I’ve been humming Johnny Cash songs all week, thanks to our incredible stay in the Highwaymen Tour Bus in Ingram this week! This 1953 repurposed Greyhound tour bus was our home-away from home during our Spring Break week in the Texas Hill Country, and it was so much fun!
The bus has been decorated in a band motiff, and down to the guitar-shaped toilet handle, it’s just so much fun! We spent just as much time outside the bus and inside, since we had our own private patio and fire ring, too!
The Highwaymen also came with a grill, and with one of my favorite meat markets since I was a kid, Bernard’s, just down the road in Kerrville, I had imagined steaks on the grill at least once while we were there, but we always seemed to be running late or still full from one of the amazing lunches we had! I was a little sad that we couldn’t find a meat market in Kerrville that offered cabrito, even if it was just to purchase a bring home. The Texas Hill Country produces 70% of the country’s goat meat, but finding it is becoming harder to do! I did temporarily satisfy my cabrito cravings at Bill’s BBQ in Kerrville, definitely a place to visit again! Click HERE to visit their website.
The details in the bus are just amazing!
While there was plenty to do in Ingram, it’s also wonderfully situated near so many close towns for quick daytrips! We spent one day in Fredericksburg, Johnson City, San Antonio and Bandera, with a late evening in Luckenbach! The city limits of Kerrville literally touch the city limits of Ingram, and it’s hard to no where one ends and the other begins. We even made a late night movie run in Kerrville to see Captain Marvel at the Rio 10 theater! It was nice having so many conveniences!
The elevated kitchen and dining area has fun little touches everywhere, like the record shaped coaster to the blue light coming from the sink! We spent a few evenings playing Uno at this table after the kids had filled up on smores around the fire ring! Most of those 5 evenings were spent cuddled around the fire, as the temperatures dropped into the 30’s as a cold front moved in during Spring Break! Worth mentioning, we could see the field across the little road from us at night, which was filled with a herd of at least 100 deer. They took little mind of us, and we enjoyed the view at a distance!
In the living area , snare drums second as side tables while we watched tv, with had netflix, cable and wifi! The futon made out into a 2nd bed for the kids!
The bedroom was my favorite! Located in the back of the bus, it was great with a great mattress, a guitar on the headboard, and windows we could open when I woke up in the middle of the night to find out my daughter had cranked the heat to 84 degrees!
The light over our bed was even a repurposed snare drum!
But the bathroom was the BEST of all! an old VW bug fender and taillight, which actually was a red light, was used to make the bathroom sink! The water faucet is a 1950’s, new in the box (so it never had gas in it) gas nozzle! Even the mirror is from an old car!
An the shower door came from an old bus rear window!
The owner, Darrin, said he loved the bus and knew he could make it into something amazing! He gutted it and lowered the floor 2′, since it didn’t need a gas tank or luggage area.
Darrin has 4 other “cottages” on his property in Ingram. He was in the process of remodeling his Copper Cactus into an artisan jewelry making shop at the time of our visit! Just down the street from the James Avery original store (and headquarters) in Kerrville, it seems a natural! Darrin gave us a quick tour, showing us some of his current projects!
Some of the other cottages include a treehouse and the S. S. Minnow, a yacht that has been repurposed, dry-docked and built out into a space for travelers!
And you couldn’t ask for a better location for his whimsical cottages than the Old Ingram Loop, the historic section of the little town of Ingram, now a bustling artist colony, with great shops along the 3 block loop, backing up to the Guadalupe River! I woke up each morning for a quiet walk down to the river and around the loop, wishing Good Morning to the shop owners as they were getting ready for the day, and wishing for a good coffee in the midst of them! More often than not, we ended our walk at the Hunter House Cafe, which handmade delish breakfast of fried eggs, chicken fried steaks, migas and a heavenly hash!
During a busy week, it was a welcome and needed respite!
With the Guadalupe River in easy access, we spent quite a bit of time playing down here! The water was a little too cold for me, but the kids loved playing in it! We also visited a few other close places in town to play in the river, like the Dam, where kids enjoy sliding down into the water! It’s definitely a place to keep in mind during your stay!
Rental of the Highwaymen also includes use of the kayaks, and on the day we had planned to explore the river, high winds and cold temperatures kept us away, but we’ll be back!
Things To Do in Ingram
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Just over the Indian Creek Bridge, you’ll find a replica of Stonehenge, aptly named Stonehenge II. Part of the Hill Country Arts Foundation, there are also replicas of the Easter Island Heads, all with a backdrop of the Guadalupe! Take your time to explore, and go hungry because Chi Cho’s Cafe. overlooking the river, is so good!
The Highwaymen 1953 Tour Bus
100 Old Ingram Loop, Ingram
(830) 377-3029
Click HERE to visit their site on VRBO.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
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