Attention all food and drink festival lovers, you have a new festival to add to your list!
The first annual Taste Highland Lakes food festival kicked off the third weekend in October and was a resounding success.
The Highland Lakes community came together, along with some fabulous food and drink establishments, to showcase the “best of the Highland Lakes.”
As invited guests of the Kingsland Chamber of Commerce, we had the pleasure of experiencing the festival firsthand, and trust us when we tell you, you don’t want to miss it next year!
This fun festival, combined with all of the great things to do in Kingsland, ensures that you have all of the makings for a great weekend getaway.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the top reasons that you need to add Taste Highland Lakes to your 2024 travel plans!
Disclaimer- We were invited and compensated by the Kingsland Chamber of Commerce to feature Kingsland, TX. As always, the opinions expressed are unbiased and honest based on our experience during our time in Kingsland. We want to extend a special thank you to the Kingsland Chamber of Commerce for inviting us to visit their great city.
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5 Reasons to Visit Taste Highland Lakes
The Food Vendors
Taste Highland Lakes is a one-stop-shop to taste food from all over the region.
The samples provided by each vendor showcased one or more of their signature dishes and was the perfect portion size to give you a good taste, but allow room so you can keep sampling.
Boat Town Burger Bar started us out strong with their delicious burger slider accompanied by a fried shrimp!
Over at Hooper’s tent, we were treated to their signature chips, queso, and salsa, which we felt paired perfectly with the delicious sausages offer by Miiller’s Meat Market and Smokehouse.
As we made our way around the festival, we were pleased with the variety of food offerings.
The House of Cheese from Marble Falls offered samples of some delicious cheeses and salamis (I especially loved the spicy salami), while Choccolate’s had some incredible homemade toffee!
A newcomer to the Highland Lakes scene is the catering and delivery service Fresh Bit3s.
Fresh Bit3s served up some of the best Italian meatballs I have ever put in my mouth along with a fabulous egg roll and some incredible pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies!
We were impressed by not only the serving sizes of the samples, but the quality of the food provided during the festival.
When you consider that all tasting are included with your ticket purchase, you quickly see the value for the money at this festival.
The Drink Vendors
One of my top reasons to visit Taste Highland Lakes is all of the fun drink vendors!
Not only did we have the opportunity to sample some of our favorites like, Garrison Brothers Bourbon, Perissos Winery, Torr Na Lochs, Ron Yates Winery, Save the World Brewing, and Bear King Brewing, but attending the festival also gave us the opportunity to try some new local favorites like Uplift Vineyard, Siboney Cellars, and Adega Vinho!
Dulce Vida Tequila was serving up a delicious margarita alongside an incredible Empress 1908 Gin punch.
Everyone knows we love visiting Garrison Brothers Bourbon Distillery when we are in the Fredericksburg area, so you know I had to partake in their bourbon tea, which was divine!
And you know that I didn’t skip the opportunity to sample the fun vodka flavors offered by Llano Craft Distillery. While this was a new brand for us, it definitely won’t be the last time we taste their liquors!
One of the showstoppers at Taste Highland Lakes was definitely Decadent Saint Winery.
Decadent Saint mixed up several different cocktails of their wine cocktails from their special Extra Hard Mixers, and man, were they delicious! We especially loved the passionfruit punch!
For those guests not wanting alcohol, The Thirsty Armadillo was onsite serving up iced coffee, flavored teas, and fresh-squeezed lemonade!
Great Location & Good Music
The first annual Taste Highland Lakes was held in The Legends Golf Course Community in Kingsland.
This beautiful community is not only on The Legends Golf Course, but it is also a lakeside community on the banks of Lake LBJ, so you know the views are fabulous!
The area chosen for the event allowed for ample space for the vendors to spread out, ensuring there was plenty of space for everyone.
Shade provided by the huge trees on site were the perfect respite from the Texas sun, and the fact that they were located close to the concrete dance floor didn’t hurt either.
This year’s event featured music from Six Sons of a Gun, a popular local cover band that often plays at Boat Town Burger Bar.
I loved that guests were also given the opportunity to tour the villas and guest houses that are available for rent through The Legends “stay and play package.”
Give Back to a Good Cause
I especially loved that the proceeds collected from Taste Highland Lakes supported the local youth of Kingsland.
Having the opportunity to give back to the community while attending a fun event always scores high in our book!
The Community
One visit to the Highland Lakes area is all it takes to keep you coming back year after year, trust us, it happened to us!
The Highland Lakes region of the Texas Hill Country consists of five lakes. These five lakes included Inks Lake, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis, Lake Buchanan, and Lake LBJ, where Kingsland is located.
This area is home to six fabulous small towns that are well worth exploring.
The Kingsland area specifically is a fabulous lakeside community full of welcoming locals.
Take time to enjoy all of the outdoor recreation offered in the area before hitting up some of the boutique shops and locally owned bars and restaurants. We promise, you won’t be disappointed!
Final Thoughts on Taste Highland Lakes
We were thoroughly impressed with the first annual Taste Highland Lakes event.
The food and drink portions were substantial and all of the vendors truly brought their “A” game.
When you combine all of this with the charm of the local community, Taste Highland Lakes was a resounding success.
We hope to see you all at the event next year!
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About The Author
Michelle Snell is a travel writer, history buff, wine lover, and enthusiast of different cultures. Michelle enjoys bringing places to life through her informative writing style on her blogs, That Texas Couple and Totally Texas Travel. Her practical tips and suggestions help make travel dreams a reality while immersing her readers in the history, culture, and food of a region. She is happiest sipping wine in Italy or chilling on a beach with her husband, Marty.