’Tis the season for creepy, spooky stories — and we’ve got the 411 on haunted Hill Country places, spaces and specters.
With such a rich, complex history, the Texas Hill Country is a prime destination for travelers as well as a beloved place many of us call home. But are some of those other visitors and residents other worldly?
Whether you set out to explore them individually or tuck stops into your next daytrip, these haunted Hill Country sites are worth checking out.
Baby Head Cemetery – Llano
Situated north of Llano about nine miles, the reportedly haunted cemetery’s name reflects local lore. As the story goes, a small child was killed in the 1800s, the murderer leaving the remains on a nearby hill. The cemetery shares its name with a creek and a now-gone pioneer community.
Devil’s Backbone Tavern – Wimberley
This legendary roadside honky tonk between Blanco and Wimberley is said to be built atop a Native American graveyard near a reported Civil War skirmish. Folks report hearing sounds of horse hoof beats and the cries of a grieving woman.
Driskill Hotel – Austin
This historic site has much to recommend it to travelers, including a prime location in the heart of Austin. In fact, some souls, it’s said, have a hard time taking their leave of it.
Chief among those is cattleman Jesse Driskill, who opened the hotel in the 1880s. He had to part with his hotel for financial reasons. Now, he’s said to lurk around, smoking a cigar and fiddling with the lights.
Enchanted Rock – Fredericksburg
This famous granite dome is a fixture in several local legends, mostly featuring Native American history and lore.
As tempting as it may be to believe them — giving the natural form’s eerie beauty — the Handbook of Texas makes good points: “The Indian legends of the haunting of Enchanted Rock were probably bolstered by the way the rock glitters on clear nights after rain, and by the creaking noises reported on cool nights after warm days. Scientists have since theorized that the glittering is caused either by water trapped in indentations in the rock’s surface or by the moon reflecting off wet feldspar, and the creaking noises by contraction of the rock’s outer surface as it cools.”
Faust Hotel and Brewing Co. – New Braunfels
According to a 2016 news report, it’s not unusual for Faust’s employees and guests to encounter spirits — and not just in the on-site bar. Thinking yo’d like to sleepover? The second and fourth floors are said to be especially active.
Frio River – Concan
Oh, sure, Dallas has the famous lady of White Rock Lake. But did you know that Maria Juarez, who perished when a love triangle turned deadly on the Frio’s riverbank, is said to have appeared to visitor and locals?
Or is that just a ghostly mist coming up from the river’s cool waters?
Gery Witches – San Marcos
Legend has it that a French mother (Genevieve Gery) and her daughter (Isabelle) settled in New Spain during the 1600s. Accused of witchcraft by Catholic missionaries, the women were allegedly treated savagely and murdered — all while declaring their innocence. Today they’re said to roam the San Marcos riverbank.
Grey Moss Inn – Grey Forest
Tucked into trees in this tiny community outside San Antonio, Grey Moss Inn began as a cluster of cabins in this erstwhile resort community. Founded by Mary Howell in the early 1920s, the restaurant became a round destination for gourmet fans. Mary is rumored to hang around. Customers and staff have said they’ve caught sight of a mysterious woman and smelled her signature rose perfume. (Note: The restaurant appears to have closed during the pandemic, but you can still see the property on the roadside.)
Hwy 281 – Johnson City/Blanco
It’s not unusual to encounter online stories about hitchhikers begging for rides. Invariably, they reveal a long knife in time just in time for their would-be victims to escape. And on the stretch between Johnson City and Blanco, there’s one such tale featuring a hanged man named Lackey.
The Kendall – Boerne
This beautiful luxury hotel in downtown Boerne, formerly Ye Kendall Inn and long one of our favorite romantic hotels, is haunted by multiple ghosts, including former owner and guests. There are other ghosts in Boerne, too, including the man from whom The Dienger is named.
The Menger Hotel – San Antonio
The Menger is to San Antonio what The Driskill is to Austin: beautiful, iconic and haunted. Just steps from the Alamo and near the Riverwalk, this historic hotel is the city’s most famous ghostly playground. Staff and guests alike tell hair-raising stories, and the hotel’s marketing team has been known to lean into the stories by putting together haunted getaway packages.
Old Man Scary Cellars – San Saba
The charming San Saba tasting room itself isn’t haunted, but the wine company takes its name from an old house on the owners’ East Texas family land. There, long ago, a murder occurred. An evil spirit, christened “Old Man Scary,” stuck around.
We can’t vouch for the story, but the wine is quite good. And what Hill Country story would be complete without mention of a winery?
Woman Hollering Creek – St. Hedwig
Just outside of San Antonio is a creek is named for a grieving woman who has lost her child. If you’re familiar withLa Llorona, a fixture of Spanish folklore, and linguistics, then you’ll see the similarities between the story and the name.
