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HomeAway Ranch & Wildlife Preserve

We're happily retired partners loving life in this wonderful oasis... And working hard to make it a bit better for our animals and guests, every single day. Mickey's recently retired from 21 years traveling the world with International Joint Special Forces and Vicky's a Cordon Bleu Chef who also recently retired. We are living our dream "retirement" in this gorgeous wooded Texas Hill-Country, caring for and playing with all sorts of fun animals and welcoming lovely people to our ranch/wildlife preserve/nature- resort, personally ensuring everyone has a memorable experience, from customized horseback-riding experiences (everything from trail rides, to horseback riding lessons to weddings and vows-renewals on horseback), to serving as concierge to preparing that special "made to order" fresh country breakfasts, champagne brunches and romantic or fun meals and treats like chocolate covered strawberries for any special occasion, including anniversaries and birthdays.

The communal fireplace is incredibly built and perfect for evening bonfires!

The chickens roost every evening in the cutest coop

The chickens spend the day free roaming the ranch

Randolph AFB

Find & reserve the best campsites near Randolph AFB, Texas with wildlife watching. Tent, cabin & RV camp on private & State Parks, on local farms, vineyards & nature preserves.

Discover the best campgrounds near Randolph AFB, Texas with wildlife watching

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Cabins, yurts, treehouses and more

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Lost Maples State Natural Area

Old Tunnel State Park

Colorado Bend State Park

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

Pedernales Falls State Park

McKinney Falls State Park

Garner State Park

Rv parks & camping

Airstreams with climbing

Forest airstreams

Airstreams with hiking

Airstreams with fishing

Airstreams with horseback riding

We found some sturdy trees to hang up hammocks and lights! 

Lost Woods

Welcome to our little piece of paradise! 55 acres of woods hidden near town. A network of trails criss-cross the creek and wind throughout the property

under a peaceful canopy of large beautiful trees. Don't be surprised if you run into deer, squirrels, or roadrunners! Our property is home to a wide variety of hill-country wildlife.

- Each of our campsites are private and surrounded by forest.

- Each site has a fire ring for campfires

- Our trees are our most precious natural resource and set this campground apart! Please don't do anything to harm them.

- Port-o-john is available on site.

- All of our campsites are primitive. No electric or water here.

- When you camp with us you are welcome to explore and play on the entire property! We have 55 acres of trails and woods to explore! Please bring your bikes, trail shoes, or whatever helps you have fun in the wild!

- Hammocks welcome!

We have so many trees! All of our sites are hammock-friendly.

- When you check-in, just text us, your host will help you find your campsite.

- Some sites are drive-in where your vehicle can park right next to the fire. Others are walk-in and require a short hike of 100' or less from your parking space. You can indicate your preference during booking or at check-in.

If you want to drive right into your site,

Campsites 2, 3, 6, and 12 are the sites you want.

Some of our campsites are more secluded than others and offer extreme privacy in the most beautiful settings we have to offer. If you're looking for a wilder campsite surrounded by huge old trees and all the peace the woods have to offer, just request Campsites 4, 5, 7, or 8. Each of these sites requires a walk of at least 50' from your vehicle to the fire ring.

Site 13 is only for backpackers or people willing to hike about 500 yards to the campsite over rough terrain. There is no way to drive to it or even get close except on foot. But it is spectacular and beautiful!

Only three sites can accommodate a smaller trailer or camper. Site 1, Site 2, and site 6. Please notify me in your booking if you intend to bring a camper and I can accommodate you.

We practice leave-no-trace as much as possible. So please pack out anything you pack in. You are responsible for removing all trash. If any garbage is left behind in your site you will be billed for the cleanup. We have a dumpster located near the front gate. Please use it and put all your trash in there. 

Heads-up! We have a small farm on the property. 

Dogs are always welcome and we LOVE our furry friends! For their safety and the safety of our livestock please keep them leashed while on property.

Spring comes early in Texas! This is Chinaberry Grove.

Owl Hollow at San Marcos

 Whether you want to get reacquainted at Owl Hollow with your better half, reconnect with nature, stargaze, or simply enjoy the tranquility, these 5 acres are covered with cedar and oak.

**Park your vehicle in the front designated area in reverse,  explore  and pitch your tent ⛺️ in your favorite spot.

**One vehicle per campsite, there is an extra fee per extra vehicle(s) whether you're traveling solo,  with family, friends or your partner, make yourself at home in one of the designated Hipcamp areas.

**We provide a communal fire pit/grill area, and you can also bring your own grill. Remember to bring your own grilling utensils. (If Hays County does not have a burn ban in place, feel free to use the fire pit.  IF FIRE LIT, AN ADULT MUST BE PRESENT). 

**We offer a communal restroom with a hot shower and flushing toilet. There is a sink outside the bathroom to wash your dishes (please use eco-friendly dishwashing liquid), or to fetch water for coffee.   This is well water and believe us, it is cool, refreshing and great tasting! 

**You can also walk, jog or  ride your bike down the street thru the winding hill all the way to the cul-de-sac.

Owl Hollow is in the middle of Texas Hill Country, you make the choice how relaxing or busy you want to be during your stay with us.

**One of your many choices is to go swimming or float the Lazy San Marcos River at Rio Vista Park which is 7.6 miles.

Owl Hollow is conveniently located:

40 miles from Austin TX, while San Antonio is 55 miles away.  Texas State University is 7 miles near.   Hiking nearby at Purgatory Creek Natural Area and Spring Lake Preserve. 

**On Saturdays between 8:30-12:30 there's the farmers market downtown at the Plaza. 

***Owl Hollow Hipcamp is just a few minutes drive from open-air shopping, the outlets,  entertainment, local eateries and activities.

***Owl Hollow’s policy is:

LEAVE OWL HOLLOW AS YOU FOUND IT OR BETTER! 

(TAKE WHAT YOU'VE BROUGHT:

 trash, cigarette butts, bottle tops, bottles, cans with you!)

We’ve pruned the landscape a bit and cleared some areas, but we think we’ve left plenty of wildness for you to reconnect with nature and nurture your soul.

Create your dream trip for a weekend, holiday trip or during the week and visit us at Owl Hollow Hipcamp.

***We would love to host you. PLEASE LEAVE OWL HOLLOW THE WAY YOU FOUND IT or BETTER! 

We are a pet eco friendly camp, you need to PICK UP YOUR PETS POOP.  

No trash bins/pack it and take it with you.

Thank you, hope to see y'owl soon,

 Oscar and Mary Lou

Chula Vista Farms

Great News: 

Willie Nelson is coming back to Floore's Country Store where his music began. (also where Elvis got his start). His  long-standing favorite, Shotgun Willie, was based on John T Floore. Willie and Family will come on Wednesday,  October 23. Tickets go on sale 8/29. Floore's is within walking distance of the campsite. Also, on the list Robert Earl Keen (9/2); Josh Abbott Band (9/7); The Mavericks with Asleep at the Wheel (9/14); Gary Allen (9/21) Eli Young Band (10/5). Please check dates.

 From the campsite, you will hear all outdoor bands and Willie's is outdoors.

I was not looking for another house to buy, but my daughter wanted me to look at a "little cottage" in Old Town Helotes. Just to shut her up, I made an appointment on a rainy day so I could not see/access the back of the property. The house was 3,000 sq feet and I fell so madly in love with it that I made an offer two hours later. I saw the potential of both house and land. Only after moving in did I walk the pasture and realize how much land I had bought.

The house was featured in the San Antonio Express News (Spaces 2/27/2011) as a home for the arts because I collect folk art: mostly from Mexico.

My daughter Kelly and I worked on the front gardens first; butterfly and cactus gardens, always mindful of choosing local plants and trees. In the spring, the mountain laurels add color; honeysuckle and jasmine scent the land and the flowers on the cacti bloom scarlet and yellow. The summer and fall produce the yellow and orange Esperanza bushes and the Mexican Bougainvillea.

Three years ago, I decided to maximize the use of the back pasture which is separated from the front by a dry creek bed. Kelly and I started an heirloom vegetable farm with raised beds and terracing. We installed some stone steps for easier access. According to the "old folks" here, this property was part of a ranch on the stagecoach line replete with cowboys and Indians, started out as a two-room stone shack and blossomed into a Cinderella home with Moroccan arched ceilings and even a wine cellar.

As parking is on one side of the creek and camping is across the creek, RV's and camper vehicles are discouraged. However, if you message me prior to booking, we can accommodate one low one under the oaks in the front and you will have access to front chiminea and back pasture amenities also.

We are proud to announce that our campsite has been nominated for Best Hipcamp in Texas for 2019 and was recently featured on television to promote Hipcamp. The video can be found under S A Live Hipcamp and provides a visual description of the layout of the property.

Note: Only two tents per site and only two cars per site. 

Mardi Gras in the Cowboy Capitol: Bandera, Texas. Fun will begin Thursday, 2/17 and continue till Saturday, 2/19. Please visit website for tickets/events including bull riding.

So you want to spend a weekend at Chula Vista Farms and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Here is the recipe for a unique experience. You check in Friday afternoon and set up camp. Then you walk into Old Town, shop at the antique shops and gallery (Hill Country artists), have a beer with the old-timers at an outdoor picnic table at the Country Club, have dinner at El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant or Big Daddy's BBQ. Then you kick back-- sipping a glass of wine at Wine 101. Then you carefully walk  back to the farm, sit in the zero-gravity chairs, watch the stars, and listen to country music coming from Floore's Country Store.

 Next morning, you walk to the Cracked Mug in Old Town for coffee, and then, for breakfast,  drive 30 miles through the Hill Country to the  famous OST Cafe (Old Spanish Trail) in Bandera--the Cowboy Capital.  Not only is the cafe famous for its western saddle bar stools, its John Wayne room, its down-home cooking--it is also the destination for the leather-clad,  serious-helmeted motorcycle riders from San Antonio who rendezvous and ride up there every Saturday. So you end up with quite an eclectic crowd: serious old-time ranchers, drug-store cowboys, the Steve McQueen type motorcycle racers, and the tourists. And the prices are right! Then, after visiting Bandera, you head out Hwy 73 for 13 miles to Camp Verde--an old Army Camel Fort from the 1840's with a still-functioning post office, and a gorgeous restaurant along the banks of the river (best onion rings this side of heaven).   On the return on Hwy 16 (Bandera Road), turn off on PR-37 and visit Medina Lake., Then you return to camp for siesta--before  repeating last night's adventure.

 Next morning, you walk into Old Town and have breakfast at the Helotes Bakery--full breakfast and baked goods--Texas-size Cream Puffs. On the way home, you stop in Grey Forest and walk/hike through the one-lane roads of this enchanting artist colony with its 300+ cottages and rock homes.   

Also every first Saturday, Old Town hosts Market Days--music, crafts and food. We are beginning to host artists who want to paint the Texas Hill Country--what a neat idea: camping and painting. Old Town has just opened its first art gallery featuring local artists and Chula Vista Farms is hosting its second "en plein air" event in the fall. 

Ten miles from the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Chula Vista Farms, in Old Town Helotes,  lies at the gateway to the Texas Hill Country. Camp under magnificent old oaks in the front area or up in the back pasture ( with our heirloom tomatoes) across the creek. See the stars (no city lights) and experience total tranquility. Old Town Helotes is home to several antique stores, wine and coffee bars, El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant and Floore's Country Store—the oldest honky-tonk in Texas where Willie Nelson plays twice a year and country music bands play on weekends. You can hear the music from your campsite. 

Chula Vista Farms is part of Old Town Helotes so you can walk to the restaurants and shops. Across the highway (four miles) is the quaint town of Grey Forest with hundreds of artists' cottages and gorgeous walking trails with hills; three miles away is HEB plus—a mega-grocery and wine store; 10 miles is downtown San Antonio with the  Riverwalk;  30 miles is Bandera—the Cowboy Capital of the world—a stunning drive of hills and western panoramas--home to the famous OST (Old Spanish Trail) cafe and 13 miles from Bandera lies Camp Verde-with,  serene streams, lovely picnic area, a still-functioning post office (from the 1850"s), and a famous restaurant with panoramic views. Camp Verde sits on land which housed a civil-war-era army fort which experimented with camels from Egypt. Four miles away from Chula Vista is Government Canyon -a primitive hiking experience. 

Chula Vista Farms has five private campsites in the back pasture. This field is also ideal for group camping--20 tents could be accommodated. We have a communal fire pit, tables,  adirondack and  zero-gravity chairs  and four chimmineas for easy, romantic fires. We can accommodate small pop-up campers under the oaks in front area--but only one at a time. Please ask before booking. Thanks!

You could spend a week here and not run out of things to do: shopping, sight-seeing, walking, hiking, eating, drinking, relaxing, cooking,  painting, sitting by the fire, listening to country music and, of course, camping and being close to nature.    And if that is not enough, we can put you to work with our heirloom tomato, herb and vegetable farm where names such as Eritrea Basil;  White Icicle Radish; Ruby Queen Beets; and tomatoes with exotic titles: Black Vernissage; Black Beauty; Indigo Apple; Ananas Noire; Pork Chop; Lucid Gem and my favorite- Chestnut Chocolate- constitute the language of the day.

grabbing firewood from across the creekbed 

grabbing a post-supper cuppa at the Cracked Mug 

Kelly - chief farmer of the heirloom tomatoes

covered outdoor seating right next to camp

Tipis on the Guadalupe

Over an acre of land off of beautiful River Road in New Braunfels, our Tipi resort is an oasis of relaxation, escape from the hustle, and Glamping!  Everything is on site for you to have a great getaway...cozy Tipi cabins, well-appointed private bath house, Guadalupe river frontage, hammocks, BBQ grills, and picnic space, all under a canopy of trees!  We even have tube rentals and cool merch for purchase on site!  Come see us...

The pond in the Nature Preserve at sunset

Overalls and Bird Calls

Welcome to the Cibolo Gardens Nature Preserve!  Just 22 miles from downtown San Antonio, not far off of US 281, our educational homestead is an excellent place to camp.  We’ve transformed 45 acres of what was once an active rock quarry just 15 years ago, into a healthy, regenerative, green space as well as an event and training venue.
Our venue is nestled in the middle of the rapidly growing suburban landscape around us in north San Antonio.  We purchased the property five years ago from good friends who had already started the mission of revitalizing the land.
Today, 39 of the acres are in “preservation” status, which means that we are letting the natural micro-ecosystems that have developed from what remained of the quarrying activities 15 years ago to develop on their own.  We hope to always keep this acreage in that status for generations to enjoy. 
The remaining 6 acres is wooded, where we live, have gardens, farm animals  and where we interface equitably with our environment.
Feel free to simply relax in the shade of the persimmon and juniper trees. Or, to add some activity to your stay, hike the varying terrain on our 45 acres, hunt for fossils in the dry creek bed, break out your tree / plant id books, or watch the wildlife (even if it’s just the chickens).  Refresh by taking a dip in the above ground pool, or wash off in the outdoor cob shower.  [Please be advised that besides campers, we also host homesteading, wilderness survival and herbal medicine classes on our site.  So, you might have company, but you'll definitely have room for privacy. ] 
If you want to explore more Hill Country, nearby attractions for outdoor fun include the Guadalupe River State Park (16mi), Guadalupe Canoe Livery where you can rent tubes and kayaks on the river (16 mi) or Natural Bridge Cavern (17mi).

The most popular tent site, just inside the trees.

Inside the little shed house, there are games and books to borrow during your stay!

Head into the woods as far as you like! It's secluded, yet close to the camp amenities.

Pavilion with shower and seating in the shade.

There are several tree swings scattered around that are perfect for sitting in the quiet or reading a book!


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HomeAway Ranch & Wildlife Preserve

Camping near Randolph AFB with wildlife watching guide

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