Bandera, Texas

Cattle-drive roots and cowboy cahoots make this Hill Country town a favorite Old West destination.

- PETER CORBETT

It's no wonder Bandera is a cowboy town.

This is where cowboys converged for longhorn cattle drives on the Western Trail to Dodge City and beyond from 1874-94. It's where rodeo thrives today in the town's century-old Manchester Park arena.

Small-town Bandera is big for its britches and proudly wears the title of the Cowboy Capital of the World.

"First of all, we're from Texas. We brag a lot," said Patricia Moore, Bandera tourism office executive director. "I'm telling you this town is bold. It is just flat bold.

"This century's cowboys have found us in Bandera, Moore added. "This century's cowboys are motorcyclists" who ride into town from all over. Bandera is about an hour northwest of San Antonio.

Cowboys and cowgirls come to Bandera to enjoy the Western spirit of the town and its notable features. That includes dude ranches, bull riding, barrel racing, junior rodeo and a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo on Memorial Day weekend.

"Rodeo is to Bandera as baseball is to everywhere else, according to Moore.

There's also country music, honkytonks, a local brewery, eateries, unique  shops, artisans and a Western museum in Bandera.

The biggest whoop-de-do of the year is Cowboy Mardi Gras, with beads and boots, a parade and bands playing at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar.