Bandera: The Cowboy Capital of the World

by Eleanor S. Morris

Looking for cowboy country? Bandera, Texas, is the real thing: rodeo Friday night, dude ranches and real working ranches, honky-tonks and barbeque, spurs and chaps and horses everywhere. At the last count, Bandera had thirteen dude ranches, five motels, and too many bed-and-breakfasts to count, in addition to a grand selection of tasty restaurants, shops, and honky-tonks where Saturday night dances offer popular western tunes for Texas two-steppin.'

Nobody is sure how Bandera, town and county, got the name. "Bandera" is Spanish for flag. There were many Indian battles in what is now called Bandera Pass, and a General Bandera was sent to take care of this. Were town and county named for him, or for the banner that was raised in 1732 as a reminder of the Spanish-Apache Treaty of the Year?

Never mind, just know that you'll be surrounded by the romance of the Old West here. Main Street looks just like the streets you see in old Western movies, with signs such as Trading Post and O.S.T. Restaurant underneath the wooden roof shading the sidewalk. (OST stand for Old Spanish Trail, which ran through town once upon a time.)

The Bandera County Courthouse on Main between Pecan and HackberryStreets, built in 1890, has a cupola that dominates Bandera's skyline. The bronze monument on the courthouse lawn is dedicated to the champion cowboys of the county, backing up the town claim of "Cowboy Capital of the World." If you're lucky, you might come upon an impromptu music concert and lunch on the courthouse lawn. "You never know what you might find in Bandera," says Patricia Moore, spokesperson for the city.

Play at a dude ranch like the Mayan, the Dixie Dude or the Twin Elm or any of the others. They all take wonderful care of their dudes. Or stay in town at a historic Bed and Breakfast like the Mansion, in a historic limestone mansion just one block off Main Street, where host Cooper Barnett, a certified chef, just might serve you a gourmet breakfast of Eggs Benedict.

Since this is the "Cowboy Capital of the World," you won't find a fancy restaurants with dim lights, white tablecloths, vases of roses on the tables. No tuxedo waiters and violin music, either. But from cozy cottages to duderanches, how romantic to watch a glorious Hill Country sunrise with your loved one. Then, go exploring the hills on horseback, or afoot and holding hands. Next, a Tex-Mex chuck wagon lunch at the O.S.T. or Southwestern-style fare at the Fool Moon Cafe and Coffee House, both on Main Street.

Then, of course, it's time for an afternoon nap. Catch the sunset before heading to dinner. If it's a Friday night, Lightning Ranch's Bones' Backyard Grill serves up entertainment with your deliciously grilled chicken or steak: musician John Focke might be strumming away up on the stage. If you want a special gourmet dinner just for two, give Cooper a call over at the Mansion and see what culinary treat he'll devise for you.

Then head downtown town to dance the night away cheek to cheek to some great country western music at Arkey Blues Silver Dollar or the Cabaret Cafe and Dance Hall, also both on Main. After all, what's a Western cowboy town without a honky-tonk, the whang of a steel guitar and the wail of a fiddle telling the tale of a forlorn broken heart? Arkey and the Blue Cowboys set boots to scootin' on the sawdust-covered floor. Add a wall full of neon beer signs, a pool table, and long tables where you can sit and sip a cool beer between numbers, and you have pure Texas.

The Cabaret Cafe and Dance Hall has been featuring well- known country-western names on weekends for more than fifty years. (The town's population is around 900 folks, so except for the dudes, you won't run into a crowd.)

Old West history? Everything from bells and bullets to bottles and branding irons form the collection of the Frontier Times Museum on Main Street, dating from 1927. There's an entire roomful of cowboy lore--and great souvenirs, too.

Shops along Main Street and just off are chock-full of western souvenirs and gear. And Love's Antique Mall not only has antiques, several folks have set up shop there, making furniture out of cedar and old barn wood. Old West Imports stocks both Mexican and Indian art. Pottery, rocks, jewelry, serapes, Guadalajara glassware, Mayan figures and more.

You can't hardly get more Old West than in the "Cowboy Capital of the World."

For more on Bandera, see www.banderacowboycapital.com