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The McKenzie Guesthouse

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For a Romantic Day Away

Head to Marble Falls for Food, Music & More

Article by Jennifer Birn

Photography by Doug Still

Originally published in Austin Lifestyle

Marble Falls, located in the heart of Hill Country just under 60 miles from downtown Austin, makes for a great quick romantical getaway. If set out early stop at Numinous Coffee and get a caffeine fix at a house converted into a café. If you have more time, Blue Bonnet Café is legendary in town. Afterwards, take a walk around the lake, go for a hike or peruse the shops like Indian River before settling into the food and entertainment in town. 

1.     Pre-Dinner Indulgence: As soon as the clock turns happy hour we suggest hitting House of Cheese on historic Main Street. After a charcuterie board paired with a glass of wine, try dessert before dinner (because you can!) and get a treat from Choccolatte (where they have chocolate-dipped Twinkies!).  Or plan ahead and try Sugar Mama Cookies - note it closes at 4pm! 

2.     Happiest of Hours: Satiated, stop into The Ragtime Oriole, which is worth a trip to Marble Falls on its own. Located in a building that’s over 100 years old, it plays music from an era even older. Odds are if you visit you’ll see owner Richard Golladay sitting on a couch reading a book with a cup of coffee, or behind the piano playing Ragtime. He opened the coffee shop by day and music venue by night to bring his love and passion for Ragtime to the modern era. There’s music most days around 6-8pm and you can find the calendar at https://theragtimeoriole.com/

3.     Dinner: It’s worth making dinner for 8pm so you can catch music at Ragtime before, but worth staying in town to visit this piece of Italy in Marble Falls where there’s a good selection of both Texas and Italian wines to complement the easily sharable fare from warm baked brie to wood-fired pizzas and pastas.

4.     Marble Falls is close enough to Austin you can be back by 10pm, but if you decide to make it more of a staycation, the McKenzie Guesthouse is a darling option located right on Main Street. La Quinta is another possibility if looking for something that’s dog-friendly. Learn more at https://visitmarblefalls.org/