Photography by Horseshoe Bay Resort Realty
Location: Horseshoe Bay, Texas
July 1, 2005
Blanketed with wildflowers, century-old oak trees and spring-fed rivers, Horseshoe Bay is the anti-Texas. One hour outside of Austin and far from the congestion and smog of Houston and Dallas, Horseshoe is in what is known as Texas Hill Country: land where fresh air is scented with wild sage and azure skies frame miles of hills and canyons. It is the perfect place to prop up your boots and rest for a spell.
Legendary Texans, including Gov. Rick Perry, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and astronaut Jim Lovell, have all bought homes in the area, which is fast emerging as a premier destination for vacationers and se cond-home buyers.
“With the lakes, views and golf courses, Horseshoe Bay is the best-kept secret in Texas,” says Mike Walsh, developer of the Trails of Lake LBJ–a 550-acre luxury residential project bordering Horseshoe’s western edge.
Horseshoe Bay was developed in the 1970s, when a Texas oilman bought two ranches nestled amid the area’s limestone and red granite canyons: the “Coca-Cola” Ranch, owned by a prominent Fort Worth bottling family, and the Wennmohs Family Ranch. The town culled its name from Lake Lyndon B. Johnson, a 23-mile-long U-shaped constant-level lake. Since the body of water does not fluctuate seasonally, homes can be sited 4 feet from the shore.
By the late 1980s, Jaffe Interests purchased most of the region to build the
Horseshoe Bay Resort and Conference Center. Since then, the town has evolved
into a minimetropolis, luring hundreds of conferences to the new Horseshoe Bay
Resort Marriott, Texas’ first Marriott resort property. “We’re far enough from a
metro area that we’re a good getaway,” says Shelton Thibodeaux, president of
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The golf course view from the patio of a home in the Horseshoe Bay
Resort. (Click image to enlarge)
“The biggest selling points are the lake and golf courses–that’s why people
buy,” says Mike Gordon, director of sales and marketing for Horseshoe Bay Resort
Realty. “Waterfront lots have gone up to $6,000 per linear foot, and there’s
still room for appreciation.”
The area’s atypical climate (for Texas) offers more sunny days than not, with average high temperatures in the upper 70s–perfect for year-round golfing. Horseshoe Bay boasts three golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr.: Slick Rock, Ram Rock and Applerock.
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