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BANDERA — The mystery starts at the edge of town.

A green sign reads: "Bandera City Limit, Pop. 957."

Really? Fewer than 1,000 people live in this bustling cowboy town on the banks of the Medina River northwest of San Antonio?

A place that hosts at least two singular museums, a capacious and well-stocked library, a bounty of eateries — one of them, O.S.T., has been in business since 1921 — a modern supermarket, a downtown hotel, and a handsome county courthouse?

"Bandera itself is actually very small," says Mauri Guillén Fagan, director of the Bandera Library. "Bandera County, however, has 20,000 people. All of us on staff, for instance, live outside of town."

That solves part of the mystery. Consider, too, the tourists.

The rugged countryside near the town is flecked with tourist camps for snowbirds — winter visitors from up north. Further out in the hills, one finds the dude ranches that sprang up in the 1920s, decades after the decline of the Great Western Cattle Trail that stretched from this snug Texas valley to Ogallala, Nebraska.

And times are changing: Suburbs with grand entryways are crawling down from Greater San Antonio.

"We have broadband now," Fagan says. "People can work from home here."

Good point.

That technological breakthrough alone is destined to change many aspects of small-town Texas life and the rural West altogether.

Cattle, sheep, goats — and wood

A jagged crown of hills not only separates Bandera from the rest of the world — they cut the town off from the western part of Bandera County that includes the early settlement of Tarpley (pop. 30), where, during select hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, one can dine al fresco at Mac and Ernie's Roadside Eatery, a gem that seats more people than reside in the hamlet.

This is gorgeous country.

It must have intimidated the Spanish, who followed Native American trails through the valley, as they encountered the Tonkawas, Lipan Apaches and Comanches, and supplied the doomed San Saba Mission.

The 1921 O.S.T. Restaurant, which serves deeply satisfying Duke Burgers on Bandera's Main Street, is named for the "Old Spanish Trail." In case you were wondering about the "Duke" reference, no, we did not dine in the eatery's John Wayne Room, lined with scores of images of the Western movie star.

The surrounding terrain must have looked fairly alarming, as well, to the mostly Polish and Anglo settlers who arrived in the 1850s.

The Polish people arrived from Panna Maria, located more than 100 miles away on the other side of San Antonio, to work in the sawmills that turned out cypress shingles for that booming city. They established the sturdy and atmospheric Saint Stanislaus Polish Catholic Church, the second oldest such parish in the U.S.

One can still spot bumper stickers that bear the slogan: "Keep Bandera Polish."

Watered by tributaries of the Medina, the county proved fantastic ranch land, first for cattle, then for sheep and goats. At one point, ranchers registered almost 1,000 cattle brands in the county.

Like the rest of the Hill Country, Bandera is subject to catastrophic flash floods, such as the one on July 17, 1973, that inundated much of this town strung along a bend in the Medina. One can find out more about that flood in a small exhibit at the library.

Besides the majestic cypress trees, which make gray-and-green cathedrals out of the narrow rivers and creeks, this is oak and juniper country. As I recently learned through Elmer Kelton's magnificent novel — set during the long Texas drought of the 1950s — those oaks provided a last line of defense, providing fodder for the browsing goats.

The 1813 Battle of Medina, the bloodiest battle on Texas soil and sometimes considered a preview of the Texas Revolution, did not take place on the Medina River here, but rather south of San Antonio. Interestingly, historians and history buffs have not been able to determine the exact location of the battle, although the historical marker has been planted in Atascosa County.

We have a better idea about the 1841 Battle of Bandera Pass, a skirmish between Texas Rangers under Capt. John Coffee "Jack" Hays and Comanches waiting in a high, narrow pass between the Medina and Guadalupe rivers. This encounter saw the introduction of the Colt revolver, often credited with giving the Texians the upper hand against Native Americans.

During the 1850s, Bandera witnessed a federal experiment that introduced pack camels to dry West Texas; they were quartered, along with imported camel drivers, at nearby Camp Verde located not far from Bandera Pass.

Bandera's golden age might have been the decades after the Civil War, when the legendary cattle drives helped establish the town's status as "Cowboy Capital of the World," a claim it generously shares with Stephenville up on the Bosque River.

The railroads skipped rugged Bandera County, as did the superhighways.

That left the spectacular land open for dude ranches, made popular in the cities by the first wave of silent Western movies. These resorts give city folk a comfortable taste of cowboy life with trail rides, rustic rodeos, time with livestock, Western dances and mounds of chuckwagon food.

(Someday, I'll tell you about my one experience at a Bandera County dude ranch, which included an extremely painful gastric response to an excess of bacon. Some foodstuff should never be offered buffet-style.)

During World War II, off-duty military personnel were bussed to the dude ranches from bases in San Antonio and Hondo.

Meanwhile, Bandera evolved into something of a party town. For some 70 years, dining, drinks and dancing could be had at the famed Cabaret Dance Hall and other roadside spots. The happy place hosted a live radio show during the 1940s and '50s.

And each year, the curious flock to the Bandera Stampede, a rodeo-based festival on Memorial Day weekend. One "Think, Texas" correspondent told me that he wrecked his car two years in a row at the rowdy Stampede.

Honky-tonks such as the untouched Arkey Blue's Silver Dollar on Main Street still draw fans from across the state. When, during this trip, I descended the stairs into the dark room to smiles from a quartet playing cards in the afternoon, a woman winced in pain, then walked behind the bar to take my order.

Me: "Sorry to make you get up."

Her, matter-of-factly: "That's my job."

Our time on the town

Despite its time in the spotlight, Bandera has managed to hang onto an air of authenticity.

This includes the improved but still unfinished project to make Main Street — and the nearby older town center — more friendly to pedestrians. While vacationing recently at a cabin perched above the Medina River in the nearby community of Highland Waters, I took several strolls around downtown. There are still places where friendly truck drivers must pause to make a narrow passage for walkers where no sidewalks exist.

Among the required downtown magnets is the Frontier Times Museum, established in 1927 and expanded in 1933 by J. Marvin Hunter Sr., editor of the Frontier Times magazine. It houses 30,000 items, including Hunter's collection of Old West memorabilia in a series of galleries inside a flagstone building — decorated with petrified wood, fossils and unusually shaped stones — that has been expanded over the years.

I've visited dozens of local history museums in small Texas towns, and this is one of the most thorough and well-documented. Informed by modern practices, but charmingly old-fashioned, it displays the physical remnants of daily life on the frontier and notates them with an unusual degree of precision.

At the Bandera Library, established in 1937, I browsed its large and up-to-date Texana section, then asked for assistance on printed local histories. Two in particular proved useful: "Pioneer History of Bandera County: 75 Years of Intrepid History" written by J. Marvin Hunter in 1922, and "A Pictorial History of Bandera County: 150 years of Challenges, Courage, Champions and Characters," edited by M.J. Schumacher in 2006.

Hunter wrote in a familiarly antiquated style about heroic pioneers and hostile American Indians. Schumacher's book, on the other hand, cleverly assigns different topics to experts on geology, early Native American life, cattle trails and so forth.

I learned a lot. For instance, that the R.B. Richards Circus made its summer home Bandera County's Pipe Creek community. Also, that the Medina Dam Project, which impounded the river and created Lake Medina, was proposed in the 1890s and completed in 1912, well before most other such Hill Country projects.

I didn't make it to the Bandera Natural History Museum, but Fagan told me that, in addition to traditional dioramas about dinosaurs and other exhibits, it recently acquired an excellent grouping of Spanish Colonial art.

Next week, I'll share more stories about the Texas rivers that, like the Medina, fall from the southern edge of the Edwards Plateau, as well as a hike in Hill Country State Natural Area, and an indulgent brunch at picnic tables in the hamlet of Tarpley.

Michael Barnes writes about the people, places, culture and history of Austin and Texas. He can be reached at [email protected].

An earlier version of this story had the incorrect date for the Medina Dam, which was proposed in the 1890s and built in 2012.

Review and Photos by Walt Borton

SANTA FE, N.M. – Expectations were high for the second Santa Fe presentation of Brian Lebel’s Cody Old West Show, June 21-23, which last year generated large crowds, robust sales and much buzz in a town the locals like to call the second largest fine art market in America.

But high expectations were no challenge for the Cody show. Brian Lebel and Melissa McCracken Lebel maintained a waiting list and grew the show floor by 20 dealers to a total of 138, all the while still keeping the sense of wide open spaces that made last year’s premiere in Santa Fe’s Convention Center so refreshing. On Friday, the aisles were jammed with 100 early buyers, and when combined with regular attendance on Saturday and Sunday, the gate exceeded last year’s 3,000. Not bad when competing for a cowboy crowd with the redoubtable Rodeo de Santa Fe.

Of course, the Cody Old West Show is only new to Santa Fe. This year’s is the 30th anniversary of a show Brian Lebel created in Cody, Wyo., in 1989. It’s now among the ten oldest antiques events in America. In fact, Santa Fe now hosts the second oldest antiques show in the west, the Whitehawk Show, and the third oldest, the Cody Old West Show.

Part of the show’s durability is a successful blend of less formal tabletop dealers in the breezy center and back aisles, with formal booths featuring prestigious, well-known western dealers and galleries. So whether you’re a serious collector of the best silver work, the finest saddles and important Native American artifacts or in quest of a quirky antique for your cabin, a work-another-day pair of spurs or high fashion boots for this year’s Buckaroo Ball, the place makes the search interesting and fun.

For example, you could buy an elaborate boot jack designed to prevent a lady from displaying her ankle while removing her boot. That very object was available in the show’s center aisle for $425 from Sherry Stevenson of Czech Glass & Western Antiques, Pipe Creek, Texas, who demonstrated it with her tennis shoe.

If your hero just happens to be Will Rogers, then you could find a remarkable likeness of him in copper relief at Jim and Bobbi Olson’s Western Trading Post, Casa Grande, Ariz.

Reading matter was also available – in this case, very early versions of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans graphic novels that conveniently fit on a comic book rack, which Brian and Melissa sold from the Old West Events booth for $900.

Or if you want to decorate a wall with your concha belts when you’re not wearing them, the display in Robert Gallegos’ booth proves it’s a possibility, but it could be a bit pricey. This array ranged in price from $1,500 to $7,500.

Another element cementing the show’s popularity is that, save Rodeo de Santa Fe itself, there’s no place or time in town where you will encounter so much real-deal historic and contemporary cowboy attire on the hoof. The show cries out for the talent of the late Bill Cunningham, New York Times’ roving fashion photographer.

Bill Manns, longtime Santa Fe trader, horseman and western photographer, who last year had little left to pack up and take home, called this year’s show “even better,” saying that his opening day sales were the best in years. His table, in the same row with major antique firearms dealer Dan Pawley and saddler and silversmith Clint Mortenson, created an ongoing traffic jam.

Of course, important museum quality pieces were plentiful across the show. Ted Trotta and Anna Bono, New York City tribal art specialists who called the show “one of their best ever,” showed a stunning claw necklace from the Sauk Fox People. The Sauk Fox were forcibly relocated to Oklahoma from their homelands around Lakes Huron and Michigan in 1870, and this piece, circa 1900, was made there. It’s cow horn and otter and was priced at $11,500.

Christopher Selser Tribal Art, Santa Fe, showed a powerful Navajo serape, circa 1870, offered at $65,000, and Mary Nyholm-Vidano, MC Antiques, Niwot, Colo., is rumored to have sold 50 Navajo textiles during the weekend.

The Lusher Collection of Austin and Santa Fe sold an early Twentieth Century Sioux dress featuring an unusual use of metallic beads in the traditional Sioux geometric patterns. The dress, likely elk hide and obviously worn, according to Chris Lusher, sold “at the high end of what a ’20s Sioux dress would command,” putting it north of $4,000.

Mystic Warriors of Evergreen, Colo., consistently stopped traffic with two items of children’s attire, a Nez Pierce girl’s dress and a boy’s Plains buckskin shirt, probably Kiowa or Apache.

Tucked away on a wall in Jeff Hengesbaugh’s Calabaza booth were an 1840s Jemez shield and club, important both because of their age and that they were found in Texas, hundreds of miles from the Jemez Pueblo in north central New Mexico.

Last year’s show so impressed Santa Fe dealer Brant Mackley that he took a booth this year, featuring just a few important works, including a pair of Santee Sioux beaded britches, circa 1880, with the American flag motif, from a Belgian collection and priced at $6,800. The Santee, sometimes called the Dakota Sioux, traveled the northwestern reaches of the Mississippi River until forcibly relocated to a reservation in Knox County, Neb., in 1863.

Equally engaging, but less costly Sioux beadwork was found at Victoria Roberts of Indian Lodge Road, Albuquerque, N.M., in a vintage top hat with Sioux loom beading. The beaded Zeamer hat, in remarkable condition, including its original box, was $750.

Both in booths and on tabletops, the show offered an endless array of Squash Blossom necklaces, Navajo silver beads and Kewa (Santa Domingo) contemporary turquoise and coral sculptural rings, bracelets and earrings. Perhaps the most unusual piece of jewelry, however, was neither western nor Native American in origin, but distinctly so in motif. The unusual stones in a pendant shown by Miles and Miles Trading of San Francisco, are turquoise from Kazakhstan, known here as “Golden Hills.”

And while the show is generally light on furniture, those pieces shown are for the most part distinctly western, like a one-of-a-kind long-horn settee with protective brass horn tips and contemporary upholstery shown by Roadside America’s Gallery of the West, Santa Fe. Ted Birbilis attributed the piece to a Texas maker around 1880, saying the price was $5,500.

By show’s end Sunday afternoon, most vendors were more than pleased with this year’s traffic and sales. Even those for whom business wasn’t strong were planning on returning to next year’s show, June 27 and 28 at the Santa Fe Convention Center. First time exhibitor designer Cheryl Long of Pure West – Pure Vintage, Round Top, Texas, was repacking a lovely mink and leather handbag when she said that while her “merchandising wasn’t quite right for this year’s show, I’m definitely returning.” And whispered she’s already looking at the Santa Fe real estate market.

So you see, Santa Fe still holds its own as a major attraction in the Land of Enchantment, especially at the Cody Old West Show.

The highest, multi-inch totals were found south and east of San Antonio

Finally, good amounts of rain for parts of South Central Texas!

After starting off the first full week of April in the summer-like 80s and 90s, a soggier and cooler weather pattern set up and made for a winter-like end to the week in San Antonio.

By the time all was said and done, over an inch and a half of rain was officially recorded at San Antonio International Airport, with higher, multi-inch totals recorded in our southern and eastern counties.

Here’s a look at rainfall totals reported by official observation stations from Wednesday, April 5 through Saturday, April 8:

Rainfall Totals

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How Could This Help With Drought?

The rain found this week brings our grand total to a whopping 4.80″ for 2023 in San Antonio. For context, the average amount of rainfall that we “should” have accumulated up to this point is 6.59″, so we still have some work to do in the rainfall department!

In terms of our drought conditions, the latest data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggests that our region needs anywhere from 6″-12″ of rain to alleviate the drought.

While the rain found over the past few days won’t completely get rid of the drought area-wide, it certainly should help chip away at it!

Here’s the latest drought monitor that was released on April 6, which does NOT include this past rain event:

Looking forward to seeing what improvements may be found in the next one that will be released on Thursday, April 13!

Now we just need to work on getting some much-needed rain into our westernmost counties.

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SAN ANTONIO — Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for Medina County Sunday as nearly two dozen agencies continue to battle the Das Goat Fire, which has burned more than 1,000 acres since Friday afternoon.

Three homes in the region have been destroyed by the blaze, but no deaths or injuries have been reported. The fire is about 10% contained as of Sunday afternoon.

"You can rebuild property," Abbott said. "If you lose a life, you can't rebuild anything. These are challenging times across the State of Texas with regards to different kinds of disasters.”

About 200 firefighters were being enlisted to fight what has been officially named the Das Goat Fire, according to the governor; among those agencies which have contributed personnel are the Medina County Sheriff's Office, Texas Dept. of Public Safety, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens.

Mandatory evacuations were issued Saturday for some areas, and shelters are operational for families who have been displaced (more information below). Fire officials with Medina County said more evacuations were possible Sunday, adding residents in the area should be ready with a "go bag" in the car or near the exit of the home.

At the same time, Abbott, along with Medina County leaders, expressed optimism about the fight to suppress the Das Goat Fire, while also hoping for rain to assist. Meanwhile, crews are working to restore power to homes after the blaze affected powerlines in the area.

The Medina County Courthouse said on Sunday Chris Schuchart signed a local disaster declaration as well, due to the widespread and severe damage caused by the fire. A photo of the signed declaration was posted to their Facebook.

Officials continue advising the general public to stay clear of the area. Smoke plumes will be visible from San Antonio and will directly impact the air quality near Medina Lake, Bandera, Pipe Creek, Boerne, Comfort and Kerrville.

A Red Flag Warning was issued for Sunday as well. See below for more information.

Residents were asked to evacuate immediately Saturday for the following locations according to NWS and Medina County Office of Emergency Management:

Shelters available at the following locations:

Medina County officials said those in the north and northeast parts of Medina Lake including the Red Cove area need to keep aware of the fire.

They said to have a planned escape route established and leave early as it's better to be safe than be slowed down due to other people evacuating.

A Black Hawk helicopter was flown over the fire to do water drops on Saturday, and planes were seen gathering water from the nearby lake.

An initial investigation shows the blaze was caused from a car fire, a spokesperson for the Medina County Office of Emergency Management confirmed to KENS 5.

“Whatever happens to this fire in the coming days, the most important thing you all can do is protect your lives," Abbott said. "Do everything you can to save your own life.”

This is a developing story. Check back with KENS5.com for updates.

We may still be waiting for October’s cool, crisp breezes to blow in, but the time for fall fun in the fields has officially arrived. Carve out a day to harvest your family’s annual autumnal memories by gathering gourds, posing the kids in a pumpkin patch, running through a corn maze and hopping on a Halloween-themed hayride. These 15 Texas pumpkin patches are worthy of a road trip.

Crowe’s Nest Farm, Manor

Squash a nearby pumpkin patch off your list at this 100-acre nonprofit working farm brimming with animals, educational exhibits and organic gardens. During the 36th annual Fall Festival, there will be tons of family fun on offer, including farm animals, native Texas wildlife, hayrides, a pumpkin patch, awe-inspiring animal shows and local vendors selling homemade goods.

Info: 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturdays in October. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for kids 3-12, $3 for kids age 2, free for children under 2. crowesnestfarm.org

Barton Hill Farms, Bastrop

We love this Fall Festival & Pumpkin Patch for two reasons: It’s close enough that a pit stop isn’t required, and plenty of fall fun unfolds beyond the pretty pumpkins. From jumping pillows, barrel train rides and farm animals to duck races, face-painting and live music, there’s fall fun for the whole family at this weekends-only festival fringing the banks of the Colorado River. Need to refuel? There’s hot dogs, burgers and pulled pork sandwiches as well as lemonade, cold beer and frozen sangria.

Info: Weekends through Nov. 3. 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m Sundays and Oct. 14. Tickets are $15.95 at gate, $13.95+fees online and free for children 2 and under. bartonhillfarms.com

Elgin Christmas Tree Farm, Elgin

In October, fall fun flourishes at Elgin Christmas Tree Farm in the form of mazes, pumpkin decorating, train rides, hayrides, farm animals and more. Pluck your favorite pumpkins from the patch any day this month, or venture out during the farm’s Pumpkin Festivals on the second and third weekends of the month ($8 kids 2-12/$10 ages 13 and up).

Info: Now- Oct. 31. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 5:30 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $8 daily ($7 on Tuesdays). elginchristmastreefarm.com

Evergreen Farms, Elgin

Evergreen Farm’s Pumpkin Hunt brims with family-friendly fun — and the best part is that admission and parking are free so you only pay for the activities you choose to do. Ride into fall on a tractor-pulled wagon winding through the Christmas tree fields to “hunt” for mini pumpkins hidden in the trees, and then enjoy pumpkin decorating, pumpkin races, train rides, face painting, a fishing pond, bounce house, fire truck rides, mazes and more.

Info: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays in October. Admission and parking are free, but activities are $2.50 or $5.More at evergreen-farms.com

Texas Big Worm Pumpkin Patch, Bertram

At the biggest little pumpkin patch in Texas, you can have your pick of everything from petite pumpkins to gigantic gourds while enjoying hayrides, pumpkin painting, feeding the farm animals, free Friday morning story times followed by arts and crafts, a corn bin and more.

Info: Now through Oct. 27. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Free admission, individually-priced activities. facebook.com/TexasBigWormPumpkinPatch

Sweet Berry Farm, Marble Falls

At Sweet Berry Farm’s Harvest of Fall Fun, the whole family can have their pick of fall festivities spanning pumpkin painting and hayrides to scarecrow stuffing and flower picking. We love this pumpkin patch, a scenic hour-long drive away, because admission is free and you only pay for what you (i.e. your kids) want to do. Pick out the perfect pumpkin on this sprawling farm during a less-crowded fall weekday or head here on a weekend for additional fun like horse rides, face painting and a Pumpkin Grill serving up grilled corn and hot dogs.

Info: Now through Nov. 10. 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Closed Wednesdays. Free admission, individually-priced activities. sweetberryfarm.com

Pipe Creek Pumpkin Patch, Pipe Creek

Pipe Creek Pumpkin Patch, sandwiched between Bandera and Boerne, is worth the drive for families with little ones in search of an affordable autumnal adventure — a hayride, haystack, scarecrow dressing, visits with farm animals, rubber duck races, pumpkin painting and plenty of pumpkin photo ops are included with admission. Purchase $1 tickets for more fun like the kiddie barrel train and face painting. A snack bar serves hot dogs, Frito pie and marshmallows for toasting while a Farmers Market sells pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks for decorating.

Info: Open Oct. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26-27 from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is $6 per person and free for age 2 and under. pipecreekpumpkinpatch.com

Devine Acres Farm, Devine

Drive the distance to Devine Acres Farm for the Fall CountryFest — whether you’re petting friendly farm animals or fishing for perch, you’re sure to have a truly divine time. Admission includes live entertainment and more than 40 activities ranging from cowboy golf and scarecrow-dressing to frog frisbee and mazes, but for a few bucks more, you can ride the BobALong Barrel Train, mine for gems, go fishing or pick your favorite pumpkins from the patch.

Info: Open weekends through Oct. 27. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 14. Admission is $12 for ages 3 to 64, $10 for seniors over 65 and military, and free for 2 and under. devineacresfarm.com/fall-season

South Texas Maize, Hondo

Head to Hondo, where Texas-sized fun unfolds at the South Texas Maize at Graff 7A Ranch. Fall admission includes a 7-acre maze, hayride, MatterCorn Slide Mountain, Twin Cow Train, Cowboy Ken’s Kiddie Korral, hay bale jump and more. Reserve a spot around a crackling campfire to roast s’mores and make memories under the big Texas sky.

Info: Now through Nov. 30. 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $17.50 for ages 3-64, $12 for seniors and free for ages 2 and under. southtexasmaize.com

Dewberry Farm, Brookshire

There’s more than you can dew in a day at Dewberry Farm. Get lost in the corn maze, ride on the mile-long DewVille Express, watch pig races, zoom down a 26-foot tall slide mountain, shoot cannons at Ft. DewHickey, take a whirl on the carousel, sip wine and beer in the BierGarten, and poke through the sprawling patch until you find the perfect pumpkin.

Info: Weekends through Nov. 10. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $29.95 for ages 3 and up; $26.95 for military and $15 for seniors. dewberryfarm.com

Blessington Farms, Wallis

Bring the family to Blessington Farms’ Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival, where you’ll find more than just a plethora of pumpkins. Take a whiff of fresh country air and enjoy a slew of activities including hands-on animal encounters with chickens, goats, camels and Baby Doll sheep, a walk-through aviary, fishing, hayrides, giant slides, barrel train rides, pedal cars, gem mining, fossil digging and flower picking.

Info: Now through Nov. 9. 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission is $20 and free for 2 and under. blessingtonfarms.com

Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch, Medina

Get a taste of fall at Love Creek Orchards’ Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch, where you can bite into tree-ripened apples, sip sweet cider made from an old fashioned cider press or fill up on ample apple goodies. Come early to enjoy a full lineup of festivities included with admission like pumpkin painting, apple orchard tours, farm animals, games, hayrides, scarecrow building, playing in the hay bale maze, story-telling, sing-a-longs and more.

Info: Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays in October. Admission is $6 for ages 2 and older, half-price for active military and free for ages 2 and under. lovecreekorchards.com

Autumn at the Arboretum, Dallas

Lauded as “one of the best pumpkin festivals to visit this fall” by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, the Dallas Arboretum’s annual Autumn at the Arboretum is well worth the trek. This internationally acclaimed Pumpkin Village features more than 90,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash, and this year’s theme — “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” — invites guests to visit a Great Pumpkin topiary, snap selfies with Snoopy, get lost with Pig-Pen in the hay bale maze and visit the “Peanuts” gang at their gourd-decorated schoolhouse.

Info: Now–Oct. 31. Open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $17 for adults, $14 for seniors, $12 for children 2-12. dallasarboretum.org

TSRR Pumpkin Patch Express, Rusk

Dress in your Halloween costumes and climb aboard October’s Pumpkin Patch Express, where you’ll chug along to a pumpkin patch to enjoy interactive games and prizes, hayrides, a bounce house, picking out future jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating.

Info: Open Saturdays in October, departing at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $40 per ticket. texasstaterailroad.net/events/pumpkin-patch

YesterLand Farm, Canton

At YesterLand Farm, Texas-sized fall fun flows in the form of 30-plus activities and attractions, ranging from apple canons and zombies to fireworks and pony rides. Visit the pumpkin patch, zoom on a roller coaster and run through the corn maze by day. When the sun goes down, the old-fashioned family farm transforms into “Spooktacular Nights” with a creepy corn maze, Goblin Glow, Chuckles Funhouse, zombie paintball and more.

Info: Open weekends through Nov. 3. 6-10 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays. Fall general admission is $18.95 online, $21.95 at the gate and free for under 2. yesterlandfarm.com