Mason is a small quaint town where you can escape the hub-bub of the City and the tourist crowds of Fredericksburg.
Hunting
Mason's biggest attraction is its hunting. With one of the largest deer
populations in the state, the area draws hunters from all over Texas
and elsewhere to hunt whitetail deer. Package hunts, day hunts and season
leases are available. Quail, dove, turkey and hog hunts are also available.
Often many are listed on the Mason Chamber of Commerce website http://www.masontxcoc.com/hunting.htm
or you may call the Chamber for an updated list.
Topaz/Arrowheads
Mason is also home to the State gem, the blue topaz. It is found only
in Mason County. Many of the areas granite outcroppings and granite
gravel streambeds around the communities of Katemcy, Streeter and Grit
are the best bet to find topaz. For more information see http://www.masontxcoc.com/topaz.htm
Of course, hand-in-hand with topaz hunting is arrowhead hunting. The
area used to be part of the hunting grounds for Comanche and Lipan Apaches
and their predecessors. Arrowheads are still frequently found in the
creeks and streams throughout the county. Of course landowner permission
is a necessity for any such adventures.
Llano River
For those wanting to cool off on hot summer days the Llano River offers
cool, clear water amidst beautiful scenery. James River Crossing, south
on town on RR2218 offers a gravel “island” that folks can
use to access swimming holes or tube, canoe or kayak the river. There
are access points along several county roads and highways to plan your
canoe/kayak trip.
Bat Cave
Another summer favorite is to watch the bats emerge from their cave
at the Eckert/James River Bat Cave. From May through October every night
4-6 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from the Eckert Bat Cave
to consume thousands of insects. The cave is one of the largest bat
nurseries in the country. The emergence is quite a sight to see. Information
on the cave is available from the Nature Conservancy at their
website Directions and times are available at the Chamber website
http://www.masontxcoc.com/Batcave.htm
or by contacting the Bat Cave Steward, Vicky Ritter at 325-347-5970.
Town Square
Unlike many towns, Mason's town square is alive and thriving. A stroll
around the Square will give any guest a treat. Antique shop, gift shops,
a coffee house, sandwich shops, a movie theatre, and restaurants are
just a just of the attractions Underwood’s Antiques and Sam's
Antiques provide the antique shopper a change to get their fix. Whipperwheel
offers rustic furniture, lighting and beautiful home décor. The
Coffee Mug 'N More has great gourmet coffee, rolls and sandwiches plus
books and free wireless internet. Benjies, Willows, The Mason Jar and
Market Square all offer a little bit of everything from gifts, home
décor, jewelry and associated items. Lilacs and Callic and Ranchland
Western Wear offer clothing to fit your needs. Paintings and custom
framing are available at The Mason Gallery. If you are in town on a
weekend, you can enjoy that week's first run movie at the Odeon Theatre
one of the state's oldest operating movie houses having been in continuous
operation since 1928. Finally rounding out the town square, The Willow
Creek Cafe offers a variety of food options and Santos Taqueria offers
great 'real' Mexican dishes made fresh daily. Next door to the Taqueria,
Sandstone Cellars Winery offers fine Texas wines where you can enjoy
the wine by the bottle or by the glass and take in the slow-paced small
town Texas evenings.
Offroading/4Wheeling
For those who like off-roading and rockcrawling, Mason County is the
home of some of the best rockcrawling in the Southwest. Katemcy Rocks
is approximately 800 acres of granite outcroppings that Shain Chapman,
Randy Kruse, Jerry and Elaine Kruse operate. People drive from places
as far away as Oregon, California, Illinois and Florida to four wheel
at at this off road destination. Event dates and detailed information
are available at www.katemycrocks.com.






