Destination: San Antonio, Texas (Visiting the Texas Hill Country– DAY 3)

Steinbach Haus in Castroville (March 2025)

During the remainder of our stay, the three of us (me, my partner, and her mother) made sporadic visits to other small towns in the San Antonio surrounding area. More specifically, we went out of the city proper to explore the Texas Hill Country, to see a bit more of the state during our short stay. This post will be a hodgepodge of various sites we saw and food we ate, so here we go!

The Texas Hill Country is a geographic area located in the central-southern part of Texas. It’s a remote area, very rural with plenty of small towns that look like something out of a Western film. Although much of the state is quite flat, the Hill Country is, as the name implies, quite hilly compared to the rest of Texas. With rolling hills as high as 500 feet (150 meters), the region is home to plenty of peaks and plateaus made of limestone and granite, which give rise to a network of caves and state parks that truly make the state unique.

Besides its geography, the Hill Country has a distinctive culture, consisting of a blend of English and Spanish, as well as German. In fact, the small city of Castroville (population: 2950) has a history of German immigrants, particularly Alsatian, who immigrated over in the mid-19th century. Today, a few Alsatian families still live in the city, and German is still spoken, albeit minimally.

Castroville has a notable landmark dedicated to the city’s past: the Steinbach Haus. Dating back to the early 17th century, this house was originally from Alsace before being dismantled, moved, and reconstructed in Castroville in 1998. The three of us paid a visit to the Steinbach Haus, where we toured the home and saw plenty of artifacts– silverware, furniture, garments– as means of showing Alsatian-Texan history. Much of the architecture and artifacts transported me back to my visit of Alsace years prior, and it was like having a piece of Europe in the middle-of-nowhere Texas.

Steinbach Haus

Inside the Steinbach Haus

Besides Castroville, we also drove through the Hill Country to reach Lytle (population: 2910). It was quite surreal driving along the small, dirt roads and seeing fields for miles and miles– despite us visiting in the springtime, it was already hot at over 90°F/32°C! Not to forget extremely dry. All the same, we drove through Lytle’s small downtown, with narrow streets and small convenience stores that really gave off old Western film vibes. I was expecting tumbleweeds to blow by!

Driving through the Hill Country

We drove through Lytle for a bit of sightseeing before finishing up with a bathroom and drink break at Sonic, a fast-food chain where you can park, order food, and be served in your car by an attendant. Sonic isn’t readily-available in California, so this was my first time trying it. I didn’t order any food, but rather I got a Dr. Pepper shake, which was cold, creamy, and really hit the spot on a hot spring day.

At Sonic drive-thru

Dr. Pepper shake

Other than sightseeing in Castroville and Lytle, we also spent time relaxing at the hotel pool and eating good food in the area. For breakfast, we went to a café near our hotel– the latte I got was just-okay, but it was the chocolate-toffee muffin that was absolutely incredible, especially warmed up. I dream about that muffin to this day!

Lounging by the pool

Latte and chocolate-toffee muffin (incredible!)

Of course, we couldn’t leave the San Antonio region without another round of puffy tacos at a small Mexican diner in town. Although the puffy tacos were greasier than the ones I had the day prior, they were still tasty and filling. We also had breakfast tacos the morning following my partner’s family’s wedding, and that pretty much concluded our time in Texas.

Puffy tacos

Overall, it was a short, but fun time spent in Texas. It was my first time visiting the state, known for its distinctive Southwestern culture that blends American and Mexican cultures. I would’ve loved to have had more time to see more cities such as Austin or Houston, but that’ll have to be for another visit. Thanks for reading my Texas series, and I promise more adventures are coming up very soon! 🙂

— Rebecca