A guide to scenic drives through Texas.

In this invaluable new book, Jim Stanley charts a practical course for understanding and handling a variety of problems that both new and established landowners in the Texas Hill Country will confront—from brush control, grazing, and overpopulation of deer to erosion, fire, and management of exotic animals and plants. Filled with advice that landowners can easily absorb and implement, this book conveys basic knowledge Stanley has gained from personal experience and from other experts during his years in the Hill Country.

Texas Hill Country is a rugged and hilly area of central Texas known for its food, architecture and unique melting pot of Spanish and European settlers. The area's rich history is filled with quirky and fascinating tales about this landscape and the animals and people who have called it home. Clay Coppedge has been gathering Texas stories for over thirty years. This collection of his favorite columns includes his best Texas-sized stories on Hill Country history. From the legend of Llano's Enchanted Rock and the true story of Jim Bowie's famous knife to one rancher's attempt at bringing reindeer to the hottest area of the country and an oilman's search for Bigfoot, Hill Country Chronicles has them all and more.

A more narrowly focused but still abundantly informative treatment of the Texas Hill Country, this new edition features five tours of the Hill Country that capture the essence of its flavor and charm. Take a ride on the Fredericksburg & Northern Railroad, follow the historic Mormon trails from Travis Peak Community to Medina Lake, visit Enchanted Rock, and much more. This updated sixth edition contains even more Hill Country destinations than ever before!

In the nineteenth century, Texas’s advancing western frontier was the site of one of America’s longest conflicts between white settlers and native peoples. The Texas Hill Country functioned as a kind of borderland within the larger borderland of Texas itself, a vast and fluid area where, during the Civil War, the slaveholding South and the nominally free-labor West collided. As in many borderlands, Nicholas Roland argues, the Hill Country was marked by violence, as one set of peoples, states, and systems eventually displaced others. In this painstakingly researched book, Roland analyzes patterns of violence in the Texas Hill Country to examine the cultural and political priorities of white settlers and their interaction with the century-defining process of national integration and state-building in the Civil War era. He traces the role of violence in the region from the eve of the Civil War, through secession and the Indian wars, and into Reconstruction. Revealing a bitter history of warfare, criminality, divided communities, political violence, vengeance killings, and economic struggle, Roland positions the Texas Hill Country as emblematic of the Southwest of its time.

The Texas Hill Country wineries have roots as old as any around. Texas grapes grow in soils made from ancient sea deposits, similar to the grape-growing regions of Europe. Texas wine culture arrived in the 1600s with Spanish missionaries who settled and planted vineyards in El Paso del Norte. The 1800s brought German and Italian immigrant farmers to Texas; they considered wine a staple of everyday life. In what is now America's No. 5 wine-producing state, the Texas Hill Country was named by Wine Enthusiast magazine to its 2014 list of best international wine destinations. It may surprise some, but not the wine aficionados who have visited the Texas Hill Country's 50 or more wineries, that wine-and-culinary tourism is currently the Texas Hill Country's fastest growing sector. This book is your guide to the Texas Hill Country winery experience. It is time to sip and savor Texas for yourself.

Embrace your inner cowboy and discover the heart of the Lone Star State with Moon Austin, San Antonio & the Hill Country. Inside you'll find: Strategic itineraries for every trip and budget, from a long weekend in Austin to a road trip through Hill Country, curated for music lovers, history buffs, families, and more Activities and ideas for every traveler: Two-step with old timers and hipsters alike at a local honky-tonk, or explore the folk and contemporary art scenes. Catch a live show in one of Austin's countless famed venues, or a UT Longhorn game in a jam-packed stadium. Hike or bike around the many trails, lakes, and streams of Hill Country, or spot roaming bison and antelope on your way to a local winery. Explore the rich Latino heritage of San Antonio, and visit the historic Alamo or the Spanish missions Firsthand perspective from Austin local Justin Marler Honest advice on where to stay, where to eat (including the best BBQ joints!), and how get around by car or public transportation Full-color photos and detailed, easy-to-use maps for navigating independently Detailed and thorough information, including crucial background on culture and history, geography, and regional vernacular With Moon Austin, San Antonio & the Hill Country's practical tips and local insight on the best things to do and see, you can plan your trip your way. Looking to explore more of the Lone Star State? Try Moon Dallas & Fort Worth, or Moon Texas.

Voices from the Mississippi Hill Country is a collection of interviews with residents of Benton County, Mississippi—an area with a long and fascinating civil rights history. The product of more than twenty-five years of work by the Hill Country Project, this volume examines a revolutionary period in American history through the voices of farmers, teachers, sharecroppers, and students. No other rural farming county in the American South has yet been afforded such a deep dive into its civil rights experiences and their legacies. These accumulated stories truly capture life before, during, and after the movement. The authors’ approach places the region’s history in context and reveals everyday struggles. African American residents of Benton County had been organizing since the 1930s. Citizens formed a local chapter of the NAACP in the 1940s and ’50s. One of the first Mississippi counties to get a federal registrar under the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Benton achieved the highest per capita total of African American registered voters in Mississippi. Locals produced a regular, clandestinely distributed newsletter, the Benton County Freedom Train. In addition to documenting this previously unrecorded history, personal narratives capture pivotal moments of individual lives and lend insight into the human cost and the long-term effects of social movements. Benton County residents explain the events that shaped their lives and ultimately, in their own humble way, helped shape the trajectory of America. Through these first-person stories and with dozens of captivating photos covering more than a century’s worth of history, the volume presents a vivid picture of a people and a region still striving for the prize of equality and justice.

A family that was among the first to enter east central Mississippi in the 1830s is forced into the Civil War. Many hardships in the unspoiled wilderness, their unusual friendship with the native Choctaws, and the extreme trials following the crushing events of the war are woven into this story.

New in the exciting series that combines wanderlust with the art of photography! Ask a Texan to name his favorite part of the state and he’ll probably say the Hill Country. This rolling open country, crisscrossed by creeks and rivers, wooded with ancient live oaks and junipers, holds many rewarding sites for photographers—like the huge granite dome of Enchanted Rock, and the cypress-lined Guadalupe River. Laurence Parent shows you the best photo spots in the most popular places as well as the best photo ops in the area’s little-known gems. He also covers scenic spots to photograph in the two large cities on the edge of the Hill Country—Austin and San Antonio. Not only does he help you identify great locations, he also offers solid advice on the best time of year to visit, the best time of day to shoot, and tips and techniques for getting the most out of your time.