Home Care In Spicewood, TX

They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.

However, as seniors grow older, sometimes they cannot live independently without someone by their side to provide care. Unfortunately, some older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.

Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live in the comforts or their home rather than in an assisted living community. Home care in Spicewood, TX is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.

Home Care Services

Home Care in Spicewood, TX
The Always Best Care Difference
Types of In-home Care in Spicewood, TX
Benefits of Home Care in Spicewood, TX
Aging in Place: The Preferred Choice for Most Seniors
Affordable Care Plans
Compassionate Care. Trusted Caregivers
Taking the First Step with Always Best Care

Service Areas

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DIFFERENCE

The Always Best Care Difference

Since 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they age. We are proud to have helped tens of thousands of seniors to maintain a higher level of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of home care available so that they may live happily and independently.

Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs.

The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home care services in Spicewood, TX. Always Best Care is here to help.

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Elderly Care for Antoinette G.

“I work for this team and it's a wonderful team , great communication and support”

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In-home Care for Mark A.

“Ken and Bonnie are wonderful people to help care for your loved ones. their staff”

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Home Care Services for Mark A.

“Ken and Bonnie were wonderful to work with. They were able to provide my mother”

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In-home Care for Laurie K.

“Very professional and welcoming people so I would definitely recommend my friends and family to”

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Home Care Services for Kristen B.

“The owner is so understanding and supportive of how I want my loved ones cared”

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Non-medical Home Care for Shirley S.

“ALWAYS BEST CARE is certainly a warm & caring business owned & operated by Ken”

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Personal Senior Care for Chae S.

“Kenneth is kind, patient, experienced and knowledgeable. We are thankful to him for all his”

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Home Care for Melissa C.

“For those who are searching for qualified caregivers for their loved ones, contact Ken Thomas”

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Senior Care Services for Kelly B.

“Ken leads his Always Best Care Senior Services Agency with compassion for his clients and”

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Personal Care Services for Chae S.

“Kenneth is knowledgeable and trustworthy. I can’t recommend him enough. You’re in good hands with”

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Senior Caregiver for Jill &.

“I will be forever grateful for the love you showered upon us and my grandmother”

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Antoinette G.

Mark A.

Laurie K.

Kristen B.

Shirley S.

Chae S.

Melissa C.

Kelly B.

Chae S.

Jill &.

How does In-home Senior Care in Spicewood, TX work?

Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it's especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.

The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.

At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one ages, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.

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Types of In-home Care in Spicewood, TX

To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:

Personal Care Services

If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes or Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

Common personal care services include assistance with:

Eating
Mobility Issues
Incontinence

Bathing
Dressing
Grooming

Home Helper Services

Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.

Common home helper care services include assistance with:

Medication Reminders
Meal Preparation
Pet Care
Prescription Refills

Morning Wake-Up
Walking
Reading

Companionship Services

Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite activities and hobbies while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.

Common companionship services include:

Grocery Shopping
Transportation to Appointments
Nutritional Assistance
Conversation

Planning Outings
Completing Errands
Transportation to Community
Events and Social Outings

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Respite Care Services

According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy other activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress helps reduce the risks of caregiver burnout.

When it comes to non-medical home care, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible. If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.

Advanced Healthcare Technology

Benefits of Home Care in Spicewood, TX

Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care.

Age in Place

According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.

Peace of Mind

If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your senior family member is in expert hands.

Socialization

Unlike many senior care facilities where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.

Personalized Care Plan

No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our care plans are tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.

Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for clients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.

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Aging in Place: The Preferred Choice for Most Seniors

While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit.

In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a unfamiliar assisted living community, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.

Here are just a few of the reasons why older men and women prefer to age at home:

Comfort

How much does a senior's home truly mean to them? A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old. With the help of elderly care in Spicewood, TX, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.

Healthy Living

Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors. Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.

Independence

For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like an assisted living community. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.

Cost and Convenience

More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, can be less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.

With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care in Spicewood, TX gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.

Empowers Seniors

Affordable Care Plans

In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.

Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.

At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.

In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:

Veteran's Benefits

Aid and Attendance benefits through military service can cover a portion of the costs associated with in-home care for veterans and their spouses.

Long-Term Care Insurance

Many senior care services like in-home care are included in long-term care insurance options. Research different long-term care solutions to find a plan that provides coverage for senior care.

Private Insurance

Home care can be included as part of a senior's private insurance plan. Read over your loved one's insurance policy carefully or speak with their insurance provider to determine if in-home care is covered.

Life Insurance

Depending on the life insurance plan, you may be able to apply your policy toward long-term care. You may be able to use long-term-care coverage to help pay for in-home elderly care.

During your Care Plan consultation with Always Best Care, your Care Coordinator will speak with you about in-home care costs and what options there may be to help meet your budget needs.

Compassionate Care. Trusted Caregivers

When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.

Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.

At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Spicewood,TX understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.

Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.

Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.

Taking the First Step with Always Best Care

The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:

An assessment of your senior loved one

An in-depth discussion of the needs of your senior loved one to remain in their own home

Reviewing a detailed Care Plan that will meet your senior loved one's needs

Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.

If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.

When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.

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Take A Dip In Spicewood Springs In Texas For A Summer Adventure You Won't Soon Forget

We all have someone special in our lives who is absolutely smitten with the magic of travel. From outdoor enthusiasts and budget travelers to road trippers, frequent flyers, and luxury travelers, finding memorable gifts for travelers can be both exciting and challenging.Curated by our team of local travel experts with help from our readers, OnlyInYourState is excited to present our 2023 holiday gift guide for travelers. Featuring both budget selections and splurges, we hope to make your holiday gift-giving a breeze this year, bringing...

Curated by our team of local travel experts with help from our readers, OnlyInYourState is excited to present our 2023 holiday gift guide for travelers. Featuring both budget selections and splurges, we hope to make your holiday gift-giving a breeze this year, bringing wanderlust to your loved ones with more than 75 unique gifts for travelers – many of which are easily considered the best gifts for frequent travelers under $50. Check out our favorite travel gifts for your Christmas and holiday gift-giving this year.

Table of Contents

Gift Ideas For The Family Traveler

Traveling with a family can often feel like anything *but* a vacation. Luckily, with a little planning and some key must-haves hand-picked by OnlyInYourState family traveling pros, you can not only arrive at your destination sans headache, but even enjoy the journey with these travel necessities and gifts for families.

Gift Ideas For The Budget Traveler

The benefits of travel are well-known, but wanderlust can be quite pricey! Fortunately, some of the best travel products we’ve found are also the most budget-friendly — these are the kind of high-quality “musts” every traveler needs in their carry-on suitcase or minivan console!

Gift Ideas For The Road Trip Enthusiast

From unique gifts for solo travelers to gifts for retirees who travel full-time, the road trip enthusiast in your life is sure to love these one-of-a-kind gifts for road trip lovers.

Gift Ideas For The Beach Lover

Gift Ideas For The Outdoor Adventurer

Here at OnlyInYourState, we love little more than exploring the great outdoors. Whether your close friend is planning a bucket-list camping trip to a national park or you have a family member who enjoys weekly hiking excursions close to home, your favorite Outdoor Adventurer is sure to love these unique gifts for outdoor lovers.

Gift Ideas For The Frequent Flyer

Whether you have a jet-setting friend or are searching for the best gifts for business travelers, frequent flyers require the right gear, organization, and comfort during those long hours in the air.

Gift Ideas For The Luxury Traveler

If you’re the type whose wanderlust leads to the world’s most exotic locales, who likes to travel in style, and who appreciates high-thread-count sheets and bespoke concierge services, the following luxury travel gifts for her and luxury travel gifts for him are sure to please – and just might inspire you to book your next trip!

Honorable Mentions

Don’t see a gift suitable for the travel enthusiast in your life above? What about the weekend warrior? What about the best gifts for travel photographers, digital nomads, or solo travelers in your life? Read on for our gift selections for all of these travelers and more.

So, tell us, who are you most excited to shop for this year? Do you need even more help finding the best travel gifts for everyone on your list, or do you have a few travel essentials you think everyone should own? Whether it’s for a quick trip to New York or an adventure in Europe, share your recommendations in the comments, and we might add your gift idea to our next gift guide!

Spicewood home in flames after lightning strike: How you can protect your own home

SPICEWOOD, Texas (KXAN) — “We saw a really strong bolt of lightning… our feet were rumbling, it was so bad,” said Dan Lowe, who lives in the Spicewood neighborhood called The Summit at Lake Travis.A few minutes later, “somebody knocked on our door and said, ‘Hey, your neighbor’s house is on fire,'” Lowe recalled.He said the smoke turned into fire within minutes.“It just started getting worse and worse and worse, and pretty soon the attic was already falling apart bef...

A few minutes later, “somebody knocked on our door and said, ‘Hey, your neighbor’s house is on fire,'” Lowe recalled.

He said the smoke turned into fire within minutes.

“It just started getting worse and worse and worse, and pretty soon the attic was already falling apart before the fire department got here,” he said.

Pedernales Fire Department told KXAN Wednesday that lightning sparked a fire at the home, and the wind fueled it, resulting in a total loss. Fire officials said there were no injuries.

Wayne Harris lives nearby and said he saw the deciding lightning strike.

“I could tell the storm was really powerful; in fact, I’d been texting my dad that the storm had a lot of energy [and] the lightning was really, really powerful,” Harris said. “And not more than five minutes later, I actually saw this house get struck.”

He grabbed his drone and caught footage of Mother Nature in action.

“The house turned into an inferno, and the flames were going all the way from the house all the way to the other side of the street,” Harris said.

Lowe said his home is just 30 feet away from his neighbors’.

“If the winds were going the other way, our house would’ve been gone, too. So, we lucked out,” he said.

He said his neighbors are out of town.

“We were Facetiming them and showing them their house, and they were just flabbergasted that their house was… gone,” Lowe said.

Both Lowe and Harris now jolted into considering protecting their homes from a similar fate.

Mario Williams with Texas Lightning Rod Co. said the rule of thumb is: Lightning is lazy.

“Lightning finds the easiest way to get from the… cloud to the ground or vice versa,” he explained.

He said higher elevation is one risk factor.

“Elevation is a big one, and your elevation relative to other elevations in your vicinity,” he said.

Williams said other risk factors for lightning include if your home sits on some type of deposit of earth metals or if you live directly over an aquifer.

“If there are lots of lightning strikes in your area, when you see a storm or if your neighbors have been struck, then you can assume that you do have a higher than normal potential for lightning strike,” he said.

He recommended considering lightning protection, which means a system of poles and cables installed on the outside of your home.

“They help to first dissipate static electricity so that the structure is never hit. And then a secondary function is that they will route any lightning to the ground through the cables and points without allowing it to damage the structure,” he said.

10 Must-Visit Dining Destinations in the Texas Hill Country

The Hill Country — found just outside of Austin — is known for more than just wide-open spaces, stellar sunset views, and wineries. There’s plenty to devour just a short drive from the city limits. Find a varied culinary experience — rooted in Southern food with German and Mexican influences — among the live oak groves of Central Texas’s small towns, ranging from ...

Extend those Hill Country plans by exploring the area's best barbecue, pie, and winery options, or dig into the offerings within Fredericksburg, Dripping Springs, Johnson City, and San Antonio (essential and new)

This article was originally written by Jane Kellogg Murray.

Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

What you see is what you get at the Spicewood barbecue joint. The giant pit that greets you when you enter is full of succulent, fatty, and delightfully seasoned brisket. Or perhaps it’s the enormous pork chops, jalapeno-cheese sausages, or tender pork ribs that are more appealing. Whatever you order, pick up a few sides to go with it: a heaping serving of spicy corn, tater tot casserole, and the off-menu Coca-Cola cake. The restaurant is open for takeout and indoor dine-in services.

While the address’s original parent restaurant, the fine-dining destination Apis, closed permanently, its younger sibling pizzeria remains open on the six-acre property backed by the Pedernales River. The focus is wood-fired Neapolitan pizza with toppings ranging from house-cured wild boar salumi, loads of vegetables, melty cheeses, and more. Accompanying the pies are nice plates like oven-roasted cauliflower, nicoise salad, and pastas. Takeout orders can be placed online, and there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

On top of cuisine heavily influenced by Austin’s neighbors to the south, the Texas Hill Country has an overlay of German heritage thanks to the Old World immigrants who settled in this region in the mid-1800s. Get a taste of that Central Texas-German cuisine at the Fredericksburg restaurant, which boasts Ingrid Hohmann, a European-trained chef known for cooking up traditional German recipes like schnitzel, bratwurst, and made-from-scratch strudels and Black Forest cake. The restaurant is open for indoor dine-in service.

The Dripping Springs bakery courtesy of extremely talented baker/owner Abby Love is full of wonderful breads, pastries, and more. It’s even more delightful when you learn that the team makes use of grains created by next-door neighbor Barton Springs Mill. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

The social hub on the main square of the historic town of Blanco (a city featured in the Coen Brothers’s True Grit remake), the cafe satisfies its patrons with everything from burgers on jalapeno sourdough buns to wraps filled with roasted red pepper hummus and kalamata olives. Take time to browse through the adjacent gift shop, which sells pottery and products from the Redbud owners Jon and Jan Brieger’s family lavender farm. Takeout orders can be placed online or over the phone; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

This romantic eatery is a popular lunchtime spot, tucked on a quiet corner of downtown Wimberley along Cypress Creek. Fill up on sandwiches like the BBLT — applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and double-creamed French brie on toasted sourdough — and wood-fired pizzas, or heartier dishes like meatloaf with scallion mashed potatoes and roasted chicken with green chile-bacon grits. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

In the historic district of New Braunfels, the best thing to do after two-stepping at the state's oldest dance hall Gruene Hall is to do nothing at all while sitting on the porch overlooking the banks of the Guadalupe River. Stop in at the restaurant and pull up a bench on the open-air patio for great wings, quesadillas, chicken fried steak, and a cold beer. The restaurant is open for indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

The revitalized longtime German beer hall and restaurant in New Braunfels serves up plentiful draft beers, schnitzels, and sandwiches in its lively mostly alfresco space. The restaurant is open for indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

There must be a wormhole in Utopia because this no-frills cafe recalls a simpler decade. Housed in a historic building (built sometime before 1904), the place has been serving comfort food since 1986. An expansive menu has everything from patty melts on Texas toast to cheese enchiladas to big slices of fudge pecan pie.

Upscale food from a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef puts the utopia in small-town Utopia. The restaurant is set in a charming stone building amid 400+-year-old oak trees. Utilizing a European-style “guest table” service, chef Laurel Waters’s prix fixe restaurant is BYOB and only open on Saturdays for lunch and dinner. The menu often changes but expect dishes like chicken with mushrooms and artichoke hearts in puff pastry, served with fresh vegetables like pesto scalloped potatoes. The restaurant is open for reservations-only lunch and dinner dine-in services.

Preservation vs. development: Opinions differ on the future of Hill Country

SPICEWOOD, Texas. - Thomas Ranch plans to break ground on a 2,200-acre 3,500-home development in Spicewood this year.A fifth-generation Texan and managing director of Thomas Ranch, Joe Rentfro knows a great view in this state when he sees one.“It’s the highest point in the region where the two rivers meet,” Rentfro said. “We’re creating something that’s going to be for the enjoyment of future generations and residents.”Make no mistake, there are millions of dollars to be made in ...

SPICEWOOD, Texas. - Thomas Ranch plans to break ground on a 2,200-acre 3,500-home development in Spicewood this year.

A fifth-generation Texan and managing director of Thomas Ranch, Joe Rentfro knows a great view in this state when he sees one.

“It’s the highest point in the region where the two rivers meet,” Rentfro said. “We’re creating something that’s going to be for the enjoyment of future generations and residents.”

Make no mistake, there are millions of dollars to be made in this untapped region west of Austin. However, the Arete Collective overseeing the project believe it has a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach to their regional growth model.

“One thing we’re trying to bring to this is protection of open space and keeping vast amounts,” Rentfro said. “Open and green in perpetuity while we bring the development to life.”

Rancher and land steward turned conservationist, Ira Yates isn’t as easily moved.

“A little bit of development brings more development so you can’t stop it once you agree to start development,” Yates said.

A fellow Central Texan, his family has owned acreage in the Circle C area of Southwest Austin since the 1940s.

“The only way to preserve land is to buy it and restrict it from development,” Yates said.

Another option gaining some traction, Yates left a legacy as a 385-acre conservation easement.

“I can’t belittle people that develop their land, but I would encourage them to look at the options,” Yates said.

Only about 5% of the area is currently protected from development. Hill Country Alliance Executive Director Katherine Romans believes projects like this are scary propositions. The organization noted that the region has grown 50% in the past 20 years.

“Currently we just don’t have the ability to do the long-range planning and ensure development is protective of natural resources,” Romans said.

With key concerns such as water conservation, increased traffic, air pollution and habitat loss set to take center stage, advocates on both sides of this hill are preparing for the climb ahead.

“We need to be investing in our natural infrastructure and conservation just as fast as we’re developing,” Romans said.

New Lake Travis Community Library headed to Spicewood in 2023

The Lake Travis Community Library District announced the opening of a second library at 21209 Hwy. 71, Spicewood, in a press release Jan. 13.The new library will open within the year and will be built at the site of the former Spicewood restaurant Pizzeria Casa Nostra.The 5,000-square-foot building will be called Lake Travis Community Library West and will “provide essential library access for the ever-growing population of Bee Creek, Briarcliff,...

The Lake Travis Community Library District announced the opening of a second library at 21209 Hwy. 71, Spicewood, in a press release Jan. 13.

The new library will open within the year and will be built at the site of the former Spicewood restaurant Pizzeria Casa Nostra.

The 5,000-square-foot building will be called Lake Travis Community Library West and will “provide essential library access for the ever-growing population of Bee Creek, Briarcliff, Rough Hollow, Spicewood and Travis Settlement, as well as the Sweetwater and West Cypress Hills developments,” the press release said.

The library district saw a need for a new library due to the popularity of the book mobile, a mobile library Lake Travis Community Library offers with books, audiobooks, movies and TV shows for children and adults, according to the website.

The new library will provide access to materials including books, audiobooks, DVDs, Chromebooks and mobile Wi-Fi hot spots, the press release said.

“We will provide story times, book clubs, educational lectures, classes and, of course, materials to check out for all ages,” Library Director Morgan McMillian said. “Much like our bustling Lakeway location, we plan to offer a variety of programs like our popular one-on-one tech coaching, vibrant live music, exercise classes such as yoga, social and interactive games such as chess.”

There will also be a notary public and proctor, printing services, technology assistance and interlibrary loans, a service that allows guests to access books not available in the library’s collection.

“We are eager to expand our services to the western part of our library district,” McMillian said. “Children and families will now have the opportunity to regularly

visit a library close to home. Our hope is that the library’s enriching environment will encourage our youngest generation to become lifelong learners and readers.”

Community members are also encouraged to complete an online survey for the west location. The survey can be accessed online at here.

The Lake Travis Community Library has one location at 1938 Lohmans Crossing Road, Lakeway.

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