I decided the best way to spend part of January was to take my furbaby Courage on a Tour de Tejas ending in Hill Country — namely, Kingsbury, TX at the Wahwahtaysee Resort. For the sake of transparency I must disclose that the Wahwahtaysee Resort did host me and Courage for our two-night stay in Kingsbury in exchange for my honest review of their new resort. Which we absolutely loved! Take 10% off when you book using code “CurrentlyColorado10.“
Our arrival to the Wahwahtaysee Resort was in the dark, making it a little difficult to find but if you know me – you know I love a challenge. I drove up and down the same road probably four times before finally calling for directions. I have the worst night vision, so I don’t blame them. It was super dark driving in, but I could still see the outline of pecan trees reaching over our heads. I couldn’t wait to see that in the morning. But first, the clouds were parting and I could see some stars peeking through. My goal was to get a shot of the tent with some stellar stars above, but the nearly full moon I was competing against had other ideas. This was the best I got.
After playing around with my camera in the lawn, Courage was positively demanding we go inside and check out our digs for the weekend.
You absolutely cannot prepare yourself for the incredible tents located at Wahwahtaysee Resort. Sure, I’ve been glamping before and slept in a canvas tent. That’s nothing new, but these really weren’t your average glamping tents. Aside from the occasional moo’ing from back yonder, you’d think you were renting a hip, luxury apartment in the heart of Downtown Austin. But nope, here I was standing the middle of this gorgeous structure located on dozens of acres of Texan countryside. 
Walking in, the space is studio/suite style with a living area, kitchenette, sleeping area and of course — a BATHROOM. I’m not talking about some rinky-dink National Park, hole in the ground, outhouse kinda bathroom. This was l u x u r y. Beautiful tiling with a huge shower, soaking tub and the best part – a real toilet. I think I nearly cried seeing all of this. Usually when I’m on the road I’m using gas station bathrooms and towelettes for bathing. But not here, I was going to be resting easy. I quickly fed Courage before we headed to bed for a day full of adventure!
When the sun rose the next day, it was magical. The room slowly filled with that gorgeous Texas sun, bouncing off the white and warm wooden details of the space.
Plus, the king size bed is honestly so comfortable you might find yourself having a hard time getting out. Haha! It was nearly 11am before I managed to figure out what to do and where to do it. Top of my list was Palmetto State Park and the Ottine Swamp Trail, but the property the resort sits on is full of adventures itself! So I knew that I had a busy day ahead of us. I grabbed the gear and we began heading towards San Marcos for some swampy adventures.
Pulling into the parking lot of Ottine Swamp was eerie, honestly. This time of year you’d think a lot of people would be out enjoying the cool weather, but instead it was just the two of us that were wandering through moss covered trees and avoiding the giant, hella creepy black birds that were easily the same size as lil Coco Bean. I kept him strapped to me while we made our way through the trail, passing marshes and pockets of swamp until we came upon an old structure. It looked like a lighthouse, but I knew it wasn’t cause — well, no boats.
With water pouring out of a spickett near the top, I figured it was some kind of hydro-related building/machine. The spickett was pouring water into a big open swamp area surrounded by giant agave plants. It was just an entirely different environment I’d ever been in. Texas, to me, had always been beige and dead. To see all this bright, thick greenery in the middle of winter was a delightful surprise. 
The only thing that wasn’t delightful about it was the humidity that the state is notorious for. If you know me, you know I’m pretty sensitive to migraines, especially when the weather is humid. So I wasn’t entirely shocked that I developed one during the 1.2 mile hike we went on, but I was shocked by how bad it got so quickly. By the time I made it to the resort, I was seeing spots and throwing up. Not fun at all, but at least I was spending it at the resort and not literally camping. I couldn’t really have asked for a more soothing environment than the Wahwahtaysee Resort to be sick in, to be fair. I crawled under their super comfy blankets and downed some Excedrin before heading off to dreamland. Plan was to sleep it off then explore the grounds. With the San Marcos River right behind me and a tipi somewhere begging to be found, I was stoked to take out the complimentary golf cart (each tent has one!!) provided to see it all. But, my head had different plans and I instead woke up at 9pm to a cloudy night sky and a really bored dog.
Sometimes things just really don’t go as planned. I was bummed most of day 2 was wasted on my headache, but still happy I got to check out my first swamp (bucketlist!!) and would have the morning to explore the area. We slept great and woke up early to morning mist. That’s when I also noticed, this tent doesn’t only have a shower inside — but OUTSIDE TOO. Add in the fabulous wraparound porch and Green Egg grill set up, there’s honestly not a detail that they didn’t think of. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, we left the tent to explore.
The river still had a blueish tint to it, but too cold this time of the year to get in for us. During late spring and summer, the blue-green river is clear as day and makes for the perfect place to play. Courage loves to swim, so I had to beg him not to jump in. He didn’t listen, that’s okay. We had plenty of pecan orchard land to roam for him to dry off on. The trees are so incredible, any time of year they’re spectacular to look at — but spring and summer, I guarantee these babies really light up. I hope we can come back during the warmer months when the Wahwahtaysee Resort is truly in its prime. Oh, and the tipi? It’s massive.
When we got back to the tent, after exploring the beach and orchard, I used the provided french press to make a fresh cup of coffee. The resort provides YETI brand mugs, truly top of the line amenities, y’all. Courage gobbled down his breakfast while I packed us up. It went by way too quickly, but my time at Wahwahtaysee was phenomenal. I know Courage had a great time, too. As we began to head out, he ran over to our neighbors that were outside to make friends. I got to chat with them, a mother and daughter on a road trip, and we all agreed that it was more than we could ever expect. After, I scooped up Coco Bean and we made our way out of the resort, passing the river and one giant tree before hitting the highway again.
I cannot express my gratefulness for the Dillard family and their hospitality. I had such an amazing experience at the resort and truly appreciate them hosting us for Courage’s 5th birthday. If you’re looking for adventure in Hill Country, this is the spot. Take 10% off when you book using code “CurrentlyColorado10!“
