Local Attractions

The name “Enchanted Rock” is thought to come from the Tonkawa, who heard spirits “groaning” when the rock cooled at night. Climbing this stunning pink-granite batholith is still on the top-ten list of things to do in Texas. And, thankfully, the view is as striking. The slope is steep—on average it’s greater than 30 degrees—but don’t be put off. Granite has a high coefficient of friction, and even the most inexperienced hikers can make it to the top with a little friendly encouragement. From 1,825 feet above sea level the dusty browns, greens, and grays of the Llano Uplift disappear into a blur on the western horizon. Look around for weathered pits in the rock, called gnammas, where ferns and grasses grow on blown-in soil.

Close by, on the north face, is Enchanted Rock Cave, another rite of passage that takes about 45 minutes to crawl through. (There’s often a line to get through the cave, so more-adventurous types can scout out other fissures on the backside of the rock that is great for spelunking and bouldering; beginners should try the routes called Sanders Traverse and Lunch Rock.)

After you’ve soaked up the scenery, eaten your picnic, or exchanged vows—yes, weddings have been performed here—make your way down the south slope to Echo Canyon and follow the path back to Moss Lake. From here you can pick up the Loop Trail and circumnavigate the entire formation. Enchanted Rock is also a great place to experiment with backcountry camping, as the park’s three primitive camping areas are fairly close; Moss Lake is less than a mile. Going to bed under a blanket of stars and waking up to a hot cup of coffee and a view of this entrancing dome is one of the best experiences Texas has to offer.

Enchanted Rock is a place of natural beauty and history (created 1.1 billion years ago), and it’s a must-see destination when staying at Castell Cabins! Make sure to check on making a reservation in advance.

~ 40 MILES FROM OUR CABINS / 24 MILES SOUTH OF LLANO (Unless you take the county road scenic shortcut, wink wink)

While you’re in Llano, share a bucket of buttered popcorn when you see a movie at the historic LanTex Theater downtown. If you’re in town on the second Saturday of the month, you can watch a live music performance by the Heart of Texas Country Music Association’s Llano Country Opry. Then head to Fuel Coffee House in an ornate Main Street building for a cup of joe and, if you time it right, live music on their stage as well.

With fairly moderate weather, anytime is a great time to visit Llano. But you might want to plan your trip around an event. There are several festivals in Llano throughout the year that are the perfect excuse to get away. Rodeos, holiday celebrations, and cultural gatherings abound here.

In the spring, you can learn to stack rocks at the Llano Earth Art Festival (LEAF), tour artist studios and shop for your own masterpiece at the Llano Art Studio Tour, watch some of the state’s best fiddlers compete at Llano Fiddle Fest, and eat some tasty crawfish at the Llano Crawfish Open.

The Llano Heritage Weekend each October celebrates the town’s history and embraces its future while serving up a warm chuckwagon dinner with live reenactments, music, and a rodeo.

~ 18 MILES FROM OUR CABINS

A Texas road trip isn’t complete without spending a few days in the “Deutschtexaner” town of Fredericksburg. Centrally located just an hour outside of Austin and San Antonio and only a short, 45-minute drive from our cabins, take the easy scenic drive. With 1.2 million visitors a year, the Fredericksburg region is the most popular wine-tasting destination in Texas (and 2nd most in the US). Between Fredericksburg and Johnson City, dozens of wineries and wine-tasting rooms have popped up in recent years, along with several breweries and distilleries.

Strolling Main Street you will find more than 150 unique shops and boutiques filled with home goods, clothing, locally-made soaps and lotions, handmade boots, the best in specialty foods like dips, jams and jellies, and more.

A summertime tradition that can’t be missed is enjoying a juicy Fredericksburg peach straight from the orchard. Mid-May through mid-August, dozens of roadside stands are filled with bushels of just-picked peaches that are ready to be eaten.

In addition to fresh peaches, one can expect to find homemade peach cobbler and homemade peach ice cream, along with peach jams, jellies, and other fresh-from-the-farm produce waiting to be enjoyed.

Fredericksburg is also Texas Wine Country, where you’ll find dozens of Texas Hill Country wineries – from small urban wine tasting rooms located in the downtown historic district to large acreage vineyards located on the outskirts of Fredericksburg and nearby Stonewall — Or, travel on the “290 Wine Trail” where you can visit over 50+ unique and visually stunning wineries scattered throughout the Texas Hill Country, all around Castell, Texas — from Mason to Fredericksburg to Johnson City and beyond!

Also, don’t miss the National Museum of the Pacific War’s brand new Admiral Nimitz Gallery, which opened in February 2020, bringing dozens of artifacts and exhibits to the public for the first time. For the latest information and details on visiting the nine-acre campus, be sure to visit pacificwarmuseum.org.

~ 30 MILES FROM OUR CABINS

Join in on the “Castell Gravel Grind” one of the biggest gravel events in Texas, where they end enjoying the post-race ritual of chili, baked potatoes, and beer at the Castell General Store.

The Grind route starts and finishes at the bright yellow Castell General Store, funnels cyclists alongside the Llano River for eight miles, and features views of House Mountain, Kings Mountain, and Bodie Peak. Participants choose from three distances—100, 75, or 50 kilometers—all of which include a spin-up notorious Keyserville Road, where, as veterans put it, the carnage happens, with cyclists slogging uphill through the sand.

The appeal of “gravel grinding,” a laid-back category of bicycling that takes riders off paved streets, where cars can whiz past at 60 miles an hour, and onto rural routes, where they’re more likely to encounter a slowly whirling windmill or curious farm animals.

Because gravel riders pedal roads that, though not paved, are built for motor vehicles, they won’t encounter the cyclist-launching obstacles—boulders, roots, rocky ledges—that mountain bikers love to conquer. Almost any sturdy bike with wide tires will do, although built-for-gravel bikes have become all the rage, with a more relaxed riding position and frames that are beefier than fine-boned road bikes but not as rugged as the mountain variety.