Hill Country Highlights

Concert in the Cave

80 feet underground in a cathedral-like space are the fantastic formations in the Cave Without a Name. School Field Trips may have brought you to the cave, but nothing compares to the experience of attending monthly concerts performed in the Throne Room. The ceiling is a series of ancient solution domes that were carved out by water at least 150,000 years ago. These domes contribute the incredible acoustics, and musical performances showcase vocal and instrumental combinations whose sounds are even further intensified in the space. Visually, the background stage is the beautiful Queens Throne, surrounded by ponds from an underground spring. Performing artists can be found on the website, and it’s best to purchase tickets online in advance.

Cave Without a Name
830.537.4212
cavewithoutaname.com

Wine Country Trail

Our Hill Country, that is! Every October marks the annual Texas Wine Month Trail and this year 46 wineries have joined in to participate. Yes, 31 days to visit 46 wineries. While not all wineries offer the same fare, you can expect general tastings of new vintages to an occasional “library tasting,” and you might stumble upon a food and wine pairing or two. You can simply take a self-guided tour, but if you buy a Trail Pass, you receive special discounts on wine purchases. Plus, $5 from every ticket is donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a partnering in honor of Breast Cancer Month where the Texas Hill Country Wineries Association has already contributed $12,000 from sales over the past three years.

The Trail Pass includes a Trail Tasting Passport, a fun way to document your stops along the way. However, Passport stamps are limited to four a day in an effort to encourage drinking in a responsible manner and to promote a more in-depth visit and learning experience at each stop.

Texas Wine Trail
872.216.9463
texaswinetrail.com

Want More Wine?

The 25th Annual Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival coincides with Texas Wine Month. It’s billed as “A full-course celebration of Texas Food, Wine, Beer, Music, Specialty Booths, Food Courts and Fun for all,” and it really is. All ages will enjoy the Saturday, October 24th event at MarktPlatz (the 100 block of West Main Street) with live entertainment and games such as the “grape” toss, wine and food tastings, cooking demos by Texas chefs — and a handful of breweries have even joined in. But the fun starts on Thursday with a seated dinner at Messina Hof, followed by tastings and entertainment at Wildseed Farms on Friday, and finally Saturday’s Patron Party with a delicious gourmet brunch to kick-off the rest of the day’s activities. All events require separate tickets, but some include your Saturday Fest as well.

Fredericksburg Food and Wine Fest
830.997.8515
fbgfoodandwinefest.com

Drive-Thru Gallery

Just west of Johnson City, The Sculpture Ranch & Galleries is a showplace for outdoor artists and their work. Started by Italian artist Benini over 15 years ago, The Sculpture Ranch is literally an artistic journey of epic proportions. Visitors drive through the outdoor gallery of large-scale contemporary pieces, stopping along the way to explore close-up and even interact with some of the installations. Back at the indoor galleries, exhibits rotate and currently feature artist Peter Mangan from Blanco. Admission is free but donations are accepted. September 2nd is the reopening of the ranch with new owners dedicated to carrying on Benini’s vision.

The Sculpture Ranch and Galleries
830.868.5244
sculptureranch.com

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Developer's Corner

Preferred Builders: Home Tour Highlights

We hosted yet another wonderful Preferred Builders Home Tour in late October, closing out our 2024 bi-annual event held every spring and fall. With more than 350 total attendees, this was one of, if not, our most well-attended tours ever.

Agronomy

Challenges. Opportunities. Moving Forward.

Fall has been a busy season for the Agronomy team. This important season kicks off after all the fun of the Ladies’ Ranch Roundup, when we begin our greens aerification process. At the conclusion of this process in October, we have now seen the extraordinary benefit of the deep vertical slicing (Graden device) coupled with the normal aerification of punching holes and backfilling with sand.

Outdoors

Bees and Golf Courses

A long-standing interest of mine has been the benefits of using honey and bee keeping. I have enjoyed honey since I was a child and there are many benefits of having honey in your diet. Honey contains a variety of nutrients, it’s rich in antioxidants and is better for blood sugar levels than regular sugar. Research has shown it to promote heart health, promote burn and wound healing, and help suppress coughing with children.

Staff Profile

Amanda Naranjo

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been around the game of golf. From watching golf tournaments on TV with my family to going out to the driving range with my dad during my High School years while on the Golf Team, everything I associate with golf has been positive. I decided to attend the University of the Incarnate Word and major in Fashion Merchandising with a concentration in Business. Fusing both my passion for fashion and love for the game of golf, the golf merchandising path was the perfect path for me.