Back in the saddle

George Strait’s 220-acre Hill Country resort springs back after massive renovation

It’s certainly not oceanfront property, but country music legend George Strait hopes his refurbished resort in the Texas Hill Country will still leave visitors with a smile.

The 220-acre Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort, about 230 miles west of downtown Houston, reopened October 1, following a nearly two-year, multimillion dollar renovation. Highlights of the project include a new clubhouse and a refresh of the 111 guestrooms.

Strait, who lives near Boerne, co-owns the property with longtime friend and real estate developer Tom Cusick, as well as two corporate partners. Strait and Cusick bought the resort in 2011 after it went into foreclosure.

Strait says the resort’s future is “bright.” The Grammy winner, who released his first album in 1981, says he and Cusick “fell hard for the property in 2011 because it had so much potential and embodied what the heart of Texas is all about.”

“This is an exciting development for the resort and the community of Boerne, and I’m so impressed by what has been accomplished, thanks to the dedication, passion, and creativity of our team,” Strait tells CultureMap.

The resort will host a reopening party October 16 featuring a performance by country singer-songwriter Dean Dillon, as well as a steak-dinner buffet, an array of specialty cocktails, and the unveiling of the new clubhouse.

Designed by Dallas architect Nunzio DeSantis, the 47,000-square-foot clubhouse is a throwback to its predecessor, which a fire destroyed in 2017. The resort says the clubhouse’s modern design is “reflective of the resort’s Hill Country roots and contemporary first-in-class amenities essential to creating memorable experiences for all guests.”

The new clubhouse adds about 4,000 square feet of event space to the resort’s total. In addition, the clubhouse includes a 1,100-square-foot members-only fitness center.

Elsewhere on the property, the reconfigured Cibolo Ballroom expanded to 3,250 square feet, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the 18-hole golf course. Also, an “event lawn” was installed to increase the amount of outdoor space for gatherings, and the La Cascada Table & Bar restaurant was redesigned. Of course, the bar serves Strait’s Código 1530 brand of tequila.

Meanwhile, 111 guestrooms — including the two-bedroom George Strait Suite — were updated with furnishings and décor “inspired by the beauty of the destination.” The rooms promise to deliver “an authentic Hill Country escape,” the resort says.

“We are very excited to be reopening the resort and bringing it back to its place as the go-to destination in Texas Hill Country for leisure and group guests,” Caleb DuBose, managing director of Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort, says in a release.

DuBose works for Westport, Connecticut-based Northview Hotel Group LLC, which bought a majority stake in the resort in 2014 along with Houston-based Seis Holdings LLC. After the 2017 blaze, DuBose estimated it could cost at least $5 million to rebuild the scorched clubhouse.

The resort sits on 220 acres with Hill Country.

Rendering courtesy of Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort

The resort sits on 220 acres with Hill Country.

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REVIVING THE ALAMO

Texas landmark the Alamo reclaims historic cannon from private ownership

Photo by Gower Brown/ Unsplash

A 90-pound cannon used in the Battle of the Alamo is returning to its San Antonio home.

It turns out the Alamo's original 1836 cannons are good for more than just defense — they also make a sturdy birdbath. After serving as a garden ornament for Samuel Maverick’s descendants, an authentic piece of San Antonio history is finally returning home to the revered mission.

According to an Alamo announcement, the swivel cannon weighs 90 pounds and is approximately three feet long. The relic was originally found in 1852 when Maverick built a home near the northwest corner of the battle’s site.

The lawyer and land baron was saved from death when he was urged by William Barret Travis to ride to the Texas Declaration of Independence convention in Washington-on-the-Brazos to send reinforcements. Returning to the Alamo’s grounds, he found a cache of cannons buried where the Hotel Gibbs sits today.

From there, the cannon wound up at the Maverick family’s Sunshine Ranch on the Northwest Side, where it was eventually incorporated into the garden DIY project. In 1955, the cannon was removed from the ranch, and the current location remained a mystery until the Alamo received a call from a Maverick relative in Corpus Christi.

Alamo cannon This Alamo artifact gives an idea of what the cannon will look like once restoration is complete.Photo courtesy of the Alamo.

“The relative graciously donated the cannon to the Alamo,” wrote a rep from the mission. “Alamo Senior Researcher and Historian Kolby Lanham and Head Conservator Pam Jary Rosser drove down the very next day to take this piece of history home to the Alamo.”

Although the artillery is mostly intact, it is missing its trunnions (the pivot-point protrusions on the sides of the barrel) and cascabel (the knob and neck assembly at the rear of historic muzzle-loading cannons). The parts were removed by the Mexican army to make the cannon inoperable.

Once preservation is complete, this cannon and the Alamo Collection’s other battle cannons will make their way to the upcoming Visitor Center and Museum, where they will be joined by rocker Phil Collins' collection of Alamo artifacts. The Alamo is in the midst of a $550 million preservation project, which includes conserving the Alamo Church, Long Barrack, and the mission’s original footprint. The museum is on track to debut in late 2027.

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