4 Best Sights in Stonewall, The Hill Country

History buffs will enjoy wandering through the rooms of Lyndon Baines Johnson's boyhood home in Johnson City, where every effort has been made to restore the home to its 1920s appearance. LBJ lived here from the age of five until his 1924 high school graduation, and the house gives an insightful look into the 36th president's childhood and how he grew into the man he became. It's part of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, which also includes the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall.

It's easy to feel confused, but the LBJ State Park & Historic Site and the LBJ National Historical Park, both of which honor President Lyndon Baines Johnson, are technically separate entities that operate in conjunction with each other. Here you'll find the World War I–era Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm, historic cabins and trails, and the adjacent LBJ Ranch, which includes the family cemetery, where the 36th president is buried, and the Texas White House, the home where LBJ and his wife, Lady Bird, lived before and after his presidency and often returned to during his time as the nation's leader. A self-guided tour of the ranch begins at the visitor center, and afterward you can hike the many park trails, fish the Pedernales River, picnic, and even take a dip in the pool during the summer.

Winemaker Krystal Patel grew up making wine in the cellar with her grandmother, and turned part of her fifth-generation family ranch into a vineyard and tasting room in a former barn in Stonewall. You can taste her award-winning small-batch wines—reds are the specialty—and learn about the region's history through her fascinating family. (Her grandfather invented an "airship" in the 1860s, 40 years before the Wright brothers.) If you’re up for a bite, ask about a cheese board to accompany the wine tasting.

A sixth-generation family-run boutique winery, Pedernales Cellars offers sustainably grown, 100 percent Texas grapes and specializes in Spanish- and Rhone-style wines. The winery sits on 145 acres with bucolic views of the Pedernales River Valley, and tastings and cellar tours are offered.