TRAVEL
The Commemorative Air Force Museum in Burnet displays and flies
It is a 940-acre, pet-friendly park with
all types of accommodations from cabins
with full amenities to RV Park and
campsites. The 1920s-style buildings
have open porches, native stone and
board-and-batten siding and great views
of the lake. The Overlook is the resort’s
full-service dining room that features
sweeping panoramic views of the Hill
Country, along with gourmet fare served
by friendly servers on tablecloths adorned
with fresh flowers. Canyon of the Eagles
has miles of well-trimmed hiking trails,
a swimming pool and a boathouse with
a variety of kayaks and other watercraft.
One of its most unusual features is the
Eagle Eye Observatory that has a 16-inch
Ealing Cassegrain telescope and a resident
astronomer to guide you around the dark
night sky. It makes star watching easy and
fascinating, as the closest light intrusion
sources are many miles away.
One of Burnet County’s most popular
area excursions is the Vanishing Texas
River Cruise that travels 22 miles on
the Colorado River past sheer cliffs and
waterfalls with visible wildlife on shore
and bald eagles and other birds overhead.
The narration portion of the tour is filled
with facts and tales about the lakes, the
river and the people who have lived there.
From the boat, we recognized The Painted
Sky Inn, a casually serene getaway that
offers great fishing, which is located on
the eastern shore of Lake Buchanan.
Another highlight in Burnet County
is Longhorn Caverns State Park. For
more than a thousand years, a river cut
through limestone bedrock, creating an
underground path. In 1932, President
Franklin Roosevelt cleared out the path
as part of his economic recovery program,
giving work to the unemployed and
making this an attraction that will fill you
with awe and wonder.
You will also want to visit downtown
Burnet, where the county courthouse
is surrounded by a square of local
businesses. In addition to being the
Bluebonnet Capital of Texas, this is
home to the Commemorative Air Force
Museum that has a fleet of historic aircraft
158 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
called the Ghost Squadron and a wide
variety of memorabilia from aviation
history, particularly from World War II.
A turret from a B-24 bomber and a link
trainer used to teach instrument flying
are unforgettable.
The dining options filled our quest for
local specialties from country fried steak
and gravy at the Highland Restaurant
Buffet in Burnet to Texalfredo Red White
and Blue at Russo’s Restaurant in Marble
Falls, where they combined grilled chicken
breast with blue cheese, pecans, jalapeños,
tomatoes, grapes and Alfredo sauce over
fettucine. We also enjoyed a lunch of Texas
family recipes overlooking the river at the
River City Grille in Marble Falls and dinner
in downtown Burnet at the Trailblazer
Grille with its modern twist on traditional
Texas recipes and live entertainment.
Additionally, the breakfast and dinner at
the Canyon of the Eagles were gourmet
experiences.
World War II aircraft such as the Bluebonnet Belle.
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