Hill Country

What to do in Kerrville, Texas | #1 Coffee Downtown

~ Howard Freeman ~ Leave a comment

So you’ve made your way from Houston or even Dallas to the Hill Country and our fair town and you’re wondering, “Hmm…what to do in Kerrville?”

Chances are you’ve already arranged where to stay after your long trip from elsewhere in Texas, because, let’s face it, coming here from the west or east or north can be a haul; even from South Padre can take 5.5 hours, and you might decide to stop at the Staghorn in Three Rivers for lunch.

The next morning, whether weekday or weekend, you’re probably going to want to go to Historic Downtown Kerrville for a coffee and some light breakfast. Bagel. Scone. Maybe a taco with eggs and bacon. That sounds about right.

Kerrville map
Kerrville set within Kerr County, and Texas, maps

But you’ll want coffee, no doubt.

And there are few places downtown with better coffee than PAX Coffee and Goods.

To be fair, you won’t find many places downtown for coffee anyway, but PAX brews and baristas with the best of them in greater Kerrville, and there are a couple of reasons in particular why PAX is ideal for morning coffee, especially on weekends.

Stay up late, wake up latte

PAX Coffee and Goods
Latte at PAX by barista Jessica

PAX almost became a “permanently closed” dot on Google Maps and Yelp in February 2019, before it was bought and re-opened under new management.

While the owner and staff have changed, the coffee quality has remained high.

As its website describes, “PAX was created with the intention of providing a unique and beautiful place to gather in Historic Downtown Kerrville, while enjoying well-crafted coffee and in-house made goods.”

WELL-CRAFTED

And it is “well-crafted.”

I’m not a latte guy — more of a “black coffee, no room for cream”-kind of man; like the “Scotch, neat” elegance for those of us who had one too many Scotch-neats in our earlier days. My wife, Karen, usually gets a whole-milk latte or a coffee with half-and-half, but I had to try one (a latte)…for the photo of course. All the baristas do great work at “crafting” coffees, and this one pictured is by Jessica, who has the 5 AM to Noon shift.

SOMETHING SWEET

I’m not going to link to Trip Advisor’s account of PAX, because the most recent review is two years old and some important details have changed.

PAX Coffee and Goods
Blueberry scone

For starters, the scones are bigger. A lot.

This is important if you like scones.

I mean, it’s kind of the point. Why have a scone that a Trip Advisor reviewer in March 2018 described as “somewhat small but […] very fresh and tender, not at all dry,” when you can have one that is “very fresh and tender” and not at all small? I’d go for the latter.

If you’re not a scone person — and I have a story to go with that, which Karen would have to tell you personally, because she’s a lot better at telling it, as she is about most stories worthy of being told — then perhaps you’re a coffee cake person.

I’d like to claim that I don’t have a photo of the coffee cake because they are too big to fit into the camera frame. Truth is that I forgot to take a photo.

Suffice it to say: remember those coffee cakes that Starbucks use to sell, like, years ago? Before everything there got “somewhat small,” and not so fresh? Well, PAX sells coffee cakes that have all the good internal attributes and also are big. Like a 3.5- to 4-inch cube.

NON-SWEET DELECTABLES

If you don’t want a scone or a coffee cake or a strawberry rhubarb muffin or another confection, there are also breakfast standards that can double as brunch or even lunch.

The salmon on a bagel with cream cheese is hard to beat, as is the avocado toast. They also have very healthy oatmeal options (that come in a heatable cup, but are very tasty).

A peaceful workspace

Many of us work when we get our morning coffee. (Perhaps because of COVID more of us will work remotely in coffee shops.)

PAX Coffee and Goods
Barista: Jessica

PAX is a great place to work, with a banquette along the wall with outlets underneath every four or so feet and five or so tables seating two people each. (There are also tables in the middle of the space for groups of 2-4 people.) At any one time you’ll see three or more people working along the banquette, and two or three tables of quiet conversation, with the occasional and not-unpleasant guffaw.

All this adds to PAX’s appeal as both a workspace and also a great (and low-cost, high-value) meeting place in downtown Kerrville.

ALTERNATIVES

Pint and Plow
Always fresh flowers on tables at Pint & Plow

I also like to go to Pint & Plow on Clay and Jefferson Streets.

This is a much larger and completely different vibe. While it’s off the beaten path of downtown and is less walkable (and also has less parking nearby), it has an unparalleled outdoor area that is fairly unique to Kerrville and pretty much a one-of-a-kind space in the downtown area.

It simply makes you “feel good” to be there, as does PAX. More on Pint and Plow another time.

Starbucks is always here

PAX Coffee and GoodsIf you must go to Starbucks, it’s up a ways off Junction Highway on the left, just before the AT&T Store. It’s across from Wendy’s on the right (headed north).

While I largely dismiss it for being what it is (Starbucks), it is a benefit to the community, does have a workspace inside, did offer its partners a reasonable alternative for working during the first part of COVID (a raise in hourly pay or paid time off), and also boasts a wonderful patio with umbrellas over tables. The view looks out over the Guadalupe, and this view is found only at a few places — one downtown at Grape Juice, a bit up Water Street at Thai Ocha, and then north of Starbucks at a couple of restaurants (Billy Gene’s, The Boat and one or two others).

There’s a second Starbucks opening on Sidney Baker closer to I-10 (a coup by our Chamber of Commerce; will invite travelers off the Interstate to visit us) and in front of Hobby Lobby.

What to do in Kerrville, south of the (downtown) border

If you happen to be staying in Kerrville’s up-and-coming East End, a coffee option that also serves full meals is Monroe’s East End Grill. Monroe’s lounge area is quirky but very comfortable, resplendent with overstuffed leather chairs.

And if you want no-frills coffee, which Karen and I like, you can try the Texas Pecan coffee at the Valero on Broadway (just steps from East End Market and River Trail Cottages, or the surprisingly good coffee at Stripes on the corner of Memorial and Loop 534. (Visitors: Junction Highway in the north turns into Main Street, turns into Broadway, turns into Memorial, turns into TX-27 toward Centerpoint and Comfort.

But if you’re looking around for something to do in Kerrville, or a great coffee experience where shopping and parking is close by, try PAX.

203-205 Earl Garrett St, Kerrville, TX 78028

(830) 315-2233

Monday———-630a-9p
Tuesday———630a-9p
Wednesday——630a-9p
Thursday——–630a-9p
Friday———-630a-9p
Saturday——–630a-9p
Sunday———-7a-6p

America’s Best Small Towns To Live In | Kerrville, Texas

~ Howard Freeman ~ Leave a comment

 

best small towns texas

I started this site to promote small-town living, and to help travelers looking to enjoy visiting small towns. I can think of no better way to serve readers here than to talk about a place I’ve come to know relatively well: Kerrville, Texas. What to do in Kerrville, where to stay, even where to get a more-than-decent bagel and cream cheese! I’m convinced that it’s the best small town in Texas to live in.

Not only does Kerrville have a forward-looking vision for itself without disregarding its history, it also has many local amenities you can enjoy right now.

  • Swimming in the Guadalupe River
  • Going to Crider’s on Friday night for their catfish or Saturday for their rodeo and dance
  • Visiting downtown with the stores and restaurants
  • Renting a cabin next to the water
  • Visiting “The Cross at Kerrville”
  • And taking drives to some of the other gorgeous Hill Country towns and natural scenery
  • Going to the only Salvation Kroc Center in the state of Texas!

All in all, Kerrville can be a getaway from the busy-ness and a getaway to fun activity and restful entertainment.

“Kerrville 2050”

Kimley-Horn
Kimley-Horn has offices across the continental U.S. and in Puerto Rico.

The Kerrville 2050 Plan is the biggest deal that no one knows about. At least, most people don’t. Certainly people outside of Kerrville don’t. It’s a wonderful plan.

Nationwide firm Kimley-Horn Associates conducted the study and engaged 45 members on the Steering Committee. Something I’m particular proud of Kerrville for is that our city manager is the former Dallas city manager, among other places, and knows his stuff. As a citizen, I feel confident that he, our Mayor, and our City Council have not only the city’s best interests at heart but also the expertise to realize those interests. Or at least advance them until the next generation takes over. We need these public servants, because by Kimley-Horn’s estimates, our Greater Kerrville population will grow from 27,000 now to 70,000 by 2050.

By comparison, if my hometown of New York City underwent that kind of growth (from 8.7 million), it would eventually have 22 million people, ranking it among only six cities now over 20 million in population. By the way, only two of those are in the Americas, both south of us (Mexico City and São Paulo).

So as they say, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” A good plan is necessary. And we’ve got one.

A TASTE OF THE PLAN

The best way to give you a sense of Kerrville, now and in the future, and whether you live here or are visiting, is to give you a sneak peek at some aspects of the Plan, because it will tell you who are we as a community.

Vision

Our “Community Vision” is informed by these key ideas and common themes. Kerrville will be a vibrant, welcoming and inclusive community that:

  • Respects and protects the natural environment that surrounds it;
  • Seeks to attract economic growth and development;
  • Provides opportunities for prosperity, personal enrichment and intellectual growth for people of all ages; and
  • Does so while preserving the small-town charm, heritage, arts and culture of the community.

Dontcha love that we’re preserving the “small town charm” and our heritage? (Yes!)

Community Input

community input
Community input

The Mayor and City Council felt very strongly about Community Input.

“…Community engagement—public involvement—would be the foundation of this planning process because the goal was to create a plan that reflected the community’s vision for the future, not the vision of staff or the consultant team.”

Highlights

OK…

This is quickly morphing to my wonky side of urban studies, and being only an amateur, I’m going to pivot to a traveler/resident-friendly word-picture of our small town.

But, one more summary of what the planning group representing Kerrvillians said we cared about:

plan priorities

“Quality of life” is #2, and it’s essentially #1, since “infrastructure” includes such things as making sure our roads are paved and traffic flows, which any municipality needs to attend to always.

Visitors and residents: Kerrville is only going to get better.

So what’s here to enjoy now?

Downtown Kerrville

Elsewhere I’ve covered how to enjoy Downtown Kerrville.

In addition to what I’ve mentioned before, here are three more things you must see or do:

  • Francisco’s // Google calls it “eclectic,” but it’s known for its Chile Relleno entree on Friday’s. So if you want top notch Tex-Mex food at week’s end in addition to amazing tuna fish sandwiches anytime, check this place out on the corner of Earl Garrett and Water. That corner, which has outdoor tables, is the heart of downtown and a great place to people-watch.
  • Slate Gray Gallery // Showcases emerging artists. While — full disclosure — my wife is also represented by the gallery, another artist to watch for is John Self. His fascinating and whimsical pieces will get your guests at home talking.john-self-kirby-head-paddle-fish
  • Arcadia Live // The Arcadia was a movie theater that’s been closed since I first started coming down here when dating my now-wife (1996). My father-in-law told me about it. While plans surfaced from time to time, then they ducked below
    arcadia-sign-night-vertical
    Arcadia Live…to come

    the waves. Now, a team of people and investors has come forward to make the new Arcadia a reality. With the mission, “To promote vibrant and diverse entertainment while preserving the history and life of downtown Kerrville,” it will be a venue for live music, comedy shows, theater, and more.

There’s much more, of course.

Water Street to the south has the Antique Mall and River’s Edge Gallery, and if you like Korean BBQ, don’t walk 50 feet past Francisco’s or you’ll miss Yeo-Bo’s (4.5/5 Stars on Yelp, with 81 reviews).

The Guadalupe

In the summertime around here, it’s all about the river.

Make sure you head down early to either Louise Hays Park off Sidney Baker Street (for good parking if not for any other reason) or Kerrville-Schreiner Park off Loop 534 and Bandera Highway.

tx-paddleboard-1 stepoutside.org
Although I miss my native East Coast and its white sand beaches, which lead directly to the surf, summertime for me means paddleboarding. In fact, the water and air here make the Guadalupe paddle-able almost all year, albeit with a 3/2 wetsuit. (Photo: StepOutside.org)

Before heading down there, though, be sure to make a reservation for a canoe or kayak (or paddleboard!) at Kerrville Kayak and Canoe on G Street and Broadway.

If you’re into the more relaxed — decadent? — form of River Relaxation, try tubing one of the area rivers. (Note which one ranks #1.)

 

Hill Country surrounding area

My first visit to Texas was in the summer of 1991 for a corporate retreat. (I worked for a nonprofit.) We stayed in the dorms of Trinity University in San Antonio. My experience of Texas was limited to that. That’s it. Oh, yes, on the second of two nights there we were instructed how to two-step.

But that’s. It.

My next trip to Texas was in 1996 to visit my soon-to-be-in-laws and ask my now-wife’s dad for her hand in marriage. So my appreciation for, knowledge of, Texas was criminally small. For instance, I’d never been to the Hill Country!

Kerrville is arguably the hub of and perfect launchpad from the Hill Country to surrounding areas:

sisterdale dancehall and opera house
Sisterdale Dance Hall & Opera House
  • Sisterdale. Oh my gosh. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it en route from Kerrville to Blanco and points east, but boy is it cool. I mean, cool. The Sisterdale Dance Hall & Opera House. Enough said.
  • Fredericksburg. Some may scoff (because it’s touristy), but if you’re a tourist, GO! Beautiful antique stores and great restaurants. Live music. Very walkable. A very wide main street, one of the widest you’ll see anywhere. And, walking into Carol Hicks Bolton, off the main drag, is a treat and a privilege in itself.

Enchanted-Rock

  • Enchanted Rock. Near Llano, TX. Go early in the day before it gets hot.
  • San Antonio. Lest we miss mentioning Texas’s second largest city — booyah — we should say that the Riverwalk is indeed quite fun and, if you’re into a good party, you can find it here.
  • Bandera. “Cowboy Capital of the World.” Not simply of the state or country, but the world. And if and when SpaceX puts a woman on Mars, Bandera will certainly claim Cowboyship over the solar system. And so on.
  • Crider’s Rodeo and Dancehall. You’ve not really experienced Texas or the Hill Country until you go to Crider’s (“spelled with a rope”), taken in the local rodeo, and then two-stepped under the stars. To live music. Every summer Saturday night. Go on Friday’s for catfish.

Criders rodeo

You get the picture. Texas is the state, the Hill Country is the region. Kerrville is the town.

Kerrville is the best small town in Texas

I’ve told friends that Texans are a lot like New Yorkers. Some people don’t like to hear that. (I also think that both Texans and New Yorkers are also both like Australians. But that’s for another blog and another post.)

It’s our swagger. It’s our belief that where we are is the center of the universe. And was the center before we got here and will be after we’re gone. We’re that confident.

New Yorkers have a mighty small plot of land, an island in fact, to try to plant that fact flag on.

At least Texans have the space.

Good luck, New York.

What To Do In Kerrville, Texas | REVIEW: Monroe’s [7/10]

~ Howard Freeman ~ 6 Comments

REVIEWPerhaps I’m overly harsh at times.

Or a snob.

Or harsh because I’m a snob.

But when we have so many choices in the world for so many things, and when the free market dictates what businesses succeed and fail (no, we’re not going to talk about “too big to fail”), why wouldn’t we want to go for the best, whether that’s in a big city like New York or here in Kerrville, Texas. When you’re looking for lunch, you might consider Monroe’s on Water and G Streets, but my suggestion is to go for coffee here, especially on Tuesdays (will explain later), and lunch downtown or north on Junction Highway.

Great Burger, but…

Kerrville is one of the best small towns to visit, and one of the best places to live in Texas, many people agree. We get transplants in their prime, and retirees past prime but still active golfers and fishing enthusiasts. And we all go to Crider’s on summer Saturday nights.

Burger and fries at Monroe's
The burger was excellent. That’s usually a bellwether; not so here.

When it comes to restaurants, though, Kerrville is still somewhat lacking.

While it boasts many different cuisines for a small town, it lacks quality cuisine:

  • One good Thai restaurant (the other is ok)
  • Three mediocre Chinese restaurants
  • Pizza… one, but, no
  • Donuts, three good ones, but they’re donuts. Can’t have that 24/7, though some try
  • Steakhouses (2)
  • Korean BBQ, quite good in fact
  • Tex-Mex; all good with very few exceptions
  • Fast food
  • Casual dining like Friday’s
  • Italian, meh
  • Japanese, good
  • Family restaurants like The Lakehouse and Billy Gene’s…proven and excellent
  • Neighborhood bar and restaurant places like The Boat and Pier 27

There are some fine dining options, including 1011 Bistro and The Pinnacle.

But, and a big but, the tide is turning, and we now have several newcomers that are offering healthier, often farm-to-table, and always interesting cuisines, including:

  • Grape Juice
  • Pint & Plow
  • Heritage Kitchen
  • PAX (for its bagels with salmon, etc.)
  • The Humble Fork

So it’s both with awareness of the other offerings and also a sincere desire to see Kerrville expand in the right way to attract visitors and make life here even better that I offer a friendly critique of Monroe’s East End Grill (menu here).

…Woeful white bread

"California Kate" sandwich
The “California Kate” sandwich is a vegetarian lunch option, with goat cheese. Mmm.

EXTERIOR | 6/10

INTERIOR | 7/10

AMBIENCE | 6/10

FOOD | 7/10

COFFEE | 8/10

SERVICE | 9/10

VALUE | 7/10

OVERALL SCORE | 7/10

I’ve been to Monroe’s for morning coffee a few times. The coffee is good enough, and the service — whether morning or lunch — has always been great. But the place doesn’t seem to quite come together. There is a brick, BBQ, Memphis feel to the cashier and drink dining area, and a second area through a doorway with both standard tables and also coffee tables with leather armchairs. There’s a stuff bear in the corner by the front door. There’s rustic/mountain and neighborhood restaurant slammed together. Like a Tarantino “Hateful Eight” and “Happy Days” mashup.

It eludes me.

The old Kerrcrafters retail store
The Edson family’s Kerrcrafters building awaiting new life

The building itself used to be the retail store for Kerrcrafters, a furniture workshop, which had even previously been a gas station. Understanding this, and also it’s diagonal frontage to Water and G Streets, while it’s cliche nowadays, I think Kerrville could have used a gas-station-renovated-into-a-restaurant-and-bar. It would have honored the history. Even have some old furniture that was found from Kerrcrafters and the Edson family. “Kerrville is the new Kerrville,” as the saying goes.

(The Kerrcrafter’s warehouse, adjacent to the south, is now the impressive East End Market, everything a restored space should be, and also a destination for visitors to Kerrville. This will be covered separately.)

Outdoor dining honors historic space

Monroe’s East End Grill also has an outdoor dining area. This is surprisingly rare — not so much, since it’s Texas and hot, but because we have relatively so much space. I commend Monroe’s for making use of it, and also for providing plenty of parking. I’ve never seen the inside packed, though.

The prices seemed a little high to me. My California Kate was $8.49, and with a large refillable drink plus tip — which I felt bad not leaving, even though it’s counter ordered albeit table served — came to $15+. That’s high for lunch. So I took off points for value.

While the inside of the sandwich was decent enough — though assembled efficiently but not artfully — it was served between unadorned, untoasted white bread. How nice it would have been to market it as served on “Texas toast” and feel the goat cheese slightly melted, needing to eat it before it slipped off.

Just a thought.

As for ambience, the combination of strange combinations of aesthetics, plus occasionally some dissonant morning music (not in keeping with the mood of a morning coffee place), and feeling cold in the lounge area (the air, that is; it’s a bit too cold), it leaves me disinclined to come back. There are other options in the area — PAX and Pint and Plow (closed on Tuesdays, which is why Monroe’s is good then) — that provide a better all-around experience.

I’m glad Monroe’s is here. It’s another offering, and it’s also the only restaurant currently in the burgeoning East End neighborhood, so guests at River Trail Cottages can walk across the street and get any one of their three meals there.

But there’s a silver lining…

John's train scene

On some cold winter days I got to know John, who’s seen here painting a train scene on the exterior. You can see it on the southwest corner of the building. He must have spent several weeks on it, progressing only a little each day. He was around 80, he said, and in former times he would have been called “a hobo.” He was a Vietnam vet and a man of strong, even prophetic faith. He didn’t want hand-outs or money, but he also didn’t refuse a breakfast taco from Rita’s.

Because the owners of Monroe’s allowed this gentle soul to practice his craft on the old Kerrcrafter’s building, I think I can tolerate a little woeful white bread and say, “Well done, Monroe’s.” You have a reward in heaven.

The 3 Coolest Places To Stay In Kerrville, Texas

~ Howard Freeman ~ 4 Comments

Lots of people visit Kerrville, Texas during hunting season or the summer, when they drop their kids at one of the nearby camps, or simply because it’s a beautiful area. Out of appreciation for how Kerrville has grown qualitatively and also where it’s going as a small town, I wanted to review what I think are the three coolest places to stay.

Sure, you could stay at one of the numerous larger hotels, which are typically part of chains, and you could get your hotel or frequent flyer points that way, or you could stay at a place that is uniquely “Kerrville.”

As a local business owner likes to say, “Kerrville is the new Kerrville.” (There’s the old Kerrville, which never changed. Now there’s a new Kerrville happening in place of that old one.)

LR at Quiet Retreat
Avery House in Kerrville, Texas

#1 place to stay in Kerrville | “Avery House”

If ever there was a place that both typified the “new Kerrville” but, more importantly, gave you a place to experience Texas’s beautiful Hill Country while also being close to town, it is this small-from-the-outside but oh-so-roomy-yet-cozy-from-the-inside house just off I-10 and under 4 miles from the heart of downtown.

I was fortunate enough to use this place as a work retreat. A place to focus and get perspective on life during the COVID crisis. I can tell you first that it is just like what you see in the photos. Exactly like it, and better.

  • Avery House in Kerrville

Owners Jonathan and Heidi have hit a grand slam with this one.

There are two bedrooms: one off the open-plan LR and kitchen, and one upstairs in the loft, which has a desk in front of a picture window for those of us who like to pretend to work while staring through glass at awesome nature.

EVEN COMES WITH OUTSIDE SPACE

Outside you’ll find the front porch with comfortable chairs and a dining table so you and/or your family can dine in the dry, fragrant Hill Country air. And there’s a fire pit and more chairs around the side of the building.

Another quasi-drawback is that there is another house up the hill from you, so it’s not totally secluded, but it’s as close as you can get in a beautiful place and still be close to town. There are more excluded cabins, but they lack the aesthetic of the Quiet Retreat, if you’re visually motivated as many of us are.

moleskine journal
I’ve always traveled with a Moleskine journal. ALWAYS. While I like to buy them locally, my new hometown has none. So I go with Amazon.

The bathroom is off the bedroom, which also has a large picture window that looks out on secluded woods, so y

You have total privacy. One change I’d make, which there obviously was no room for, is to have a bathtub and not only a standing shower. But hey, that’s a minor amenity to miss out on when you get everything else.

The kitchen comes fully equipped with utensils and cooking apparatus and has a full-size refrigerator.

WHERE TO FIND | VRBO

PRICE | $114/night (Wow!)

FEATURES | 2 BRs including loft with desk, 1 Bath, LR, Kitchen fully-equipped, front porch, fire pit; wifi

GOOD FOR | Individuals and couples, business or leisure

KID-FRIENDLY? | No

SCORE | 9/10 (taking off one point for lacking total seclusion)

Why we use and recommend VRBO: VRBO was started by a family in Oklahoma that now does lots of charitable work. We like that. VRBO is also where you can be in touch personally with the property manager, if not the owner, about your personal needs. We like that, too.

VRBO


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38-foot yacht
Customized 38-foot yacht sleeping 5, Old Ingram Loop, Ingram/Kerrville, Texas

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#2 place to stay in Kerrville | Custom 38 ft. Yacht (on land, that is)

Yup.

If you’ve ever seen “Gilligan’s Island” and wished you could spend more time on a boat — whether a 3-hour cruise or otherwise — without the sea-sickness, this place is for you.

The man who refurbished this also runs two other properties on the same footprint, located on the Old Ingram Loop, which itself is a pretty cool place to see while visiting Kerrville.

what is the best bbq in texas
While you’re in the area, don’t miss Blackboard Bar B Q, in Sisterdale

The qualifier is that in addition to being quirky, it’s not exactly the white glove of places to stay. The fixtures and interior/exterior are lovingly worn, but for unique and fun places to stay, this is hard to beat.

It’s also close to the river — this is one of the top reasons people come to Kerrville and surrounding areas — and minutes away from restaurants and stores in Ingram and downtown Kerrville.

WHERE TO FIND | VRBO & Expedia

PRICE | $99 and up

FEATURES | 1 Queen BR, 1 Twin bed (sleeps 3 adults, 2 kids); kitchen; wifi; access to river; within walking distance to antique shops and restaurants

GOOD FOR | Adults and families, business or leisure

KID-FRIENDLY? | Yes

SCORE | 7/10

River Trail
River Trail Cottages

#3 place to stay in Kerrville | River Trail Cottages

The main draw of River Trail Cottages is its near-central location without being a chain and its access to the river. Access to the river almost trumps everything else, because when you’re in Kerrville in the summer, you want to be able to easily get to the river for a quick swim or soak, or to go kayaking or paddleboarding.

We found the interior, however, to be uninspired and needing a bit of pizzazz. That said, it’s across the street from East End Market (very cool antiques/collectibles store), Monroe’s (cafe and bistro), and Wilson’s Ice House (bar). It’s a 2-minute walk from Mary’s Tacos, across Broadway — watch for pick-up trucks in the morning filled with hungry construction workers — and the same length walk from Kerrville Canoe and Kayak. It’s a brisk 15-minute walk from downtown. That’s a huge plus.

River Trails also has other units. For this reason, it serves a larger group. You and relatives would find a great place to stay and enjoy the local amenities.

WHERE TO FIND | VRBO & Expedia

PRICE | $139 and up

FEATURES | 1 BR, 1 bath (sleeps 4); kitchen; wifi; access to river; within walking distance to antique shops and restaurants

GOOD FOR | Adults and families, business or leisure

KID-FRIENDLY? | Yes

SCORE | 7/10

Sure, up on Sidney Baker, there is everything from the famous YO Hotel to chains like Hampton Inn, La Quinta, and even Motel 6. (And others.)

But, why?

Why not pay a little more, and it really is a little, when you can have in 2 out of 3 cases above, access to the river and walking distance from stores and restaurants. There’s no need to spend your money at the big chains. Give up a few frequent flyer/loyalty points and treat yourself.

You deserve it!