From a stay in a historic train caboose to exploring Longhorn Cavern and sipping Texas wines, discover why Kingsland makes a memorable Hill Country getaway.

As the days get shorter and the sweltering Texas heat finally takes a backseat, things start to slow down on Lake Lyndon B. Johnson. But even as Hill Country lakegoers dock their boats for the season, Kingsland, Texas, is surprisingly vibrant in the fall months. The small lakeside town offers amazing spots for food and drink, natural beauty, southern hospitality, and a haunted history for horror movie fans.

The Antlers Inn

I recently visited Kingsland with a friend. Our home for the weekend was the historic Antlers Inn, an eight-acre property that pays homage to the railroads that once traveled through the area. Guests have a variety of room options to best suit their needs, ranging from cabins, traditional hotel suites, and even refurbished train cabooses!

We jumped at the opportunity for this unique stay, and found the caboose is also perfect for families with younger kids, as there are two bunk beds, a couch, a kitchen, and a queen sized bed. Just be aware that there are climbable features in the caboose and the bathroom is very small.

The Antlers Inn was the perfect place for our stay as all of our main dining options were literally right across the street. The gravelly country road gives way to a center grassy courtyard which has footpaths to Hooper’s, a restaurant and bar fashioned out of the set of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Junction Prime, a high-end steakhouse and bar. The Antlers Inn is also a 15-minute drive to most vineyards, other restaurants, and attractions we had on our itinerary, so we still felt free to explore more of the town.

Junction Prime Steakhouse

If you want fine dining and high-end cocktails, Junction Prime Steakhouse is a locally-owned restaurant perfect for a classy autumn evening. The establishment opened in 2023 and has an extensive menu of steaks, pastas, seafood and other culinary specialties. They offer indoor and outdoor seating options, but if there is a space you’d prefer or you have a large party, it’s best to make a reservation.

As younger travelers, my guest and I are still expanding our palettes when it comes to wines and cocktails. Thankfully, Junction Prime offers a curated selection of fine wines and cocktails, and the helpful bar staff walked us through recommendations that we ended up coming back for the next night! We only dined with them the first night, but it was tempting to try their eats again after feasting on such savory food. We shared bites of steak, mac and cheese, and calamari all because we couldn’t decide what to choose – and of course every choice turned out perfect.

If you are looking for a high-end dining experience in Kingsland, there’s no better place to try. Just keep in mind that reservations are encouraged and consult the dress code online before arrival.

Hooper’s Bar and Restaurant

Just a few steps away from the Antlers Inn is Hooper’s, a bar and restaurant residing in the house set of the 1974 horror classic, Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The establishment serves brunch, lunch, and dinner in addition to having a full service bar, with its lengthy menu boasting many southern comfort food classics. Even the pickiest of eaters will find something they like, and the portions happen to be Texas sized, too, so plan to take home leftovers.

From the outside, there is truly nothing nefarious about the property. The white and green farmhouse is quite picturesque and inviting, but upon stepping inside, set photos, posters, and other movie memorabilia from Texas Chainsaw Massacre adorn many of the walls of the restaurant. Still, the bustling atmosphere keeps away any feeling of unease in the dining areas.

If brave souls want to venture upstairs into the small loft to sign the guest book, a creepy re-creation of movie elements sits on full display. Sure to delight all movie buffs, the upstairs contains fake bones and chicken feathers, dummies of “grandma” and “grandpa” decaying in chairs, and a lifesize model of the chainsaw wielding “Leatherface.” And for those who want to delve even further into Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s legacy, Hooper’s hosts a free Halloween weekend event every year. They work with The Antlers Inn to host some of the movie’s cast and crew for a meet and greet, bringing in local musicians for entertainment and offering many other Halloween festivities. Details can be found on their website.

Focusing back on the food, we ate at Hooper’s for breakfast and dinner, and we thoroughly enjoyed both dining experiences. In the morning, Hooper’s tended to be a bit busier, but that didn’t stop their staff from having a smile paired with excellent service. The pancakes my guest ordered were so huge that we immediately knew we’d have to leave some for leftovers, and my breakfast tacos were mouth-melting good. This same rich and well-seasoned approach carried over to their shrimp tacos as well, which I indulged in for dinner after being so impressed with breakfast. 

The main difference between these meals was mainly the atmosphere– if you are okay with a delicious breakfast that may just take a tad more time, Hooper’s has you covered. For dinner, there is the option to sit in the more boisterous and open bar area, or the more quiet dining-only section, which was only occupied by a few other patrons when we went. No matter the time of day however, the staff killed it!

Longhorn Cavern State Park

Perfect for all ages and only a short uphill drive from Kingsland, lies Longhorn Cavern State Park. This beautiful site offers a variety of cavern tours and outdoor walking trails for anyone wanting to take in some hill country nature. This geologic marvel has smooth walls brimming with glittering calcite, and stays at a nice 68 degrees year round, making it the perfect spot to visit to escape blazing heat or biting winds when Texas’ fall inevitably decides to be bipolar.

The park offers three types of guided tours. Once every weekend morning is a “Blackout Tour” that departs at 9:30 a.m., which utilizes lanterns and blacklights for an hour-long walk through the caverns to see new cave growths. The standard walking tour takes about an hour and a half, covers a little over a mile of cave round-trip, and is a great way to spot bats and get a full history of the caverns. For those who are more adventurous and not scared of a bit of dirt, the wild cave tour allows guests to crawl through tunnels and thinner passageways of the caverns that aren’t seen on the average walking tour, lasting about three hours. No matter what you choose, be sure to book ahead of time to get the times and dates you want.

We had a wine tour booked for later, so we went with a standard walking tour. Immediately upon entering the cave, we noticed that instead of many large, jagged stalactites, these caverns were much more smooth due to the cave’s method of formation. Unlike most Texan caverns, which were formed through slow-dripping underground water, Longhorn Cavern was carved out by an underground river, with some small areas being altered by man for safety and accessibility to the caverns.

Our tour guide was incredibly helpful, emphasized guest safety and the importance of preserving sites like the caverns for generations to come. My guest and I were completely awestruck by the “diamond” room, which was filled to the brim with dazzling crystalline formations, and by the sheer size of some of the “rooms” in the cave. It isn’t a strenuous tour and suitable for most children and older guests, so take a chance and book a tour. It’s a very different atmosphere, even if you’ve visited other cave formations!

Uplift Vineyard

To round out our exciting day, we booked a wine tour with Uplift Vineyards, a large estate vineyard with 55 planted acres and 13 grape varieties. This exclusive property only allows tastings by reservation, and reserves their highly regarded wines for members of their exclusive club. The tasting experience expanded my palate and introduced me to a lot of new wines, including their signature “Badu” wine.

Our tour guide was helpful and informative, explaining different aspects of “wine talk” that we were still learning. During our tour, we were led onto a unique mounted deck on top of a regular pick-up truck, where we could gaze over the tops of rows and rows of grapevines. Nearby, cows grazed on adjacent properties as our tour guide gave us several different wines, mostly reds, while regaling the history of the property, their methods, and the unique harvesting machines utilized on the property. 

Near the end of the day, we witnessed the sun begin to drift into a late afternoon haze, kissing the tops of hillsides in an orange-tipped glow. At the end of the driving portion of our tour, we returned to the lovely, sleek and modern clubhouse and were served the “Badu” accompanied by bread and an olive spread. As an extra treat, we were brought into a storage room and allowed to pipette from a wine barrel directly into our glass.

Our group decided to take our drinks to the upper balcony, where comfortable shaded seating allowed everyone to enjoy their wine, have a laugh, and look out on the sun-kissed vineyard. 

On a more personal note, I’d like to highlight the incredible hospitality and friendliness of the locals and staff at all the locations I visited. Everyone I met was willing to chat or be of help, and I felt completely safe traversing the area, even at night. My guest and I were treated like family during our stay, and I won’t forget how they worked hard to make our stay special.

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Cover photo Julia Helsel

Julia Helsel is an editorial intern for Texas Lifestyle Magazine, a recent graduate of Texas A&M University and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. When she’s not traveling, she can be found reading, writing, or playing guitar.