Food Festival in November, many wineries pair their best wines with multi-course feasts.

Wine tastes even better with live music, another Hill Country tradition. Stop by Luckenbach on the weekend, buy a brew in the old post office inside a barn, and find a spot under the spreading oak trees for listening to whoever drops in to sing and play their guitar. The Boerne Village Band, founded by German settlers in the 1860s, plays traditional oompah music and may be the oldest continuous band in Texas. Famous Texas musicians play every weekend at wood-floored Gruene Hall, said to be the oldest still-operating dance hall in Texas. And on weekend evenings at the Hilltop Café near Fredericksburg, lucky folks catch Johnny Nicholas on guitar or Floyd Domino banging out hot boogies on the piano. Both are original members of the band Asleep at the Wheel.