Small Towns Near Austin, Texas
The best small towns near Austin, TX, for a day trip are Lockhart for barbecue, Wimberley for swimming holes and Fredericksburg for a Hill Country weekend. All three sit within about 70 miles of downtown as the crow flies.
The 12 towns below run nearest first, from Lockhart at about 30 miles to Goliad at about 115. Most work as a day trip. Fredericksburg, Round Top and Goliad are better with a night.
| Town | Distance | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Lockhart, Texas | About 30 miles | barbecue, courthouse square, lunch |
| Bastrop, Texas | About 30 miles | history, pine forest, Main Street |
| Wimberley, Texas | About 30 miles | swimming holes, market day, creek |
| Marble Falls, Texas | About 40 miles | lake town, pie, a slow day |
| Johnson City, Texas | About 40 miles | LBJ history, river, brewpub |
| Blanco, Texas | About 40 miles | river park, courthouse square |
| Salado, Texas | About 50 miles | history, Main Street, a quiet night |
| Gonzales, Texas | About 55 miles | Texas Revolution history, museums |
| Round Top, Texas | About 65 miles | antiques shows, music, a weekend |
| Shiner, Texas | About 65 miles | brewery tour, Czech heritage |
| Fredericksburg, Texas | About 70 miles | German heritage, wine, a weekend |
| Goliad, Texas | About 115 miles | Spanish colonial history, a weekend |
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Austin, as the crow flies.
Lockhart, Texas
About 30 miles as the crow flies · Best for: barbecue, courthouse square, lunch
The Texas Legislature named Lockhart the Barbecue Capital of Texas in 1999. It’s a town of about 14,400 and the Caldwell County seat. The courthouse on the square has shown up in films, including What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
Don’t miss: Black’s Barbecue, run by the same family since 1932, and Kreuz Market on North Colorado Street
★ Good to know Plan the drive around lunch; barbecue is the reason to come.
Bastrop, Texas
About 30 miles as the crow flies · Best for: history, pine forest, Main Street
Bastrop was incorporated under the Republic of Texas in 1837. In 1978, 131 of its buildings and sites went on the National Register of Historic Places. Its state park sits in the Lost Pines, a loblolly forest still recovering from the 2011 wildfire.
Don’t miss: Bastrop State Park, with dining hall and cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and the Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center at 904 Main Street
★ Good to know The state park strongly recommends reservations in spring, summer and fall.
Wimberley, Texas
About 30 miles as the crow flies · Best for: swimming holes, market day, creek
Wimberley started in 1856 as a mill settlement on Cypress Creek and is now a Hays County town of about 2,800. People come for the spring-fed water and the monthly market. Jacob’s Well, the artesian spring that feeds Cypress Creek, is a free county natural area.
Don’t miss: Blue Hole Regional Park, Jacob’s Well Natural Area and Wimberley Market Day, held the first Saturday of the month from March to December
★ Good to know Blue Hole swimming needs a reservation and runs roughly May through September. Swimming at Jacob’s Well hasn’t been allowed since June 2022 because of low water.
Marble Falls, Texas
About 40 miles as the crow flies · Best for: lake town, pie, a slow day
Marble Falls was founded in 1887 on the Colorado River. The falls it was named for went under Lake Marble Falls when Max Starcke Dam was finished in 1951. Pink granite from nearby Granite Mountain went into the Texas State Capitol.
Don’t miss: the Blue Bonnet Cafe, open since 1929, and Lakeside Park on Lake Marble Falls
★ Good to know The Blue Bonnet Cafe doesn’t take reservations; seating is first come, first served.
Johnson City, Texas
About 40 miles as the crow flies · Best for: LBJ history, river, brewpub
Johnson City was the hometown of President Lyndon B. Johnson. His uncle, James P. Johnson, donated land on the Pedernales River to found the town in 1879. It’s a Blanco County town of about 1,600.
Don’t miss: Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, Pedernales Falls State Park and Pecan Street Brewing on the square
★ Good to know The national historical park is free, but the Texas White House complex is closed for rehabilitation. Swimming and wading aren’t allowed in the Pedernales Falls area itself.
Blanco, Texas
About 40 miles as the crow flies · Best for: river park, courthouse square
Blanco is a ranching town of about 1,700 in the Hill Country. Its state park follows a one-mile stretch of the spring-fed Blanco River. The Civilian Conservation Corps built its stone walks, dams and bridges in 1933 and 1934.
Don’t miss: Blanco State Park and the Old Blanco County Courthouse, now a free visitor center
★ Good to know Blanco State Park requires you to reserve a day pass before you go.
Salado, Texas
About 50 miles as the crow flies · Best for: history, Main Street, a quiet night
Salado is a Bell County village of about 2,400 on Salado Creek. The Stagecoach Inn opened here in 1860 and still takes overnight guests. Salado College ran here, on and off, from 1860 to 1913.
Don’t miss: the Stagecoach Inn, Barrow Brewing Company in the former Silver Spur Theatre, and the Salado Sculpture Garden
★ Good to know In summer, Tablerock’s amphitheater stages Salado Legends, an original show about the town’s history.
Gonzales, Texas
About 55 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Texas Revolution history, museums
The first fight of the Texas Revolution happened here on October 2, 1835, over a cannon the settlers refused to give up. Their flag read “Come and Take It.” Gonzales is a town of about 7,200.
Don’t miss: the Gonzales Memorial Museum, which honors the Immortal 32 who rode to the Alamo, and the 1885 Old Jail Museum
★ Good to know The Old Jail Museum is open March through December and closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Round Top, Texas
About 65 miles as the crow flies · Best for: antiques shows, music, a weekend
Round Top had 87 residents at the 2020 census. That changes during the antiques shows, when the organizers say more than a hundred thousand shoppers come through. Pianist James Dick founded the Round Top Festival Institute here in 1971.
Don’t miss: the Original Round Top Antiques Fair, which runs October 25 to 31 in 2026, with a winter show January 21 to 23, 2027
★ Good to know Show weeks bring big crowds to a very small town, so plan lodging early.
Shiner, Texas
About 65 miles as the crow flies · Best for: brewery tour, Czech heritage
Shiner is a Lavaca County town of about 2,100 with deep Czech and German roots. Kosmos Spoetzl’s brewery has made beer here since 1909. It calls itself the oldest independent brewery in Texas.
Don’t miss: Spoetzl Brewery, home of Shiner beer, which runs tours you can book ahead
★ Good to know Book the brewery tour online before you drive down.
Fredericksburg, Texas
About 70 miles as the crow flies · Best for: German heritage, wine, a weekend
German settlers founded Fredericksburg in 1846. It’s the Gillespie County seat, with about 10,900 people, and the birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. That’s why a major Pacific War museum sits on its main street.
Don’t miss: the National Museum of the Pacific War, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and Luckenbach, the dance hall and general store 13 miles southeast
★ Good to know Reserve an Enchanted Rock day pass ahead; the park says that’s the way to guarantee entry.
Goliad, Texas
About 115 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Spanish colonial history, a weekend
Goliad grew up around Presidio La Bahía, which moved to this site around 1749. On Palm Sunday 1836, more than 300 Texian prisoners were executed here. The town of about 1,600 now keeps both the fort and the nearby mission.
Don’t miss: Presidio La Bahía and Mission Espíritu Santo at Goliad State Park & Historic Site, restored by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s
★ Good to know The state park often fills from December to March, so reserve day passes. The Quarters apartment inside the presidio is closed for renovation.
What’s the closest small town to Austin?
Lockhart, Bastrop and Wimberley are all about 30 miles from downtown Austin as the crow flies. Lockhart is best for barbecue, Bastrop for history and pines, Wimberley for swimming holes.
What’s the best small-town weekend trip from Austin?
Fredericksburg is the classic. Pair the National Museum of the Pacific War with Enchanted Rock and an evening at Luckenbach. Round Top is the pick during its antiques shows.
Which small towns near Austin have swimming holes?
Wimberley has Blue Hole Regional Park, which needs a reservation in swim season. Blanco State Park sits on the Blanco River, and Pedernales Falls State Park is 10 miles east of Johnson City.
Is Gruene a small town near Austin?
Gruene is a historic district inside New Braunfels, which annexed it in 1979. It’s not a separate town, so it isn’t on this list.