This Underrated Texas Lake City Offers Tropical Vibes, World-Class Golf, And Family-Friendly Charm

Under an hour's drive from Austin, the lakefront community of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, is an overlooked destination with a surprisingly tropical vibe. Located just west of one of the prettiest swimming holes in Texas — and less than 60 miles from Austin's International Airport (ABIA) — arriving at Horseshoe Bay on Lake Lyndon B. Johnson brings you to a completely new side of the Lone Star State. It's hard to believe that a bayside town in the Texas Hill Country, adorned with palm trees and clear blue waters, has only about 5,000 year-round residents, but the secret isn't very safe as the Horseshoe Bay resort community grows.

Horseshoe Bay's positioning in the Highland Lakes region allows Lake LBJ to enjoy a rather unique constant level that is ideal for developing and maintaining the most luxurious of homes along the miles of shoreline. The Texas Hill Country landscape combines with a lake life culture built for vacationers. Add in a world-class golf resort destination on the water, and it's clear that Horseshoe Bay is becoming a desirable playground for Texans and travelers from all over to explore.

Naturally, Lake LBJ is named for former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Texas native who had a home on the lake during and after his time in office. The lake stretches up to 2 miles wide and runs northwest for over 85 miles, beginning at Horseshoe Bay. Due to its geographical location (and the lake's storage), there is no room for extra water intake, hence why it remains at a mostly constant level throughout the year. As Central Texas regularly works through drought conditions and hot summers, Lake LBJ has proven itself a reliable lake destination for boaters and water sports enthusiasts.

The constant level also allows for Horseshoe Bay residents to display a very unique architectural feature on lakefront properties: boat driveways for homeowners. Whether visiting Horseshoe Bay for a lake life vacation or staying at the resort, boat rentals and tours are available year-round. Coast through posh alcoves like Applehead Island, where residents pull boats of all sizes into the water-level driveways and boathouses attached to multimillion-dollar homes. With properties along the water shaded by palm trees, it more so resembles the tropical Texas scenery found along the Gulf Coast.

The Horseshoe Bay Resort is the cornerstone of the community, sitting on the southern shores of the lake just a few miles off of Highway 71 that connects Austin to the Hill Country. The resort's primary tower contains 250 rooms, with additional suites, villas, and private homes for groups of any size. The family-friendly setting of the resort features several pools, daily activities, and a Jungle Kids Club in the heart of the property. The resort's Whitewater Putting Course is made with real grass for an authentic mini-golf experience, and the white sand beach and floating obstacle course will keep everyone out in the Texas sun.

Resort pools, including a floating pool, offer tasty bites and cocktails for the adults to savor paradise, and there are several restaurant concepts scattered throughout the resort. For those looking to see Horseshoe Bay from out on the water, take a sunset cruise on a pontoon boat or rent a jetski to glide around the lighthouse at the center of Lake LBJ. One particularly Instagram-worthy moment for visitors and residents is the annual Balloons Over Horseshoe Bay Festival in April, which draws comparisons to the world's largest hot air balloon fiesta in Albuquerque.

Wherever you are on the property, there is always an opportunity to golf. The resort boasts three championship courses for guests and a fourth for resort members. Most notably, the par four 14th hole at the Slick Rock course is known as the "Million Dollar Hole" for its jaw-dropping waterfall facing the tee box. Additionally, the resort offers a Golf Academy with Callaway Golf to keep golf games sharp for visitors and guests. No matter what type of vacation you choose at Horseshoe Bay, it will be doing what you love.