Marble Falls, an often overlooked area of Texas Hill Country, offers visitors gorgeous natural scenery, unique wineries and relaxed shopping. Located just 50 miles from Austin and 200 miles from Dallas, Marble Falls is an ideal weekend getaway.

Marble Falls – a town with the wrong name. Don’t go looking for the falls. The falls disappeared in 1951 with the damming of the Colorado River and the creation of Lake Marble Falls.

And the town sits on an 866-foot granite (not marble) mountain. Marble Falls gained recognition for its Texas pink granite, some of which was used to build the Texas State Capital. Granite is still quarried just west of town.

Despite the name misnomer, Marble Falls is in one of the most picturesque areas of Texas Hill Country. The town’s Main Street houses a wonderful assortment of gift and antiques shops. La Ti Da sells items made by Texas artists and is well worth a visit. Sculptures on Main gives Marble Falls a festive atmosphere with its quirky large-scale sculptures decorating the old town area.

Pie Happy Hour. No stay in Marble Falls is complete without a visit to the famed Blue Bonnet Café. Opened in 1929, the Blue Bonnet Café boasts ‘mile-high’ meringue pie. The no frills diner serves some of the best pie around – buy it by the slice or a whole pie to take home. Southern Living magazine recognized the Blue Bonnet Café’s German chocolate pie as one of the South’s best pies.

Take advantage of Blue Bonnet Café’s Pie Happy Hour from 3 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Along with pie, Blue Bonnet Café is a great spot for breakfast. Blue Bonnet Cafe is at 211 US Highway 281, Marble Falls.

Flat Creek Estate. Vineyards dot Texas Hill Country like spots on a leopard. Flat Creek Estate stands out from the rest by coupling good wine with incredible food. The Bistro at Flat Creek Estate uses a wood fired oven to serve delicious entrees like ribeye steaks and lime cilantro chicken – those wanting a lighter meal can choose from a selection of wood fired pizzas. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. On the first Saturday of each month, the Bistro hosts an internationally inspired, multi-course, wine-paired dinner. For weekend visitors, the Bistro serves a three-course, wine-paired lunch. The weekend our family dined at the Bistro, the lunch menu included seared scallop and radish salad to start; New England shellfish roast as entrée; and finished with wood fired Texas peaches.

And did I mention their wines? A beautifully appointed tasting room is open to sample Flat Creek Estate wines. Flat Creek Estates is located at 24912 Singleton Bend East, Marble Falls. The estate is out in the country and can be difficult to find. The winery suggests taking Highway 1431 to Singleton Bent, going about 2.5 miles and then left onto Singleton Bent East.