Llano

The weather has been perfect lately. That beautiful spring weather where the sun is shining bright but the cool breeze keeps you cool and comfortable. We decided to take advantage of the weather {Texas is slightly unpredictable} and spontaneously jumped in the car and headed out of town. There is something so freeing about rolling the windows down, turning the music up, and going where ever those backroads take you.


We initially were headed towards Fredricksburg but decided to stop off in Llano for lunch to keep everyone happy. We passed Cooper's BBQ and decided that a line wrapped around the building had to mean it was worth the wait.  That's when the lyrics of the Josh Abbott Band came to me...

If you haven't floated down the 'Ol Frio,

Heard Red Dirt music on your radio,

Eaten Cooper's down in Llano,

Then you ain't met My Texas yet. 

I was a little nervous braving the long line with 3 kids who had been trapped in a car for an hour and a half, but the line went really quickly to our surprise. We agreed on the pork ribs, Jalapeño cheese sausage, turkey, mac and cheese and potato salad. Our favorites ended up being the sausage and the turkey. The sides were good too but nothing extraordinary. 

After stuffing our faces with some deliciousness we decided to explore the downtown area before we continued our journey to Fredricksburg. 

I stumbled on Texana Outfitters and felt right at home! It was a great mix of gift items, home accents, women/men clothing, children items, jewelry, and other odds and ends. It had that hippie/bohemian feel with a little southwestern Texas kick. The colors and eclectic arrangements had me swooning as my eyes wondered from item to item! It was no surprise when I found out it had gotten the attention of Texas Monthly magazine. 

The first thing that caught my eyes were the cacti socks! I have a Texas sized addiction to anything cactus right now... it might be growing into a slight problem. The Mexican blankets and rose cedar candle{pictured above} were a few others that were among my favorites, but I could of easily taken one of everything in the store! I went home with a super cute "Good Vibes Only"  dish I plan on using on my desk. Bren and Alexa made Kenzie's day with a cute beaded bracelet she had her eye on at the counter! This mother daughter duo is doing it right and if you find yourself in Llano you have to stop in and take it all in yourself. Check them out online but just know their storefront has so much more. Texana Outfitters

From Texana we ventured around the square a little and then ended up at a little park area along the river. It was filled with rock sculptures and stacked rocks balancing on each other. As my kids ran down to the park to explore along the river  I had to remind them not to knock any of the rock creations over. I could just see us on the local news....  disrespecting tourists allow children to destroy unique rock art along Llano river. Anyone remembered that news reports of the Ex-scout leaders that knocked over the ancient balancing rocks in Utah a couple years back???.... I DID NOT want that to be our future. 

They had a great time running and taking in all the uniqueness it had to offer. It was not stroller friendly so I stayed towards the road with the little. Jon noticed a three walled structure with the words before I die....  The walls contained ambitious dreams from hundreds of strangers. It was pretty neat to read what others wanted to do before their time here was over and had me thinking about what it was I wanted to check off my bucket list. 

 

By the time we wrapped things up on the river side it was late afternoon so we decided to save Fredricksburg for another Saturday adventure and loaded everyone up to head home. As we were leaving town I noticed a store with old doors and random items stacked up outside the building and decided to pop in. I love junk/antique stores! Old things have a story and it makes you wonder what they've seen. They have so much character then the plastic crap that lines every shelf in the big box stores. 

 Whimseys had a variety of things! From vintage finds to new boutique style items. Each display was carefully decorated and eye catching. One of the ladies who was working there was sporting a Round Top shirt so I knew they were my people. We walked the shop two or three times each time finding something we missed the last. I loved the fact they had finds that you typically don't find at your typical junk store. Used paint brushes, a basket of old baseballs, a collection of vintage cameras, and just some really great finds carefully collected. Great farmhouse/ rustic accents that I can't get enough of. Plus everything was so reasonably priced! I could have walked around a few more times but my one year old was ready to call it a day.

I'm already planning my next day trip out to Llano kid free. We passed so many shops leaving town and along the road that I missed out on!


I recommend a trip to Llano if you get the itch to get out of the house. Plus this time of year is beautiful with the bluebonnets and wildflowers that cover the sides of the road heading out on Highway 29. If you have littles I recommend strapping them to you versus lugging the stroller. The stroller deemed challenging with the stairs downtown and down by the river.

It was a perfect Saturday adventure!!

-Ann