Kristen O'Brien
Rediscover A Lakeside Legend Just Beyond Austin, Where Resort Luxury, Festival Flair, And Hill Country Ease Collide For The Ultimate All-Season Escape
By Kristen O’Brien Photography courtesy of Horseshoe Bay
Sometimes the most enchanting getaways aren’t found after a long haul or a stamped passport, but just far enough away to feel like a proper escape. Tucked along the serene shores of Lake LBJ, Horseshoe Bay Resort casts its spell with equal parts polish and playfulness, offering a weekend refuge where golf greens meet glittering water, spa serenity mingles with live jazz, and Texas hospitality is served generously. What began as a simple search for a fall reset quickly unfolded into a full-bodied Hill Country experience, one marked by sunset views, celebratory dining, and the irresistible charm of a resort that knows exactly how to welcome you in, pour you a glass, and convince you to stay a little longer.
We were looking for a fall weekend getaway, something to break up the endless activities and obligations before the end-of-year holidays, someplace that offered fun adventures mixed with relaxation without requiring a long drive from Austin. Then the opportunity to go to Horseshoe Bay Resort presented itself. Horseshoe Bay ticked all the boxes (plus it’s convenient to San Antonio and Houston). As a bonus, we were invited to attend the 20th annual Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival occurring that November weekend.
With over 7,000 acres of lakeside and Texas Hill Country property, Horseshoe Bay Resort is a fifty-year-old family-owned AAA Four-Diamond retreat on Lake LBJ with three award-winning golf courses designed by master architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., a spa, the Mouratoglou Tennis Center, pickleball courts, swimming pools, including the only floating pool in North America, and multiple restaurants.
We stayed in the Hotel Tower, which has 250 rooms overlooking either the tennis courts and swimming pool or Lake LBJ, where you’ll be treated to exquisite sunsets. You can also book the 99-unit Palm Villas, which offer one to three-bedroom accommodations for families or groups. The most luxurious offering comes in the form of the recently opened Signature Residences, three-bedroom condos with expansive balconies and vistas, a dedicated pre-arrival and onsite concierge service to help with personal shopping, pre-grocery stocking and delivery services and exclusive access to the Yacht Club outdoor amenities including a lagoon-style pool, a 27-person hot tub, and a white sandy lakeside beach with a full-service Beach Bar.
Scattered throughout the property are seven restaurants and a marketplace for Starbucks coffee and snacks. We tried the Waterfront Bar & Grill, focusing on seafood and Mexican cuisine, and enjoyed the fresh flavors, creative cocktails, and particularly yummy banana-coconut cheesecake with a chocolate crust. For brunch before we left on Sunday, we liked the offerings at J’s Restaurant & Bar, located in the Tower (which always had a lively late-night scene as well).
Adjacent to the putting course is the Whitewater 360 Sports Club with pizza, wings, cold beer, and TV’s where you can catch your favorite sports. There is also the Slick Rock Grill & Bar with views of the 12th fairway, and the Yacht Club Beach Bar, which is exclusive to guests of the Signature Residences and members of the Club at Horseshoe Bay.
Activities we enjoyed as a couple at the resort included a very competitive putt-putt game on the Whitewater Putting Course with cascading waterfalls, a curious raccoon, meandering streams, and colorful LED lights, chatting with the very vocal residents, the Amazon parrots and Macaws, and sitting by the outdoor firepit adjacent to the heated Tower pool. We also enjoyed dancing at the festival during the five-course celebrity chef dinner, trying some new Texas wines, and watching the cooking demonstrations over the weekend from guest chefs Jesse Kuyrkendall, Sarah Heard, and Shawn Osbey. I also enjoyed the Bayside Spa and a muscle-reviving deep tissue massage from Brandon. The spa and salon also offer facials, body treatments, and hair and nail services.
Of course, you can’t be on Lake LBJ without enjoying water activities at the full-service marina with boating, paddleboarding, and kayaking, as well as dockside or on-the-water fishing. If you prefer to stay on land, book a Ford Bronco off-roading adventure over rocks, hills, and through waterways. All year long, the resort offers special event weekends such as the hot air balloon experience during Balloons Over Horseshoe Bay Resort, their own music and beer festival during the summer, a comedy festival weekend in February, and the Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival in November.
If you prefer to make it a family weekend, the resort is kid-friendly with the Jungle Kids Club, an indoor jungle gym and rock-climbing wall, and the Aqua Park on the lake.
What do they have planned next for guests of Horseshoe Bay? Not wanting to rest on their laurels, the resort is planning a new $45 million destination spa to break ground in early 2026, a 1,400 sq ft arcade, a new racquet sports clubhouse. So that the resident exotic birds don’t feel left out, they’re getting their very own climate-controlled aviary and surrounding water gardens to be completed in May 2026.
With all that Horseshoe Bay has to offer and the amenities they will be adding in the coming years, plus the various festivals to explore, you can keep coming back to the enchanting Lake LBJ oasis to revel in a different experience with every visit.
Plan Your Stay:
Horseshoe Bay Resort | 200 Hi Cir N, Horseshoe Bay, TX 78657. Tel: 877.611.0112 and at
https://www.hsbresort.com/
Follow on Instagram: @hsbresort Facebook: @HorseshoeBayResort
