Location: Mason
Top Things to do in Mason
The 7 Best Things to Do in Mason, United States
Mason is the seat of Mason County, Texas, United States. The town is an agricultural community on Comanche Creek southwest of Mason Mountain, on the Edwards Plateau and part of the Llano Uplift. The population was 2,114 at the 2010 census.
Restaurants in Mason
1. Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve
Overall Ratings
5 based on 18 reviews
One of the largest bat nurseries in the country, inhabited by about four million females from May to October.
Reviewed By Jan A - Mason, Texas
This is a great experience to see thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats exiting their caves for their nightly meal of thousands of insects. You'll learn a lot about the bats from the knowledgeable Mason "bat lady"! Fun for the whole family. You will need to walk a good distance on hilly, rocky soil so be prepared and wear comfortable shoes and clothes!
2. Sandstone Cellars Winery
Overall Ratings
5 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By Jan A - Mason, Texas
Excellent variety of Texas wines; can also get "winearitas" which are really good (strawberry or lemonade). They have a great appetizer available with various cheeses, breads, meats, olives, nuts, etc. or you can order from Santos Taqueria next door (great food) and they'll deliver it to the wine bar.
3. Fort Mason
Overall Ratings
4 based on 15 reviews
Reviewed By capitollover - Austin, Texas
Only a replica of the Officer's Quarters turned into a mini museum stands on the site of Ft. Mason in present-day Mason, Texas. But, it is well worth the visit to learn the history of this "temporary" outpost built to protect the German immigrant settlers from the Comanche indigenous to the area.
20 officers posted at Ft. Mason went on to become generals in the American Civil War, 12 for the Confederacy and 8 for the Union. This postings was the last U.S. Army posting for Robert E. Lee before he led the Confederate Forces.
Looking down on the town of Mason, it is easy to see why this site was chosen for defense of the area.
There is no charge to visit the museum, and only 1 room is accessible. You turn the light on when you enter in order to read the information, and off when you leave.
It is atop "post hill" overlooking the town.
4. LLano River Region Adventures
Overall Ratings
5 based on 6 reviews
We cater to the needs of adventure tourist and also those wanting a less arduous experience. We provide kayak and canoe guiding, rentals and shuttles for the scenic and tranquil Llano River and also lead biking hiking, birding, bat cave, history, wine-tasting and will custom build an adventure tour for the needs of you ad your groups. Our specialty is the intimate, small group experience.
Reviewed By Lydia S - Fort Worth, Texas
It's amazing that such a pristine stretch of river is so very close to Austin and San Antonio. Tony was an awesome guide and helped us relative paddling newbies feel comfortable on the river. It was a mostly easy paddle with a few challenging spots along the way. We paddled about 5 miles of the river and from the time we put in to when we got out at James River crossing, we saw very few people, houses or any other signs of development. So refreshing and peaceful! The Llano is a treasure and we're so glad we slowed down to experience it this way. You should, too!
5. Seaquist House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By texasrepublichistory - Dallas, TX
The Seaquist House or Mansion was finished in 1896. It sat empty for ten years, until 2015, when it was purchased by the Seaquist House Foundation for restoration as a Texas Historical Site. The three-story house includes 22 rooms and 15 fireplaces and the upper floor included a ballroom and game room with pool table and card tables. The building is still in the early stages of clean-up and restoration, with much left to do before its anticipated use as a multi-use event center. The beautiful exterior includes wrap around porches and interesting hand-carved limestone blocks. Inside, the third floor's unique "ballroom" really caught my interest. Inside details include original decorative woodwork and door fixtures. I was able to arrange a special tour by calling the President of the Board of Directors for the foundation. Currently, I believe that the house is open for tours on the first Saturday of the month during the Spring. Best to call the foundation or check with the Chamber of Commerce for more details. There is a small fee for the tours. Recommended for Texas history buffs interested in historic homes.
6. Mason Resale Barn & Thirft Store
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
At Mason Resale Barn we are here to help you! We pickup, deliver and ship! Furniture, Clothing & Home Decor! We specialize in quality. Donations are always appreciated! When possible we donate a percentage to the local Cancer Benefit as we have both lost a loved one to cancer. We have a little of everything and there is always something new coming in! If you would like more information please contact us and let us help you today!! We have added to our services this year! Residential & Commercial Pressure Washing for the Hill Country! Stay with us at Studio 310 our new Bed & Breakfast just off the Mason Square!
Reviewed By fussywren - Midland, Texas
I always find really nifty items at Wesley's store. I make it a point to stop there and shop. Way cool
7. Baringer Hill Minerals - Private Tours
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By naturegirl94 - San Antonio, Texas
Like many other people across the U.S., I've found myself captivated with the Weather Channel's reality show, "Prospectors," which features several rock hounds on the hunt to find gems. It wasn't long before a few Google searches informed me that blue topaz had been found on several ranches in Mason, TX. I was ready to go! However, as a total rock hounding newbie, I had no idea where to even start looking, what to do, or what topaz would look like in the rough. A minerals forum led me to a local man, Frank R., who leads groups out to several locations to look for different types of rocks. I was most interested in taking one of his trips to a ranch (where he has a lease) near Mason to look for topaz, strawberry quartz, and fluorites (see http://www.baringerhill.com/home, specifically, the Emerald Ridge link).
So, we went and had a most enjoyable day. I think that Frank and the gang do a very good job of trying to manage expectations on their website (the trip went "as described"), but here's a bit more first-hand information about topaz hunting and the rest of the trip.
First, before going, it's not a bad idea to do a little research on how to rock hound -- at least to the extent of reviewing pictures of the types of rocks you're looking for, and where these rocks tend to be found (i.e., do you have to chip them out, can you find them on the ground, etc.). I think I expected that we'd be given more instruction than we were. We met our trip leaders at the local Dairy Queen and then caravanned out to the dig site. Once there, we were given small buckets (to contain our dig limit) and basically set loose. That's probably the one suggestion I'd give to the tour operators. More instruction for newbies, like me, would've been ideal and very much appreciated. Further, it would've been nice if the trip operators had brought samples of each of the different types of rocks found out there -- just so you had an idea of what you were looking for. If you don't know what you're doing, it's not the end of the world, but you have to just sort of observe the more experienced rock hounds in the group to figure out what to do and what you're looking for. Thankfully, the more experienced rock hounds on our trip were super nice and happy to share info.
In regards to the topaz, there's not a lot of it. If you happen to find something, you're either very skilled at knowing what to look for, or are extremely lucky. No one on our trip came back with any. If you're set on trying to find topaz (as we were), it's helpful to understand ahead of time that you'll basically be rummaging through the tailings of an active topaz mine, and even then, the active mine is on the site of an old topaz mine from the 1950s. So, this is not virgin ground. As an active mine, every so often another "vug" is opened/cleaned out, which often releases some nice topaz stones. The miners keep the nice, obvious stones, and the "tailings" are then shoveled into a pile for the rock hounding tours to sift through. Now, this isn't to say that people don't find topaz stones occasionally there -- apparently, they do. If you're a serious rock hound used to opening up your own vugs, I think this idea (and the fact that you aren't given an opportunity to open your own vug) might be a little discouraging. After a few hours of digging strictly for topaz (and coming up zip), I decided to give up and moved on to the fluorite and quartz crystals. Guess I'll just have to buy a Mason, TX, topaz!
Ok, so there's not a lot of topaz to be found by the average Joe here. But, there is a ton of pretty fluorite and strawberry quartz. These are shiny, pretty rocks, especially once they're all cleaned up. If you've never found fluorite or strawberry quartz crystals, it's really very fun. For me, this was enough to feel I'd had a very good day of digging for rocks. There were several families with kids there, and the kids really seemed to enjoy it as well.
A few other things. The tours are about 6 hours long. There are no bathroom facilities on the property, so you may have to go find a tree if nature calls. You're also quite a ways from town, so you'll want to bring plenty of sunscreen, lunch, snacks, water, etc. Bottom line -- a great time, and I definitely recommend it if you enjoy this sort of thing. I hope to go on one of Frank's other trips another time. I think the fee for the trip is reasonable, and about right.
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