Rest 'N' Roll

6 Texas getaways featuring Airstream accommodations for vintage vacation vibes

Fall is a great time for outdoorsy getaways, but sometimes nights can be too chilly to sleep in a tent. Airstream trailers provide the perfect retro-themed fall or winter vacation, but that doesn't mean you have to bring your own.

From West Texas to Wimberley, these locales offer unique vacation vibes — and are all just a road trip away.

El Cosmico
Billed as a hotel and campground for adventurers and wanderers, this funky Marfa property has yurts; safari tents; teepees; and several restored vintage trailers, including an Airstream. Owned by Austin-based Bunkhouse Group, the trailers come with eclectic furnishings, AC/heat, basic cooking supplies, a radio with wireless iPod connectivity, a stocked dry goods minibar, robes, locally made shampoo and conditioner, and “supplies for rolling your own herbal smoke.” The Airstream holds a king and a twin bed and has a cedar deck outside — perhaps the best place to enjoy that “herbal smoke.”

Lake Bastrop North Shore Park
This Lower Colorado River Authority park sports five Airstream campers, each sleeping up to four people, so bring all your friends. Each trailer has AC/heat; shower; restroom; linens and towels; and kitchens equipped with dinnerware and cookware, along with outdoor grills and firepits. The 182-acre park also offers watercraft rentals (canoe, kayak, stand-up paddleboards, Corcls); a fishing pier; hike-and-bike trails; a camp store; and, to keep in mind for warmer weather, an aquatic playground.

Mason
An Airstream parked on the banks of the Llano River near Mason accommodates up to three people with a double bed in the bedroom and sofa bed in the living area. Daily breakfast is included, along with AC/heat, linens, towels, fully equipped kitchen, washer and dryer. The 15-acre property where it sits has cliffs, swimming holes, a bat cave, and access to kayaking and fly fishing.

Matagorda Bay Nature Park
Located where the Colorado River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, this LCRA park has two miles of beach as well as coastal marshes and wetlands great for birdwatching and paddling. Kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, beach chairs, and beach wagons are available for rent. And, coming in December, you guessed it, two Airstreams for really high-class beach bumming.

Terlingua Ghost Town
Retro Rents in this famous ghost town has several Airstreams for rent: Josephine, Alice, and Rosie. Each comes with AC/heat, bath with linens, and fully equipped kitchen. Josephine has a full bed, Alice comes with twin beds, and Rosie has both twin beds and a single couch. Outdoor decks or firepits have a view of Big Bend National Park’s Chisos Mountains. The iconic Starlight Theatre Restaurant and Saloon are a short walk away, as is Espresso y Poco Mas, a café with great coffee, breakfast, and lunch.

Wimberley
Offered through VRBO, this Airstream rests on 10 acres along Smith Creek in Wimberley and includes a hot tub, firepit, charcoal grill, deck, and shower outdoors. Inside, it has a basic kitchen, small bath with shower, queen bed, Wi-Fi, TV, and a small library of Western movies (did we mention Airstream fans are quirky?).

This Airstream is housed on Smith Creek in Wimberely.

Courtesy of VRBO

This Airstream is housed on Smith Creek in Wimberely.

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Out to Pasture

Restorative new hotel and restaurant now open at historic Texas 'pastures'

Photo by Casey Dunn

Henry's gives a chic, updated look to an old property.

Mattie's at Green Pastures, a Southern restaurant on a historic property with famous peacocks, already felt like a retreat from the more urban parts of Austin. Now the property at 811 W. Live Oak St. has reached its hospitality potential with the addition of the Inn at Green Pastures, with 63 new guest rooms, a private pool, a lounge, a bar, and even a whole new restaurant called Henry's. Room reservations will open Friday, December 12.

The Green Pastures property in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood used to cover 50 rural acres, but now it's down to seven — still a healthy size considering its always-changing surroundings. The pièce de résistance is a 120-year-old Victorian farmhouse that was built by local minister and physician Dr. Eugene W. Herndon and later purchased by lawyer Henry Faulk, who moved his family in and ran the surrounding land as a farm.

By 1946, the owner's daughter Mary Faulk Koock and her husband, Chester Koock, turned the home into a restaurant — the first racially integrated restaurant in Austin, according to Green Pastures — and more family members stewarded the property until it was sold by a local investment group of more than 100 members in 2015. The restaurant became Mattie's in 2017.

The biggest news for Austinites is the new restaurant, which will be open day-to-night for morning coffee service, snacks, full meals, and cocktails. For now, it's just open from 4-11 pm, and will open in its full capacity starting December 12.

Foodies can still get the famous mini-biscuits from Mattie's, plus hot smoked salmon on a bagel, a hotdog with relish, a burger using beef from Grassfield Farm in Hondo (about 50 miles west of San Antonio), and grilled redfish with German potato salad. These dishes will be served in the restaurant as well as to guests in their rooms. Small plates like charcuterie boards and oysters will be available at the pool.

Henry's at Green Pastures hotdog Not everything at Green Pastures is fancy.Photo by Jessica Stephens

Cocktails aren't relegated to the nighttime hours. Guests can order a breakfast martini with gin, red berry liqueur, lemon and strawberry jam; then they can come back at lunch or dinner for a Hugo Spritz or a signature cocktail. Draft cocktails like an Artemis Cup, Back Porch Tea, and Espresso Martini keep things simple and can be served without alcohol.

For travelers and staycationers, the guest rooms and nine suites in the newly constructed, three-story hotel offer a "quiet, restorative retreat," according to a press release. Both room styles show off high ceilings and windows that maximize that height, plus hardwood floors, marble sinks, anddeep bathtubs. The suites are all named after wildlife that might be found on the property, and the building is shaped like an "L" to work around existing live oaks. Even parking is out of the way, hidden underground.

Inn at Green Pastures guest rooms The guest rooms keep things simple and serene.Photo by Casey Dunn

The new structure was designed by the highly regarded local architecture firm Clayton Korte. Its many recognizable projects include other historically sensitive builds, like major renovations just announced in November at Austin's Paramount and State Theatres. On the interior, local design studio Noah Marion is responsible for leather goods around the property including catchall tray, decor, games, apparel, and more that will all be for sale to guests.

Completing the resort feel, a luxury spa is planned for a 2028 opening.

Finally, the property will also be available for events, including weddings, with access to its gardens, event hall at Mattie's, and Green Pastures ballroom. A cottage also provides a space to get ready for the events to come.

Inn at Green Pastures The new addition looks nothing like the Victorian farmhouse it accompanies.Photo by Casey Dunn

“The Inn at Green Pastures is our way of offering guests a deeper connection to this special place,” said Jeff Trigger, chairman of the investor board and president of La Corsha Hospitality Group, in a press release. “Whether you're here for a wedding, a quiet getaway or drinks at Henry’s, we want every stay to feel personal, elevated and rooted in the beauty of Austin.”

Rooms at the Inn at Green Pastures start at $395.

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