The Shady Llama Beer & Wine Garden radiates a laid-back Hill Country vibe over everyone who plops down at a picnic table or in an Adirondack chair with a glass of beer or wine under the oak trees to watch the sun set into the Wimberley Valley below.
“The kids come to see the llamas, the parents come for the beer,” says Karalisa Sellers. Both big fans of Texas craft beers, she and her husband, Lamar, opened the bar in 2018.
Six llamas came with the property they purchased in 2015, 5 miles north of Wimberley and 10 miles south of Dripping Springs. They adopted a female llama last year who came with a spring surprise: On Halloween, the herd’s ninth member, Witbier, was born.
It’s nice of the couple to provide us with a place in the country to relax with friends and a local craft beer or Texas wine. Two food trucks complete the trifecta of a chill vibe.
The elephant at the llama farm is the taproom’s smallish parking lot. “No parking” signs along the narrow and winding Ranch Road 12 are strictly enforced. Karalisa says the parking lot is constrained by the terrain, plus it tends to limit the crowds to a comfortable size. If the parking lot is full, she encourages day trippers to patronize one of the many other establishments in the Wimberley area. (For a list of other beer gardens in the area, see “10 Watering Holes From Dripping Springs to Wimberley.”)
The Shady Llama Beer & Wine Garden is at 18325 RR 12, north of Wimberley. The capricious Texas weather can affect openings and closings, and winter hours have the bar closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Changes in hours due inclement weather (and cute llama videos) can be found on their Instagram and Facebook pages. Pets on leashes are welcome. For more information, go to theshadyllama.com.
1,628th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere: Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.
This article appears in November 25 • 2022.
