Chef Paula Disbrowe recommends these discoveries near Hart & Hind ranch ($395 per person; 866-868-1264 or www.hartandhind.com):

Cadillac Bar, in the Mexican border town Nuevo Laredo, makes margaritas that are even better than ours. They use Controy, Mexico's answer to Cointreau, which has a clean, almost silvery flavor (Victoria y Matamoros; 011-52-867-713-1525).

Cody's Hat Shop cleans and reshapes our cowboy hats—and also sells new ones (121 S. Getty St., Uvalde; 800-861-0490).

Live Oak Drive Thru has the best gorditas, crispy tortilla shells filled with grilled chicken, pico de gallo, avocado and jalapeños (308 W. Main St., Uvalde; 830-278-3998).

Main Street Utopia carries linens, French wineglasses, vintage cowboy quilts; we bought a wooden trough for bread dough here (282 Main St., Utopia; 830-966-5544).

Pete's Barbecue & Bait Stand is a favorite stop for smoky brisket. We also get Alsatian sausage wrapped for the road (609 Hwy. 90 W., Castroville; 830-931-2829).

Rather Sweet Bakery & Café makes delicious shortbread pigs with pink frosting (249 E. Main St., Fredericksburg; 830-990-0498).