dixie dude ranch

Our family visits to the Dixie Dude Ranch has been my favorite memory as a child. The family meals, the people that run the ranch, and the wonderful accommodations make this the perfect family vacation. My grandmother took me there for a week each year, and I never wanted to leave. You become family, as a guest. The trail rides, and the hills we rode on were amazing. And of course, you always have a favorite horse! Since 1958, I can attest to the wonderful times we had at the Dixie Dude!!! I have taken my children several times, and they agree... Best Time EVER!!!

I cannot say enough good things about my vacation here. Great food, great trail rides, and great nightly entertainment all added up to a wonderful stay. I stayed in Rope 'n and sat on the back and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset every evening and enjoyed star gazing well into the night. I was pleasantly surprised to meet people from all over the world! I highly recommend the Dixie Dude Ranch. I will go back!

Wonderful welcome from Kim. Cabins were quaint and authentic.All the staff were friendly and helpful.The rides were comfortable scenic and well planned.All in all a very positive experience.

We went out for a 1 hour trail ride with our two kids, ages 8 and 5. This is the only place we found that would let me ride double with the 5 year old. We all loved it. Would highly recommend.

We spent two days at the Dixie Dude Ranch during a weeklong trip to Texas. The ranch was hands-down the best part of the trip. There were a couple of other families with children and my children really enjoyed playing with them. I liked that they could run off and play safely without constant supervision. They spent most of their time looking for and playing with the ranch's many cats and dogs. Meals are served family-style, either in the lodge or outside at picnic tables. The food was homemade and really delicious. There is entertainment each night, but the thing I enjoyed most was sitting around the outdoor picnic tables in the evening talking to the other guests. There are two trail rides offered each day, one after breakfast and one after lunch. They offer basic trail rides for those who are not regular riders. We did those since we had the kids with us. Both of my boys (8 and 11) did great and enjoyed the rides, even though they had never ridden horses alone before. The wranglers are great at matching riders with horses. There are more challenging rides for those who are interested...trotting instead of walking, etc. So you won't be bored if you're a more experienced rider.I can't say enough about the staff and the wranglers. I just wish we had stayed longer.

We have visited twice, both stays two nights, and we really enjoyed it. The staff has all been very nice. The rides are great for our family with small kids. We've been riding double with our 2 and 4 / 5 (first/second visit) year old girls and our 6 / 7 year old son was riding alone. The kids loved it. We are all inexperienced riders. I guess for experienced riders the rides will be a little boring.The cabins are simple but nice. The kids love to run around and play outside. The food is great :)

The staff couldn't be nicer and it is charming in a rustic way--very much like a real ranch. The food was excellent Texas country fare, great BBQ and a fried chicken Sunday lunch, complete with deviled eggs and pickles. Horseback riding was a great experience.

Rustic atmosphere full of family pictures - family owned for 100 years- We just went for the day but wished we had booked an overnight stay. Great family memories and cowboy pictures to remember for years to come

We had a great time. We were excited to see all the kids having a great time without and electronics. All the little issues were taken care of quickly to make sure our visit was great. Chris one of there wranglers was a great guide and made sure all rides were great.

I booked this stay at Dixie Dude Ranch after reading reviews here on Trip Advisor. I will admit I was a little nervous all of the way up to the time I walked through the front doors of the lobby. This is no "resort," it is truly what city folks would expect of a ranch- rustic, quiet, simple. The lodge is cozy and has a big tv and Internet. The wireless does not extend past the front porch, the rooms don't have tvs and there is zero cell service on the ranch so this is your only connectivity. The rooms we stayed in were comfortable and simple. The bathrooms leave a little to be desired but are fine for few nights. We had an awesome front porch with hanging porch swings that we sat on most of the day and night. We even had a snuggly kitty visitor come by regularly! The kitchen was very accommodating for a picky eater and the homemade meals were delicious. You will sit with the same people for family-style meals, giving you an opportunity to meet and mingle with some interesting people. The rides were a lot of fun- two rides per day. We knew nothing about riding, but the wranglers gave just enough instruction and sent us on our way. The ride is very slow but gives you the opportunity to take in the beautiful scenery. The entire staff made us feel at home and made sure we enjoyed our experience. The only minor disappointment was in entertainment. While we were there, it was very slow and there was none- we were built a fire and given a bag of marshmallows and that was it. I expected more. That said, it was one of our most enjoyable vacations ever and I whole-heartedly recommend visiting.

The Dixie Dude Ranch was everything you think a dude ranch will be. It is rustic but modern enough. The cabins were so cute, and air conditioned so you could cool off during the heat of the day. If you like to ride horses, swim, be entertained nightly, eat delicious home cooked meals, and spend quality time with your family, then this is your vacation destination. My 9 year old grandson and I spent 3 wonderful days there. He was in heaven. Clay and all the staff are super friendly and accommodating. Arnie, Christy and Brandy were the wranglers we worked with and they were great with kids and adults alike. You get 2 rides each day; they are slow rides so you can enjoy the beautiful Hill Country scenery. We loved it and will go back with the rest of our family.

about an hour and 20 minutes from the northeast side of san antonio, but well worth it, they also have cabin rentals, a nice swimming pool, and you couldn't get a better tour guide or cowboy to help you along the trails, help you on the horses, Ernie the cowboy is awesome, makes you feel at home, our tour guide was just as great, you can just go out for a ride on the horses, or you can stay awhile and enjoy all they have to offer..a must for kids, or anyone..I just came home from this place...took lots of pictures..and the horses are so tame..hold onto your reigns..you are in for a beautiful ride....thanks Dixie Dude Ranch,,we will return.

Ok, just got back from our trip and wanted to write the review while my memories are fresh. Went during spring break (March 12 - 16) and suprisingly, the place did not seem crowded at all. I am sure the cabins/lodges were all sold out but it was very peaceful and quiet. The layout of the ranch was great and everyone tended to themselves and I actually didn't see people out unless it's time for horserides or after dinner in the play area. I will get to the play are in a minute. I will try to give as much information as I can remember in terms of how the cabins are layed out, how food is served, when horserides times are, etc. Bear with me, my review is long but it will tell you all you need to know about this place. I read all the reviews on Tripadvisor before coming and no one told me a lot of the info I am about to give. Oh, they are all mostly good so no fear. First, let's talk about the layout of the place. It is very nicely done in my opinion. I have a pic of a partial part of how it's layed out and you can see several cabins/lodges (buckaroo on the left, jingle/jangle, and rebel/yank are in the pic). You can actually call the office and ask them to fax you the layout. They will do that and you will have a much better sense of where your cabin is. They have updated their website and it is great! They show pics of the rooms and some cabins/lodges but if you get the layout you can see exactly where your cabin will be. There are five stand alone cabins and the rest are duplexes or connected rooms. I was in the Side Saddler (stand alone cabin) and I thought it was adorable. Everyone says it's rustic and yes, it is but it was great to me. The decor was cool, the light was made of two handheld lanterns and the foot bed had cowhide strung across. The floors were not carpet but tile or something like that and it was all throughout the cabin. It had a nice stand up shower and roomier than I expected. It had three sides if you can imagine how that looks. Water pressure in this cabin was great, but I did hear from another guests that her pressure was not hard enough. I guess I lucked out with this cabin. The rooms were spacious and they had an air conditioner on the window (one in the living room and one in the bedroom). The air was cold and worked great so no fear of being hot in the summer. Now for the food! Wow. Great and all homemade. The way they serve dinner is family style as I'm sure you have read but to be detailed, they put out food in bowls and plates and you just eat like you are at home and then pass the food along to your neighbors. They will fill it up once it runs out or low so yes, you can eat as much as you need. You will sit with other guest and there are four tables in all. They will assign you to a table each day. Sometimes they move you but I had the same table all the days I was there. You will eat three times a day and there is no showing up late! Its starts right on the time and ends like 25 min or 30 min or so later. Everyone seem to be done in half an hour and they cleaned up promptly. They will ring he bells three time. One half an hour before start time, then at start time, and then the third bell means you're late. Breakf is at 8. Lunch 12:30. Dinner - 6pm. I don't think they will change this in the future but those were the times when I was there. Now for the food - delicious! Something so simple can be so good. They made brocoli, mac and cheese, and ham for dinner and I tell ya..that brocoli was perfect - not too hard or too soft and the flavor was great! The ham was sweet and moist and thick! Not them cheap thin slices .. the whole thick ham. Sometimes you will eat outside in the patio area as we did for dinner and lunch. Dinner, they had barbecue chicken and all the fixins. Then lunch one day, they had hot dogs and all the fixins and deserts of course. These are simple food but the other day we had a fufilling lunch with meat pasta and squash, etc. So it rotates on the variety of food. I only stayed two days so I'm sure the third day they would serve more then just hot dogs for lunch. Horserides and times: The times for the horserides will be given to you during breakfast and lunch. So for your morning ride, the owner, Clay will walk around each table during breakfast and will ask you if you want to ride and if so, how many horses. Then he will give you a time to ride. Same during lunch, so you will get a time for the afternoon ride. You will meet at the corral for rides which is directly behind the main lodge and outdoor patio area. Again, get a fax layout and you will know all things ahead of time! Rides are nose to tail and slow so it is safe for anyone who has not ever ridden a horse. My seven year old rode by herself and she did awesome! Never rode before either. The trails vary and that was the best thing for me!! I did not want to go on the same trail each day and we didn't. I went on four rides and they took us on four different trails ! That was so great. You'll get a different view each time and yes, you will see high rolling hills and great skyline. I had four different horses too. LOL. Some people like one horse and asks to stick with that horse and sometimes, it's possible. Just ask the wranglers ahead of time when you are in line to ride. I had Bob, Nikko, Sassie and Cash. Bob is not cooperative. He is stubborn and is slow. Nikko was ok but slow. Sassie was not too slow but she is one of the only two mare and I was told to keep her at a distance from the other males. Uh .. I was scared to make the horses mad so I didn't do anything unless I have to and so I just let her be and there were no altercations. Finally, Cash was a good one. He listened and is a strong tall horse. My mom liked Hammer and for a good double rider horse, they will probably give you Ruthie. My hubby and daughter rode her several times. OH, the wrangers .. you will get at least two on the trail .. one leading and one behind to watch over. Sometimes you'll get three wranglers. Maybe it depends on the trails. Sorry SO long but had to say it all .. OH one more thing. The "play" area .. this consists of a campfire, areas for horseshoe, volleyball, swings and houses for the kiddos, and a pool with a small jacuzzi (adults only in that one). This area was spacious and you have lots of things to do after dinner. In the main house, there is a game room where kids can pull out games to play and a table to play cards, etc. There is also a jukebos inside. Several couches for people who want to hook up on their ipad or laptops. Outside the main lodge is a table tennis and tetherball. There is also a basketball court nearby but bring your own ball. Their ball is about to tear at the seams. It worked a bit but it was kinda neat cause it made you feel like you were living in the old days where things were old but worked. OH and nightly entertainment .. it varies but we had a longhorn for the kids to ride and hayride for the two nights we were there. Longhorn was great and yes, the kids get on the back and get a ride for a minute or so. I read of music groups and trick roping but we didn't have that on our days. The evening entertainment will also be announced during dinner. Lastly, as for tips, a gratuity fee of 10% will be added to your bill (suggested) and I guess you can tell them to take it out if you do not agree but when does this happen? Never probably. The tip amount goes in a pool and is distributed to ALL the staff (cooks, cleaning, wranglers, reservations, etc). So you may want to wait till you check out to tip .. since I did see some people tip the wranglers and housekeeping cash. But if you think 10 % is low and you want to tip more then knock yourself out and give cash to the people or more when you check out. I'm sure they will appreciate that. Now, I am done!! If you have any questions, feel free to email me and I will get back with you. Email me for photos if you want because i posted a bunch and tripadvisor sent me an error message and took all my pics out and so too much work to post them again.

VERY friendly staff and owner [Clay], accommodated all of our fussy eating habits. Very well organised, very nice setting. Kim on reception is incredibly helpful - makes you feel that you are the only guest she is looking after. Marlene in the kitchen is really helpful with food selection. The wranglers are very helpful and and will always accommodate your wishes. They really are encouraging. When we arrived at our next stop - the Hilton Embassy Suites, our children cried as they wanted to go back to the Ranch. DO NOT worry about doing something different and experiencing a Ranch - this one is outstanding.

Took the wife and son and they loved it! Went hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and played with some of the cats wandering around. Watched the goats climb trees and practiced lasooing (sp?) a metal cow. Great fun! Rustic and perfect for a few days away from the mainstream of life. Staff were wonderful as well. Go check it out.