Corporate Team-Building Retreat in Texas Hill Country: 7 Proven Steps
A corporate team-building retreat in the Texas Hill Country can ...
Things to do in Burnet, Texas span an outsized amount of outdoor recreation for such a small town. Burnet sits at the center of Texas’s Highland Lakes region, where five lakes, miles of hiking trails, a working cave system, and some of the state’s most storied ranch land all converge within a short drive of each other. It’s a small-town square surrounded by an outsized amount of outdoor recreation — nearly a third of Burnet County’s land mass is water, and the surrounding hills hold everything from mountain biking parks to century-old caverns.
Here’s a practical guide to the best things to do in Burnet, Texas, organized by the kind of trip you’re planning.
Inks Lake State Park and Longhorn Cavern State Park anchor the outdoor scene, the Vanishing Texas River Cruise covers Lake Buchanan’s eagle habitat and scenic bluffs, Reveille Peak Ranch and Spider Mountain Bike Park cover mountain biking and climbing, and local wineries like Perissos Vineyards round out the wine-country side of the region. For a more private, upscale experience, Burnet County is also home to premier hunting ranches — including Ketterman Ranch — that pair guided exotic-game hunting with luxury accommodations and gourmet cuisine.
Burnet County includes five recreational lakes, which is why the broader region carries the nickname the Highland Lakes. Lake Buchanan, stretching roughly 30 miles, supports boating, jet skiing, kayaking, and fishing, and is also home to the Vanishing Texas River Cruise, a scenic and ecological tour that takes in the lake and the Colorado River, with opportunities to spot bald eagles in season.
Inks Lake offers a smaller, quieter alternative, known for catfish, crappie, and bass fishing. Lake LBJ, about 30 minutes from Burnet, adds another 21 miles of shoreline with campsites, cabins, and hiking trails along the water. Marinas and outfitters throughout the county make it easy to rent boats, kayaks, or paddle boards without bringing your own gear.
Spider Mountain Bike Park, located in Burnet, is the only year-round, lift-served bike park in the United States, drawing serious mountain bikers for its gravity-defying downhill trails. Reveille Peak Ranch offers a broader mix of outdoor adventure, including mountain biking trails, hiking, scuba training in its reservoir, and an outdoor events pavilion, making it a flexible stop for groups with varied interests.
For anyone drawn to motorized off-roading, Hidden Falls Adventure Park offers ATV and dirt bike trails across a large stretch of terrain, rounding out Burnet County’s reputation as a genuine outdoor recreation hub rather than just a scenic drive-through.
Burnet has developed a real presence in Texas wine country, anchored by Perissos Vineyards and Torr Na Lochs Vineyard & Winery, both offering tastings in a Hill Country setting. Downtown Burnet and nearby Marble Falls add a strong local dining scene, with the Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls and Bill’s Burgers in Burnet frequently cited as local favorites worth building a stop around.
Spring visitors should plan around the Bluebonnet Festival, held each April in Burnet, a wildflower celebration and parade that draws crowds from across the Hill Country during peak bloom season.
The historic Austin Steam Train, also known as the Hill Country Flyer, offers a leisurely rail trip through the surrounding Hill Country landscape — a relaxed, scenic option for visitors who want to take in the region without hiking or driving themselves. Paired with the Vanishing Texas River Cruise on Lake Buchanan, it’s possible to cover a meaningful stretch of the area’s scenery without setting foot on a trail.
Burnet County’s wide-open land has made it one of Texas’s premier destinations for guided hunting, and the region is home to several private ranches offering exotic-game hunting alongside upscale lodging. Ketterman Ranch, a 1,228-acre property between Marble Falls and Burnet, is one of the area’s standout options, pairing guided hunts across more than 40 exotic species with a 14,000-square-foot Main Lodge, a pool and lake, and amenities including a fitness center, pickleball and tennis courts, and a skeet range.
Unlike most attractions on this list, Ketterman Ranch operates as a private, members-only property rather than a public destination — access runs through membership or a limited number of private event bookings, rather than a walk-up visit. For travelers specifically interested in Burnet County’s hunting-ranch tradition, it’s worth knowing that this kind of experience exists alongside the region’s public parks and lakes, even if it isn’t something every visitor can book directly.
Burnet’s downtown square carries its own appeal beyond restaurants and shops, with historic buildings scattered throughout the town that reflect its frontier-era roots. The Fort Croghan Museum, built on the site of a 19th-century U.S. Army fort, gives visitors a window into the region’s early history, with preserved structures and exhibits covering the area’s settlement period. For visitors interested in Texas history beyond the outdoors, pairing a stop here with a walk through downtown Burnet’s courthouse square rounds out a trip that might otherwise focus entirely on lakes and trails.
Beyond the springtime Bluebonnet Festival, Burnet County hosts a handful of other seasonal draws worth checking against travel dates. Utopiafest, a boutique music and camping festival, takes place in October and draws visitors from across the state. The Walkway of Lights in nearby Marble Falls runs from November through December, stringing millions of holiday lights along the lake for a distinctly different kind of evening activity than the area’s daytime outdoor recreation. Checking the local events calendar before booking a trip can turn a standard visit into one built around a specific seasonal draw.
Free and low-cost options are easy to find throughout the county as well — a scenic drive along RM 1431, a stroll through the historic courthouse squares in Burnet or nearby Marble Falls, and public lake access points for a picnic all cost nothing beyond the drive itself, making Burnet a workable destination for a budget-conscious day trip as much as a longer, amenity-heavy stay.
Delaware Springs Golf Course in Burnet is regularly cited among the best public golf courses in the Hill Country, giving golf-focused visitors a reason to build a round into an otherwise outdoor-heavy itinerary.
For visitors with a single day to explore, a workable order looks something like this: start with a morning tour of Longhorn Cavern State Park, head to Inks Lake State Park for a picnic lunch and early afternoon swim at Devil’s Waterhole or a kayak rental, and close the day with dinner at a local favorite like Bill’s Burgers in Burnet. Visitors with more time can easily extend this into a two- or three-day trip by adding a lake cruise, a winery stop, and a mountain biking session at Spider Mountain or Reveille Peak Ranch.
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