Luckenbach, Texas

The only two things in life that make it worth living…a rental car with XM Radio and a drive to Luckenback. I took the opportunity to visit the tiny town that is the namesake of the song “Luckenbach, Texas by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings on a recent trip to Austin.

Luckenbach is a little over an hour away from the Texas capitol city. Despite the snow, yes, I said snow, in Texas in April, it was GREAT. I didn’t have a lot of time to spare, but I did get to drive around a bit. There is really nothing there. Downtown Luckenbach consists of a general store/post office/bar that has been in business since 1849. And that’s pretty much downtown Luckenbach. The bar features singer/songwriters and a fireplace in the middle. This is the spot to be in Luckenbach.

From the Luckenbach Moon:

Plans are being laid by the chamber to celebrate Arbor Day. We all like Arbor Day because there’s no rules to have it. We’ll sandwich it in whenever we feel a celebration comin’ on. Then’s when we plan to plant prickly pear and poison ivy at the Park Side Road. We’ll have it to our own self then more. The beer part of the Post Office has had more customers this winter than ever, due to the long cold spell. We all go there in the evenin’ and set ‘round the wood stove whether we drink beer or not. Me and

Mama are very shy ‘bout that so we always split one and make it last two hours. Settin’ by someone else’s fire beats choppin’ wood. Kinda like settin’ by a girl friend ‘stead of a wife. Fire seems warmer. There’s a barrel of soda crackers by the stove at the Post Office and ever once in a while I sneak one to go with my split beer. But not anymore. Mr. Wurstbottom, postmaster, put a mouse trap in the cracker barrel and it whacked me on the fingers just when he was lookin’. Everyone laughed. Everyone that is ‘cept me. Made me so mad I just quit stealin’ his old crackers. Stale anyway.

Peter Cedarstacker
Writer

I think I might have to head back for a weekend sometime when the weather is better. The Pickin and Grillin Mondays sound like fun. There is a B & B called The Full Moon Inn on Luckenback Road that looked like an interesting option. If you go in the spring, make the roundabout trip on the bluebonnet trail to get there. It takes a little longer, but it’s really beautiful.