Kerrville - Looking for good local hang-outs (San Antonio, Austin: RV park, apartments)

[EmergencyOps]

My fiancee and I are getting married in May, and she has accepted a job in Kerrville. We will be moving to an apartment on Bandera Hwy in mid-May. I am from a town in north-central Texas (Kennedale), and she is from San Antonio.

I was deeply-embedded in Kennedale and its way-of-life, and I am looking for that kind of life in our new location. I am looking for the good, local hang-outs in Kerrville. Whether it be a locally-owned restaurant that has been there for decades or a ma and pa hardware store that knows how to treat a customer...

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.

[cjulian26]

Originally Posted by EmergencyOps

My fiancee and I are getting married in May, and she has accepted a job in Kerrville. We will be moving to an apartment on Bandera Hwy in mid-May. I am from a town in north-central Texas (Kennedale), and she is from San Antonio.

I was deeply-embedded in Kennedale and its way-of-life, and I am looking for that kind of life in our new location. I am looking for the good, local hang-outs in Kerrville. Whether it be a locally-owned restaurant that has been there for decades or a ma and pa hardware store that knows how to treat a customer...

Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.

Hi. Hope i'm not too late to chime in. I just moved from Kerrville and spent the last 4 years there. During most of my time there, I was single and in my 20's and I must say I miss Kerrville quite a bit.

There are some great locally owned establishments in Kerrville and Kerr county that you must visit.

As far as restaurants go, Rails on Schreiner St. has some of the best food in the area. John and Melissa are the owners and treat all their customers like family. The restaurant occupies the same building as the original train depot in town. Also check out Francisco's at the star downtown (Water St and Earl Garrett), River's Edge Tuscan Grille (5- star Italian cuisine on the Guadalupe) and Spirit Wind Java in Ingram for some of the best sandwiches you will ever eat (homemade bread and pastries) also try the texas pecan house coffee.

Nightlife is actually pretty good for a town it's size. My favorite place is a wine bar called Grape Juice. Their current location is in Ingram on Hwy 27 (Junction Hwy in Kerrville) Clients are all ages and Patrick, the owner is a great host. The back porch is fun (live music 3-4 days a week... look for someone like you, wes creech, or paula nelson (willies daughter)). The Ol' Watering Hole is a neat "hole in the wall" place. The bartenders are great and drinks are cold and cheap. Guadalupe River Club (GRC) is also fun. The bar at the Guadalupe RV Park on Junction Hwy towards Ingram is also a lot of fun (great draft beers). Stay away from the Nautalus, and Muligans.

As far as hardware stores, I hate to say it but go to Lowe's. Gibsons is overpriced on everything.

If you are living on Bandera Hwy, I assume you are at River Hills or Rio Verde (they are both great properties managed by the same comany, BMI). I lived at River Hills for 2 years. The managemet was excellent and apartments were very well maintained.

Hope this helps and hope you get to see it in time.

[edubya]

I don't know if EmergencyOps is still around to benefit, but I certainly appreciated all the great information. We're moving to Kerrville next week and are excited to hear there's some life in that little town.

[EmergencyOps]

Thanks for the great input.

My wife has eaten at Rails twice, once with me, and we loved it. It is a unique little restaurant with great food. We haven't been to any of the other establishments you've mentioned, but we definately will. We found a nice soup, salad, and dessert place called Salada's, which is a few doors down from Francisco's; we have been there often. The husband and wife team that run the place are friendly and their soy-based soft-serve ice cream is great (my wife is lactose-intolerant).

I really want to get plugged into the community, but I'm deployed to Arkansas right now with my job, unfortunately. When I am in town, I make it a habit to visit as many of the local restaurants that I can: Salada's, Rails, Lightways Healthier Eating, Green Grocers Deli, and Clark Family Bakery. Next time I'm in town, I'll be going further down the list (River's Edge, Lakehouse, Hole-in-the-Wall, Del Norte, Rita's, Kathy's on the River, Hill Country Cafe, and many more). When fall rolls around I'll be checking out Friday night lights at Tivy.

Welcome, edubya! Kerrville is a great place to be; so many sights and sounds. They have some beautiful parks if you're the outdoors type. The Kerrville-Schreiner Park (formerly a State Park) is a great place to run or off-road cycle; the side of the park opposite the main entrance has a trail that leads up to a BEAUTIFUL view of the surrounding hillcountry. The air is fresh and the jackrabbits are deer are numerous. I'm very sorry that I wasn't in town to enjoy Fourth of July Celebration on the River; it sounded like a great time.

[HotHand]

I'm having trouble deciding where to live in Texas. Kerrville is on my list of possible places.

I came to Austin because I want to have friends that care about environmental issues, as I do myself. I found that here in Austin. I would prefer to live in a smaller city, so I'm looking at other places.

I'm single, 29, and afraid to move to a town that has very few available women care about environmental issues. San Marcos, Denton, and Kerrville are the only smaller cities that are "more likely" than others to have environmentalists. Alpine and Marfa have a few, but judging by the numbers, I'd better move to a college town that is larger than Alpine, I think.

Honestly, I'm confused.

[EmergencyOps]

Originally Posted by HotHand

I'm having trouble deciding where to live in Texas. Kerrville is on my list of possible places.I came to Austin because I want to have friends that care about environmental issues, as I do myself. I found that here in Austin. I would prefer to live in a smaller city, so I'm looking at other places. I'm single, 29, and afraid to move to a town that has very few available women care about environmental issues. San Marcos, Denton, and Kerrville are the only smaller cities that are "more likely" than others to have environmentalists. Alpine and Marfa have a few, but judging by the numbers, I'd better move to a college town that is larger than Alpine, I think.

Glad to hear that Kerrville is on your list. My wife and I are some of the many people here who are environmentally-contientious. Before we heard about the city of Kerrville recycling center, we were sending our recyclables with her when she would would visit her parents in San Antonio!

It is true that in Austin there is a very big environmental movement. But also in Austin is hoards of traffic and an ever-expanding population. A place like Kerrville has fewer of those cookie-cutter developments, is very bike-friendly, and lots of nature trails. Sidney Baker Hwy even has bike lanes, and you will always find cyclists on Bandera Hwy. Kerrville's population is a little over 20,000 and includes a private university.

[HotHand]

Thanks for the input EmergencyOps. I'm glad to know there is a recycling center there. I woman that I know attended a "natural building" seminar there too. There's a movement around the world called permaculture, which is based on sustainable living, and I've been told that some of the permies is Kerrville call it Kermaculture there to joke around.

Yes, I don't feel as comfortable in a city the size of Austin as I have felt living on the edge of a town like Borger, TX. I spent a few months on the edge of Borger in a small run-down home on 14 acres, and I loved it. The scenic view of the ranchland surrounding the small town was beautiful. It was extremely romantic in that old house even though it was shabby. We were actually on the edge of Buna Vista, a tiny town on the edge of Borger which has 15,000.

That's what I use as a comparison these days when I'm trying to decide whether or not to move to south Austin.

[mcor3]

Hello! I just moved to Kerrville from New Jersey and already loving it here. It'ssmall, yet has everything that you need and has a lot of activities to offer. I am currently working just 2 blocks from my apt. and it takes me 8 minutes to walk to work compared to the 45 min to an hour commute to work in Jersey. Definitely less stress and much cheaper way of living. People are friendly and just a really nice, beautiful, clean place!