Here's the list of things we've done with our airplane since moving to Texas in 2010.
1.
Austin. Fly into San Marcos, rent a car, drive down to the Driskill Hotel on 6th Street, and walk up and down 6th Street listening to the best screaming blues, in venue after venue, all for FREE.
2.
San Antonio. Fly into Stinson, rent a car, drive down to the Menger Hotel (right across from the Alamo), have a beer in the bar where Teddy Roosevelt recruited the Rough Riders, and then spend the night on the amazing Riverwalk.
3.
New Braunfels. Fly into the local airport, rent a car (or catch a cab), go to the Faust Hotel. They have a brewery on the first floor, a winery across the street, and the town is full of great German restaurants and bakeries. If you go in November, be sure to hit Wurstfest, the best German festival outside of Munich.
4.
Fredericksburg. Fly into the local airport. If you don't have kids, and it's a weekend, stay at the Hangar Hotel right on the field. You will need a rental car to get into town. If you have kids, or it's a weekday, there are plenty of places in Fredericksburg to stay.
Visit the Nimitz Museum while you are there. This hidden gem of a WWII museum is truly amazing, and MUCH larger than it looks from the road.
5.
Port Aransas. Outside of Austin, this is the ONLY place in Texas I would live. We love it on our island (it's located on Mustang Island), and if you stay at our hotel, Amelia's Landing, you get a free car to use while you're here. We have 15 miles of white sand beach to explore, and you can drive it, hike it, have a bonfire on it -- pretty much whatever you want! There are a ton of great seafood restaurants here, and the town is small enough to walk to all of them.
Best of all, navigation from you to here is bone-simple: Follow the chain of barrier islands! No GPS required. :wink2:
6.
Lockhart. Texas barbecue. Need I say more? Use the courtesy car, and enjoy the best beef and pork barbecue in the world.
7.
Brenham. I've been to this town a hundred times, and never left the airport. The on-field restaurant is wonderful, with poodle-skirted young ladies bringing hand-dipped malts and great cheeseburgers.
8.
Lake Jackson, Gulf Coast Regional Airport. Another fabulous on-field restaurant, the Crosswinds Cafe. Park right out front, and enjoy their terrific food. They have the best poblano soup I've ever had, anywhere.
It ain't in Texas, but a quick flight to New Orleans is awfully cool. From Galveston, it wouldn't take long, and you can land at New Orleans Downtown Airport and catch a cab to the French Quarter.
That's everything South of Austin. Northern and Western Texas offer a billion more things to do, but you'll need more than a lunch flight to hit them, unless you're flying a Citation.
Enjoy! We LOVE it here in Texas!