- The "Daytripper" is made possible by Rudy's, real Texas barbecue.

Shipping nationwide at rudys.com.

Karbach Brewing Company from Houston, Texas, makers of Karbach Lager, a beer that is proudly partnered with Don't Mess with Texas, please dispose responsibly.

Visit Georgetown, where big ideas meet small town charm.

Georgetown, the most beautiful town square in Texas.

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, protection and peace of mind for Texans since 1952.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick in Georgetown.

Making Texas road trips possible for over 50 years.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Texas True.

Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Texas' local bottler providing the Lone Star state with a variety of Coca-Cola products.

(upbeat rock music) - Just north of San Anton, things are booming, as folks lay new bricks on old Texas foundations.

We're gonna visit a bakery so sweet, it should be illegal.

We'll spend some time drifting down the old Guadalupe River and sip on some new and old Texas whiskey.

There'll be a PBJ burger along the way, seriously, as Team Daytripper attempts to challenge the locals to nine pin bowling.

Things will get a little batty, but let's take this bull by the horns.

Bulverde!

Bulverde!

Bulverde.

- This is for the calendar.

- All right, that's good.

(playful bluegrass music) (playful bluegrass music continues) (upbeat country music) - About 30 miles north of downtown San Antonio lies the berg of Bulverde, which has its own, albeit much smaller downtown.

Welcome to downtown Bulverde, which truthfully just barely exists right here at the corner of Bulverde Lane and Bulverde Road.

As if that's not confusing.

But this area was named after a guy named Luciano Bulverdo, who was one of the only folks who lived out here.

And truthfully, up until recent decades, most of this was just uninhabited country.

But San Antonio's moving in, and oh, they're moving in fast.

Technically the town has a population of less than 7,000 Texans, but it's got over 2 million neighbors living down the street.

It's sort of in the city.

However, when you see it from ground level, it still feels like a small country town.

You know, the kind with a little mom and pop bakery on the corner?

However, step inside the Hatch Cafe and Bakery, and you'll realize this ain't your typical mom and pop shop.

The Hatch turns out a mix of classic French pastries mixed with Mexican and Texan flair.

And trust me when I tell you, you won't find a better cup of coffee in town or a better breakfast/dessert of champions than the strawberry shortcake croissant.

Dessert first.

- Always.

- This is my kind of place.

- Always in this place.

- That way you make sure that you got room for dessert.

- You might need a fork.

- Ah, nah, we're going in like this.

- It's good?

- Oh, so good.

I could almost smell the butter in that thing before it made it into my mouth.

- It is a real butter croissant.

- Oh my gosh.

This is owner Catalina Ortiz, who grew up in Monterrey, Mexico, running around her parents' French bakery.

So did you grow up baking?

- I was not the baker, but we were the helpers.

I mean, I'm not a professional baker.

I'm a baker.

- Not a professional baker?

- Well, but you know, I mean, I had two professional baker sisters in Mexico, but I was an artist.

- Oh, that's- - At my beginning.

I used to paint.

- This is art.

- Yes, it's.

- This is absolutely art.

- I think food has to do with art too.

- Edible art is the best kind.

And while baking wasn't her profession, it became her destiny.

You opened this place how long ago?

- I opened it eight years ago.

- Eight years, how's it been going?

- Pretty good.

Pretty nice.

- Pretty nice, yeah.

- Awesome.

- Yeah.

- I mean, it's a dream.

It's a blessing.

- And now she's blessing Bulverde with not just pastries, but some of the best homemade breads and sandwiches your good money can buy.

Well, some of your sandwiches are creative.

- Yeah, I think so.

- I mean that's your artist brain sort of saying, "I got a cafe, but I'm also an artist."

- I guess also my foodie.

My foodie mouth, you know, my foodie brain.

- Okay, Catalina, I wanna see you do your thing in the kitchen.

- Okay, let's go do the ham and brie for you.

- Ham and brie?

- Ham and brie.

- But I gotta take this with me.

No croissant left behind.

We've hit the sweet spot.

Now time to hit the savory.

What, it looks like a ciabatta roll?

- It's more like a buttermilk bread, like a roll.

We have ham, we have brie cheese, we have a jalapeno jelly.

Now, if you wanna taste this, this is a jalapeno pesto.

That's good?

- I love pesto enough, and you just took it to the next level.

- It's between Mexico and Texas and a little bit of French brie, you know?

- (laughs) This is fusion.

- It's fusion.

- This is fusion cooking.

- It's sandwich fusion, yes.

The pesto.

- Okay.

- We'll do the apples.

This is gonna give it a fresh, crispy taste.

This is one of my best sellers.

- I cannot wait.

- Now tomato basil.

Great.

- We're eating good.

Here we go.

So good.

Everything in here is so gooey and creamy.

The bread is soft, and so it's just like this delicious grilled cheese, buttery magic.

And then you get to these like, crisp apple punches right in there, these bites of sweet crispness.

This is up there easily, Mount Rushmore of sandwiches I've ever had.

You got a little bit of France mixed with a little bit of Mexico mixed with a little bit of Texas.

I mean, that's three of our six flags right there, all in one cafe.

- So you thought you had dessert?

How about this?

- (laughs) This is awesome.

- French toast?

- I do love that woman.

I don't know what we're doing the rest of the day, but we gotta consider it canceled, 'cause I'm gonna need a nap.

Part of me wishes we had started here, 'cause I'm not gonna have room for this.

(mellow country music) Okay, so if you just saw the name of this town written, how would you pronounce it?

- Bulverde.

- You would've gotten it right?

- Well, yeah- - Most people don't.

Most people say like Bulvadeer or Bulvedre.

- I'm thinking from more of a Spanish point of view.

It it has verde.

- Bulverde, Bulverde.

See, I like to say it the French way.

- I went the French route, and I was, "Bulverd."

- I think the town should really make it clear.

They should just paint a bunch of green bulls and put 'em everywhere.

- Ooh.

- That's a Bull Verde.

Keep your eye out for the legendary Green Bull of Bull Verde.

Much like the Chupacabra, he's an elusive fella.

After that breakfast, I think some exercise is in order.

Now, one of the things that makes this area so special is the Guadalupe River.

And on its 400 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico, it passes right between Bulverde and Spring Branch, Texas.

And on its banks, you'll find one of the prettiest parks in Texas, Guadalupe River State Park.

This is park superintendent Brandon Lopes-Baca.

The best state parks are on rivers, am I right?

- I think so.

Water's a definitely a precious resource in its right.

- In the summer months, absolutely.

- Just remember, it's not a lazy river.

Some folks, every now and again think that they can go around in a circle on the Guadalupe River.

No.

- (laughs) Yeah, that's right.

- You have to hike back up.

- I've got a friend who might have made that mistake before.

And for those of y'all that prefer dry ground, well, don't overlook this place.

- Guadalupe River State Park altogether is about 2,000 acres.

It's just beautiful, hiking and biking trails, just some beautiful backcountry hiking in the hill country.

- Well, I brought my suit, and I'm opting for the wet side of things.

I also called Guadalupe Canoe Livery to set us up a little paddle starting just outside the park.

This is Chris Russo.

So what stretch are we doing today?

You're doing Nichols Landing to 281 Bridge.

It's a four-mile trip.

Approximately two hours, you'll be at the bridge.

Oh, that's like, perfect daytripping.

What do you think it is about the Guadalupe that makes it so special?

- It's pristine nature, lots of wildlife.

There's a big nice spring fed creek waterfall, a beautiful hollow with fern.

- That's right up our alley.

So let the adventure begin.

(mellow rock music) There's just something about being on a river underneath these big cypress trees.

This is a feeling you can't get on a highway.

And I don't care how far you travel, if you're on a road, you can't get this right here.

Rivers have their own pace.

You can work against it or slow down and let it carry you along.

And I think we'd all do better in life if we took the chance to match nature's pace rather than always feeling like we're paddling upstream.

All right, team, but one thing you have to keep your ear open for, rapids.

Oh, rapids ahead.

Rapids ahead!

(upbeat rock music) Not exactly class five, but still treacherous.

Oh, no!

Oh, no!

(group laughing) This is real bad.

You rammed that backwards.

Ah.

(laughs) All right, check this out.

This is Spring Branch.

It's a creek and tributary to the Guadalupe River.

Chris said about five minutes up this creek is a waterfall.

And some may say, "Don't go chasing waterfalls," but that's terrible advice when daytripping.

(dramatic music) And after our long, arduous journey, here it is.

It's a waterfall.

Water is falling.

I'm going in.

Because anytime you have a chance to swim in a Texas waterfall, you absolutely should.

(water splashing) Ah!

It's pretty fresh.

This is awesome.

You keep hiking up into the creek, you find more little pools and waterfalls.

It's like a little Jurassic Park oasis here.

And that, my amigos, calls for a full crew swim.

The perfect way to kill some time in the hill country.

Going down a river, I think is probably one of the best ways to see Texas.

- Nature's highway.

- It's a slower pace.

There's way less traffic jams.

- You just go with the flow.

Just like the river, you go with the flow.

- Daytripping is a bit like that too.

You sit back and see where the current takes you.

And right now we're about to get swept up in the currents of Rebecca Creek.

Founded in 2009, Rebecca Creek Distillery was an early entrant into the craft whiskey movement that's taken Texas by storm.

And from this distillery on Bulverde Road, they produced their signature bourbons, whiskeys, and vodkas and love rolling out a bit of Texas hospitality for all of us.

This is one of the original co-founders, Steve Ryan.

- Got a little something for you here.

It's our smoked old-fashioned with coconut pecan whiskey.

Texas Ranger.

- You're kidding me.

(laughs) Now that's a look right there.

- Cheers.

- Cheers.

(mellow country music) - That's good.

- Oh, that's really good.

- That's really good.

- What made you crazy enough to open a whiskey distillery in Texas?

- Well, there was a group of guys I went to A and M with and we were approached by Steve- - Oh, yeah, Aggies.

So crazy enough from the beginning.

- So as Aggies did, we talked about it over a campfire and said, "Well, you know what?

We drink a lot.

We might as well drinking our own stuff."

So that was kind of the first, it's first time being in business with your friends.

I realize they're pretty much idiots now.

(Chet laughing) But they say the same thing about me.

- Yeah, for sure.

And while Rebecca Creek does distill their own traditional bourbon whiskey, well, they've never been scared to experiment and break the rules, so to speak.

Sourcing barrels from other distilleries, infusing flavors, and ultimately forging their own path.

- You know, innovations I think are our key to doing, you know, the higher marks.

And just like who would've thought that taking a whiskey and infusing coconut pecan, it's our number one selling product here at the distillery.

- And as for the future of Texas whiskey, Steve's got thoughts.

- We're climbing that mountain every day though, and we're getting more accolades and more awards.

And Texas is a country of its own.

- Amen to that.

- So, we're producing better products and do more innovations.

We'll be at the top of the food chain.

- Yeah, cheers to that.

- Cheers.

(glasses clinking) - With live music, food trucks, and random bingo parties, we could hang here a very long time, but I wanna see where the real work happens.

This is Team VP, Andy Escalona.

- So Chet, this is our production facility over here.

- Very good.

- We do our distilling over here.

We do all of our bottling over here.

We do our labeling over here.

- Yeah, you've even got whiskey aging over here.

- Yeah, we do.

- It's the barrel barn.

- So what's the oldest stuff you got in here?

- About eight years old.

- Pushing a whiskey in a barrel to eight, nine years in Texas, that's like 20 years in Kentucky.

- They always talk about the angel's share in evaporation.

Well, Texas has some very thirsty angels over here.

So this is our still house.

This is Daniel, he's our head distiller.

- There you go.

- Thank you.

- What are we making today, Daniel?

- We're making vodka, man.

- Okay.

That's what's in here?

Smells like vodka.

- 178 proof.

- 178?

(laughs) - Yeah, go ahead and try it.

- (laughs) That's dangerous.

That does not burn like 178 proof.

- It's good, right?

- Oh my gosh.

So how many times does it go through this process?

- Well, each one of those little windows you see there is like another time distilled.

So you have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven times distilled.

We also frost filter our vodka.

So we'll bring it down to below freezing and shoot it through a number of filter presses, and that puts a finishing touch on our product.

- What's your favorite thing to distill on this?

Vodka or the whiskey?

I mean whiskey of course, right?

- (laughs) Yeah.

- I got some whiskey that's been aging over there for eight years, you wanna go try it?

- I'd love to, yes.

- All right, let's do it.

All right, Chet, well, these are some of the first barrels that I distilled here at Rebecca Creek.

You know, we're about to harvest them soon, so this will be their final resting place.

- Okay.

That is besides the final resting place these samples are about to find in my belly.

All right man, color's beautiful.

Cheers.

- Cheers.

- It's good.

- Delicious.

- It's good.

Aged wood, you're getting some leather, caramel, and rye.

Where would you be happening to sell those bottles?

'Cause I'm gonna need to come back and find one.

- (laughs) Yeah.

- Every tour at Rebecca Creek finishes up in one place, the tasting room.

I'm gonna pass some of these along for the crew over there.

- We can help you out.

- Yeah.

(laughs) - Let's just say that if you leave thirsty or uneducated on Texas whiskey, that's on you.

While Texas whiskey may still be in its adolescence, our next stop is well into its old, old age.

Going back into the middle ages of history, nine pin bowling, and here at Spring Branch Bowling Club, they take it very seriously.

Nine pin bowling is a little different to the rest of the world.

I know that's like what y'all do here in Spring Branch, 'cause you can't go to Dallas and nine pin bowl.

- No, no, uh-uh.

- You can't go to Houston.

Can't go to Brownsville.

- It's mainly like in Comal, Guadalupe, and Bexar, is nine pin bowling.

- This is a Annette Cass.

Her husband's family donated this land to build these lanes, because in these parts it's not just about the sport, it's about the community.

- They started bowling here, July of '69 was their first league, and they had 16 teams at that time.

- I see y'all even have y'all's own little hall of fame up here.

- Yes, we do.

- That's your husband.

- Yes, that's my husband.

- How long does it take for newcomers to understand how this works?

- It doesn't take long, I mean- - We're a little slow sometimes.

Yes, nine pins.

One less than traditional 10-pin bowling, but that's not the only difference about the rules.

To give us the rundown, maybe Linda Furnish can help.

- So you start out with all the pins up and the first bowler and if they get 'em all down, then they get a nine ringer.

- Is that a strike?

We call that a strike?

- A strike, yes.

- Okay.

- If you get 'em all down and leave that red one up, you get 12 points.

- Oh, all right.

- So you don't get a full rack until they all are are down.

You do this for six frames.

- Okay, this is fun.

- You wanna play?

- Absolutely.

- You're gonna need a team.

- Well, I know just where to find one.

(upbeat funky music) I'm recruiting new team members immediately.

Apply online.

One of the best parts of this, they don't make machines for nine pin, so it's old school score keeping and even older pin setting.

The competition seems pretty stiff today, led by local Andy Cruz.

Come here often?

- Yeah, I was asking where you ladies are from.

- Yeah, okay.

That's how it's gonna be?

All joking aside, any tips?

- Well, keep the ball out of the gutter.

- All right, all right, sounds easy enough.

The most unique thing is that any pins I leave standing, well, the guy or girl behind me on my team has to knock him down before we get a fresh set.

So this truly is a team sport.

(group cheering) There it is, there it is!

(group yelling) - Get two, Lance, get two.

- Just don't just don't do it again, or else you're good.

- Well hey, look, is that 24 to 24 after the first one?

- Call it beginner's luck.

- Oh, I don't know about that.

- Now we gotta swap sides.

- Oh, like tennis.

- We get the good lane.

- Oh, we'll see about that.

(suspenseful music) And another free lesson.

Ho, beer, oh, beer.

You could cut the tension with a knife.

There it is!

- Let's go.

- There it is.

- If we as a team can clean up everything but the red, that's 12.

Everyone is watching.

(dramatic music) (triumphant music) (group cheering and yelling) How do you like them apples?

- Good game, Chet.

You still lost by 50.

- What?

Yeah, I expected that.

I actually expected much worse.

The joy of victory is quickly swallowed by the agony of defeat.

Now, I'm not abandoning my team or this day trip, especially when there's still daylight to be had.

Our dinner spot definitely knows how to bring the party, the District on 46.

It's a collection of shops, food trucks, and outdoor relaxation.

The main anchor restaurant certainly knows how to bring the fun and the buns.

Here are Brent and Denise Schumann, the visionaries of this entire area.

Okay, what is this?

- That is the onion ring tower.

- It's like a Christmas tree.

- We take great pride in our onion ring.

Presentation's pretty good, but- - With like the tempura batter on it?

- Yeah.

- Oh, that show good.

So like, whose brainchild was this?

- It's really both of ours.

- Yeah.

- Part of this structure was there.

Part of the restaurant structure was there.

Part of the bathrooms.

It kind of looked like a campground.

- And so we saw it and looked at it and thought, "Man, we could do something with this."

- This could be a dog park burger coffee bar- - Exactly.

- Retail.

- No, it was way, completely different.

- So I understand Fun Buns started out here as a food truck, is that right?

- He actually came up with the name Fun Buns.

- Fun Buns, get your buns over here.

- I said, "Okay, here you go ladies.

You know, y'all use your creative minds and just do something fun with it."

And man, they killed it.

- And that's when they called in their chief food visionary and chef, John la Insalada, to give their buns a lift.

So what did you think when they called you to run a restaurant called Fun Buns?

- I was excited.

It was something that had, you know, a very unique name, and just the opportunity of something I've been working for my whole life of just creating new things and mixing it up, and now I get to put it all in one place.

- Yeah, were you always a burger connoisseur?

- Yes.

- Okay, yeah.

- Just, everywhere we go, I get a burger, my wife would get mad at me.

(Chet laughing) Even the nice places.

- John's quest to have the funnest buns in Texas has led to creations like this one, topped with a grilled pineapple and roasted red peppers.

The Cowboy has bacon and habanero jam, and that's not to mention the cheesesteaks or the milkshakes, but then there's the true especial de la casa.

- Well the big hitter is the famous PBJ bun.

It's a raspberry chipotle jelly with a crazy infusion peanut butter that I've come up with over the years.

With the cheddar, the cherry wood smoked bacon, and our sourdough bread, it just works.

Something you gotta try.

- That doesn't freak people out?

I mean, that- - Oh it does.

I tell 'em, I go, "Give it a couple bites.

Give it an honest try."

If they don't like it, I'll make 'em something different.

- Got it.

- I have not had one come back yet.

- I have no choice but to try it myself.

(upbeat country music) How do you like my buns, Daniel?

No comment.

Woo.

This is going to be an experience.

Hold onto to your buns.

That's amazing.

I'm not lying, that's incredible.

First thing, your mouth goes, "Oh, you're eating a cheeseburger."

And then about halfway through it, it goes, "No you're not, you're eating a peanut butter jelly sandwich."

This is the most fun my buns have had in a long time, folks.

All right team, one last stop, and we've timed this one out perfectly with the sunset, as we trip to see the largest concentration of mammals anywhere on earth.

Just 15 minutes down the road at Bracken Cave.

This is preserve director Fran Hutchins.

- So this is the largest colony of bats in the world.

We have around 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats.

- That's insane.

Put that in perspective for me, like- - Mexico City or Hong Kong have more than 20 million people living in the city, but this is inside five acres, this is the footprint of the cave.

- My goodness.

And there's people in San Antonio who don't even know this is here.

- We have people that live 10 miles from here that don't even know we have 20 million bats in their backyard.

They need to get out a little bit more, but that- - True, true.

When's the show start, roughly?

- So tonight we're gonna see the show around 7:40.

- Okay.

- Then we have the vortex of bats, we call the batnado, comes out every night.

- So here they come.

- Yep, there's our batnado.

- Folks travel from all over the world to see this happen every summer night, and it's right here in our backyard.

20 million winged friends heading off to eat over 140 tons of bugs every night that would otherwise be left to destroy our crops.

But beyond ridiculously useful, this is one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed.

Fly my batties, into the night.

We feast!

Our day trip is over, but the bat trip is just beginning.

They definitely won't eat as well as we did.

Their hands are too small to grip a ball or a paddle.

And I doubt they care about Texas whiskey.

And yet we both share this amazing place called Texas.

You know, I hope, in fact, I know they appreciate it as much as we do.

And it is finales just like this that keep me daytripping.

So I will see all y'all out on the road, Vaya con dios, amigos.

- The "Daytripper" is made possible by Rudy's, real Texas barbecue.

Shipping nationwide at rudys.com.

Karbach Brewing Company from Houston, Texas, makers of Karbach Lager, a beer that is proudly partnered with Don't Mess with Texas, please dispose responsibly.

Visit Georgetown, where big ideas meet small town charm.

Georgetown, the most beautiful town square in Texas.

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, protection and peace of mind for Texans since 1952.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick in Georgetown.

Making Texas road trips possible for over 50 years.

Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Texas True.

Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Texas' local bottler providing the Lone Star state with a variety of Coca-Cola products.