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A diamond in the rough, perched atop a rocky hill near Lake Buchanan, this is a truly unique property just waiting to be explored.
It’s got a funny name and an uber-original concept; I heard about Container City from a friend and immediately wanted to go check it out. This small property sits next to Spider Mountain mountain bike recreation area, a place our family enjoys riding. We relaxed, spending two nights at Container City during the week when it was very quiet, under a big Texas star studded sky.
From Thursday night through the weekend, I imagine it’s a different vibe with Templeton’s outdoor bar, food truck and live music. But, while we were contained, it was just us, a few other guests (we never saw) and a pickleball court (which our teens really enjoyed after dark as the overhead lights lit up the court).
The residences are actually created out of shipping containers, of which I found to be a true work of art. These two-story “homes” featured a full kitchen, indoor bathrooms and comfy bedrooms. The “homes” are of different sizes so they accommodate different size groups or families. For instance Cabin 5 essentially had 3 rooms upstairs: two bedrooms each with a queen and a large open loft area featuring two sets of double bunks.
Favorite features were the second story patio, a picnic table outside on the ground for dining or game playing, and surprisingly good hot water pressure in the showers!
Enjoy our Q&A with owner Andrea Ball contained below…
How did you and your husband get the idea to create CC “in the middle of nowhere”?
Matt Ball, my husband, came up with the idea with one of our lake neighbors, Brad Beneski. (He was originally one of our partners on the project, but then asked to be bought out. It was all just too much work for him.) Brad had acquired the land behind Spider Mountain and loved the idea of container cabins. Matt is a contractor, and since we were friends, and had multiple short term rentals, we were the obvious partners to bring in.
Tell us more about Templeton’s Tavern. What is the vibe like on the weekends?
The Templeton’s vibe is very family and neighborhood oriented. Since I’m a teacher, I love doing fun activities for kids! Trail of lights at Christmas, we did a huge Easter egg hunt last year, we have a glow party for the 4th of July…just lots of kid and family oriented activities. We really want to be a part of the community, but also a fun place for people traveling to the area to come stay and grab a bite to eat, a cold drink, and maybe watch a game or listen to music and just hang out. We have live music every Saturday and open mic night every first Friday of the month!
We are open Thursday-Sunday, opening up at 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and noon on Saturday and Sunday.
There’s a small pickleball court at CC. What made this a priority for you?
My husband Matt LOVES pickleball! We also added the large trash bins to the court for trashketball, which is essentially a large-scale version of beer pong. We are all about adding amenities so that people coming to Templeton’s and staying at CC have more to do. We also have a 9-hole disc golf course throughout the property. We are planning on adding a Container pool this summer. We also just added a laundromat. We are also a ride in/ ride out venue on a mountain bike park with trails for riding and hiking.
Please tell us more about the various container cabins.
There are six container cabins, and 10 RV spots.
Cabins 1,2,4 & 6 each have a bedroom with a queen bed and a bed bunk nook. (Sleep 5-6).
Cabin 3 has two bedrooms with queen beds and a bunk bed nook. (Sleeps 8-9)
Cabin 5 has two bedrooms with queen beds and a large room with the two full on full bunk beds and the foosball table. (Sleeps 12)
Each of the cabins has a kitchen, living area, and at least 1 full bath, plus they all have at least two porches; 1 downstairs and 1 upstairs.
When did CC open?
We had our grand opening November 2021, so just over 2 years ago.
In addition to Lake Buchannan, what else is there to do nearby?
If you like to mountain bike you’re right on SpiderMountain.
Hiking at Reville Peak Ranch.
Canyon of the Eagles has a cool observatory.
The Vanishing River Boat Cruises are also pretty cool.
Local vineyards:
Plus there are lots of cute antique shops in Burnet!
Where did the containers come from?
Most of the containers came from one of Matt’s contacts and from Bob’s Containers.
Matt and our other partner Felix Villasana designed and built the entire project on the fly! It was insane. It was literally two guys there everyday, during COVID, that built the entire thing, along with a handful of sub-contractors. It was a stressful time, because Matt and Felix pretty much lived out at the lake, away from their families, during the week, only seeing their wives and kids on weekends.
Here at TLM, we’re glad they creatively designed this unique place for families, friends and groups to enjoy a piece of the Texas Hill Country pie!
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Cover Photo Courtesy Container City
Marika Flatt, Outstanding Austin Communicator 2021, is the Travel Editor of Texas Lifestyle Magazine. She began her travel writing career in 2002, and can be seen as a contributor on TV shows across Texas, such as KVUE, Daytime (FOX), San Antonio Living, Good Morning Texas, and KXAN! Marika spent five years as the voice of the “Weekend Trip Tip” on NPR’s Texas Standard pre-Covid. She loves cabins near a lake under the Texas sky.
