Bloomin’ Good Time
Grab the car keys in one hand, your camera in the other and get ready for a bloomin’ good time! The wildflowers are in bloom throughout central and south Texas and there’s no better excuse to hit the roads for a day trip filled with fun, festivities, and flowers. Here’s a bouquet of the best getaways during this spring season:
*Texas Hill Country Wine Trail. The Hill Country blooms not just with wildflowers but also with vineyards. This trail traces its way through numerous wineries in the region. Wine aficionados should pick up a copy of the “Texas Hill Country Wine Trail” brochure, available from the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau or online at www.texaswinetrail.com.
*Wildseed Farm, Fredericksburg. They’re expecting a bumper year of blooms at the largest family-owned wildflower seed farm in the United States, thanks to plentiful fall rains. See for yourself at the annual Wildseed Farms Wildflower Celebration, scheduled for early to mid-April, when the fields are filled with bluebonnets and other Texas wildflowers. You can enjoy a walking trail and even cut your own wildflower bouquet; weekend visitors can also enjoy a taste of local wines and the sound of Texas music. The farm is located seven miles east of Fredericksburg on US 290 daily from 9:30 to 6; admission is free. For information, call (800) 848-0078 or see www.wildseedfarms.com.
*Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin. Don’t know a primrose from a paintbrush? Or would you like to learn more about how you could incorporate wildflowers into your landscaping? Whatever your wildflower knowledge level, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is the place for you. The only facility in the nation devoted to native plants and flowers offers educational programs as well as plenty of flower-filled walks among its blooming acres. After planting over 2000 pounds of wildflower seed every fall, the Center is a showcase for spring blooms. During this season, a centerpiece of this attraction is the Wildflower Meadow, which explodes with color. And flowers combine with festivities at the Spring Gardening Festival and Native Plant Sale, scheduled for early April. Here’s your chance to learn more about native plants and wildflowers and how they can be included in your gardening. Along with demonstrations and lectures, this event will include sales of native plants from the Center’s greenhouses. Call (512) 292-4200 or see www.wildflower.org. Admission for non-members is $7; seniors and children over age 5 are charged $5.
*Kerrville: This hill country community is now home to the Riverside Nature Center, located at 150 Francisco Lemos Street, and filled over 200 varieties of native Texas plants including wildflowers. Drop by to visit the new visitors center then take a self-guided walk along the tree trail. While you’re in Kerrville, don’t miss the Willow City Loop between Fredericksburg and Llano off of TX 16. (North of Fredericksburg on TX 16, take the second Willow City Loop turn to the right; there are three Willow City exits.) This 16-mile loop through unfenced ranch land includes canyon views, bluffs, spectacular wildflowers and wildlife. Another popular wildflower drive is TX16 South out of Kerrville towards Medina. For more on Kerrville, call (800) 221-7958.
*Boerne. Check out the wildflowers around Boerne; if you’re inspired by all the greenery don’t miss the Cibolo Nature Center Plant Sale, scheduled yearly for mid-April. Held at the Kendall County Fairgrounds on Highway 46, the event includes native trees, plants and seeds as well as a kids’ activity area. (And when the event’s over, kids will love the mule driven wagon rides back to the center.) While you’re in Boerne, be sure to visit the Nature Center and the Cibolo Wilderness Trail where you’ll see some of the natural habitat of this area including a reclaimed prairie and marsh. You’ll find several walking trails, including an historic farm trail, a prairie trail, a creekside trail, and a marsh loop. The trails wind past native plants and wildflowers as well as birds and animals indigenous to the Hill Country. Call the Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce, (888) 842-8080.
*Hotlines. Before you reach for the car keys, spend a few minutes listing to the various hotlines that pinpoint the best sites for flower power. Call the Texas Department of Transportation at (800) 452-9292; along with tourism information, this number offers the option to hear reports on wildflower sightings throughout the state. Reports are updated weekly with news of spectacular roadside wildflower displays.