Day Trips

Dora Brown (Photo By Gerald E. McLeod)

The Lone Star Coffee Bar sits on the southern edge of Johnson City like a lone sentinel at the gate of the Hill Country. For those of us hooked on a double-lattes-in-a-short-cup-with-no-foam fix, the little espresso bar is either an opportunity for a snack on the road to Fredericksburg and beyond, or a pick-me-up on the way home. Either way, it's a caffeine oasis among the peach stands.

The Lone Star isn't your cookie-cutter, chain coffee shop. To be a good coffee bar, a place has to have a living-room feel to it. The menu doesn't have to be extensive, but it does have to have the basic food groups of caffeine, bread, and a touch of fruit flavoring. Above all, a coffee shop has to make good coffee.

Dora Brown, the owner and chief barista, has created a space that is comfortable and stocked with all sorts of earthly delights. Windows flood the small, indoor dining area with light that welcomes guests to slow down over a cup of coffee, a muffin, and a conversation.

It doesn't take long to figure out the advantage of being a coffee bar next door to the Johnson City Visitor Center. "We get a lot of people out and about taking a tour of the Hill Country," Brown says. But a lot of the locals are becoming regular customers, too.

One of Brown's biggest fans is Italian-born artist Benini, who has opened the Benini Foundation and Sculpture Ranch outside of town. "By far, the best cup of espresso this side of Austin," he says. "It has become a gathering place after lunch for members of the art community and friends."

Besides coffee drinks and teas, Brown also serves smoothies, ice cream, and an assortment of baked goods. The brownies with extra chocolate chips, the biscotti, and the iced sugar cookies come from the Daily Bread Bakery in Dripping Springs. The pies are made by McCall Creek Farms. "All of the baked goods come from local bakeries," she says. "Everything is made from scratch and delivered fresh."

Brown retired to Johnson City a couple of years ago after working for 10 years as a high school teacher and 17 years as a lawyer in the Dallas area. She even has three romance novels to her credit. "I was watching too much bad daytime TV," she jokes. Then the coffee shop that she frequented came up for sale last February. Undeterred by her lack of retail experience, she says working at the shop is a pleasant way to spend the day, "and it keeps me out of the pool hall."

Originally from San Antonio, Brown tried Austin for a while after leaving the Metroplex but wanted a little more elbow room than her condo could provide. She purchased a small house near the courthouse and now thinks the world of her adopted hometown. "Johnson City is a little further out than I originally wanted," she says, "but there is a lot going on here, and it's close enough to Austin and San Antonio."

Besides the fruit and vegetable stands along the highways around Johnson City, the town has two new art galleries. North of town, the Exotic Resort Zoo offers tours of the animal park, plus added cabins for overnight stays. For information about the hands-on tours or to reserve one of the four cabins, call 830/868-4357.

For another hint of Italy in the Hill Country, try Texas Hills Vineyard one mile east of Johnson City on FM 2766 toward Pedernales Falls State Park. The award-winning winery produces European-style wines with a Texas accent. The tasting room is open Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and Sunday, 12 to 5pm. For more information, call 830/8682321 or go to www.texashillsvineyard.com.

Driving through the Benini Sculpture Ranch is a thrill with unusual creations sprouting among the rugged hills and juniper trees. For directions, call 830/8685244 or go to www.sculptureranch.com.

The Lone Star Coffee Bar is on U.S. 281 on the southern edge of Johnson City. The espresso machine is hot on weekdays from 7am to 4pm and on weekends from 9am to 3pm. Give Dora Brown a call at 830/868-4400, and she'll have your double-latte ready.

731st in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.