Bandera, Texas
The best things to do in Bandera, Texas
Gunfights on Saturday, horses in the hills, honky-tonks on Main Street and the crystal-clear Medina River at the bottom of the property.
Getting your bearings
Three ways to spend a weekend here
River Yurt Village has nine yurts on 21 acres in Bandera, Texas, sleeping up to 40 guests, one block off Main Street and a quarter mile past the Beverage Barn. Everything on this page starts from that front gate.
Walk to Main Street
We're one block off Main Street in Bandera, a quarter mile past the Beverage Barn — close to the saloons, the museum, the antique shops and the Saturday gunfights.
Spend the day on the river
A short walk down the wooden stairs puts you in the pristine crystal-clear Medina River, shaded by cypress. Guests kayak and tube down its gentle currents.
Head out into the hills
Trail rides, dude ranches and the 5,000-acre Hill Country State Natural Area are all within a short drive. Come back at dusk, light the fire pit and get in the hot tub.
Local favourites
Thirteen things worth your time
Our own shortlist, from the honky-tonks to the pizza place we walk to after a long day on the river.
Main StreetBandera Cattle Company gunfights
Free gunfight reenactments every Saturday at 11am and 1pm behind the Visitors Center. Loud, funny and very Bandera — a five-minute walk from your yurt.
OutdoorsBandera Historical Rides
Guided horseback riding through Hill Country ranch land. This is the Cowboy Capital of the World, so getting on a horse at least once is close to compulsory.
- Outdoors
Hill Country State Natural Area
Over 5,000 acres of undeveloped hills, creeks and 40 miles of trail for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, west of Bandera.
EventsRumble on the River
Bandera's riverside gathering of live music, bikes and food — a big weekend on the calendar and walking distance from the yurts.
Live music11th Street Cowboy Bar
One of Texas's best-known honky-tonks. Steak Night is the tradition: bring your own meat, they fire up the grills, and the band plays outside under the lights.
Live musicSilver Dollar Saloon
A proper Bandera dance hall on Main Street with live country music, a wooden floor and no pretence whatsoever.
ShoppingAmerican Indian Store
A long-running Main Street shop of Native American jewellery, beadwork, pottery and books — worth a slow browse.
Sweet stopsThe General Store
Old-fashioned ice cream parlour and soda fountain. The obvious stop after the Saturday gunfights, especially in August.
ShoppingWestern Trail Antique Store
Two floors of ranch relics, Western décor, glassware and oddities. Easy to lose an hour here.
HistoryFrontier Times Museum
Bandera's wonderfully eccentric museum of frontier artefacts, oddities and a dinosaur exhibit the kids make a beeline for.
ShoppingTexas Salt Co.
Small-batch Texas seasonings — pick up their Cowboy Salt before you cook on the gaucho grill back at the yurt.
CoffeeCoconut Cowboys
Bandera's coffee stop for the morning after — espresso, cold brew and something sweet before you head down to the river.
FoodThe Dough Joe
Wood-fired pizza done properly. A short walk back to the yurt afterwards is one of the quiet advantages of staying a block off Main Street.
Stay a block from all of it
Nine air-conditioned yurts with private cedar hot tubs, a short walk from Main Street and the Medina River.