There are some occasions when dining out doesn’t seem like enough. Our 40th wedding anniversary celebration was one of those times and we decided it was the perfect opportunity for a getaway.

Dripping Springs prides itself on offering wedding venues of all kinds

Wanting to try someplace new, after much research, I came upon a resort called Camp Lucy. It is fitting it should be in Dripping Springs, Texas, designated the Wedding Capital of Texas by the Texas House of Representatives in 2015. Located in the Texas Hill Country, known for its picturesque landscapes, the town boasts 35 wedding venues.

Camp Lucy History
Whit Hanks promised himself he would keep the 282 acres he had inherited, away from the hands of developers. With lovely memories of times spent there during the summers, the original home still stood on the grounds.

A former antique dealer turned real estate developer, Whit was on an antique excursion in Vietnam when he came upon the frames of a church and a town hall. Struck by their beauty, intricacy, and workmanship, he purchased them on a whim. Taken apart carefully, each piece was coded and wrapped individually before being shipped.

Not sure what their final purpose would be, he first had the church reconstructed on the property and named it Ian’s Chapel, after his son who had died. Back in 2010, when Whit hosted the first wedding at Ian’s Chapel, there were only three wedding venues in Dripping Springs. Whit jokingly says Kim, a local event planner, started bringing him so much business that it was in his best interest to marry her.

His mother, Lucy, was the inspiration for the resort’s name. With combined creative vision and attention to every detail, Whit and Kim added a pool and lodging. The town building took three months to rebuild into the restaurant, Tillie’s, named after Whit’s grandmother, Attila Hancock. Attila was a prominent Austinite, whose husband, Lewis, served as mayor from 1895 to 1897. Attila and Lewis founded the Austin Country Club, whose golf course is the oldest continuously operated golf course in Texas.

Tillie’s
Driving up the long driveway, we were welcomed by the stone pillars and the Camp Lucy sign. The check-in area held the gift shop and the entrance to Tillie’s. The 400-year-old turquoise doors from India were slightly open, as a tease of what was to come. Pushing open the heavy doors, we were awestruck by the sheer beauty and unexpected uniqueness of the space.

The intricately carved wood frame encircled the space. The French statues of saints are set in individual alcoves from Whit’s private collection. The complex geometric tile flooring was designed for the space. No wonder Tillie’s was voted the most beautiful restaurant in Texas by People magazine and Open Table in their listing of The 50 Most Beautiful Restaurants in America.

We arrived in time for Sunday brunch and agreed, in fairness to our palates, that all meals should be shared. The smoked brisket hash had just the right combination of perfectly prepared brisket combined with potato, onion, peppers, and avocado crema and was topped with sunny-side-up eggs. The dark yellow egg yolks gave a hint that their chickens had recently laid them. The avocado toast was the perfect complement of (freshly baked?) sourdough bread piled high with avocado, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and cotija cheese. Sorbet with fresh berries was just one of the complimentary, anniversary, treats we were surprised with during our visit.

Of course, we dressed for dinner and made a toast with our complimentary glass of Champagne. Watching the beautiful presentations of plates pass by us, we finally decided on a starter of crisp baby romaine, which was much more complex than its name. The piparras peppers, from Spain’s Basque region, were mild and sweet, the pistachios were smokey and the olives, tomatoes, and herbs atop an avocado green goddess dressing were the perfect savory compliment. It was difficult to leave even a dot of the delicious shellfish cream sauce that covered the agnolotti pasta stuffed with potato and shrimp or the spinach coulis that was drizzled over the halibut.

We wondered if the food was as – close your eyes as you savor every bite – delicious, or if the atmosphere lent itself to us believing so. As we devoured what we agreed was, the best egg sandwich we’d ever eaten, the next morning we decided we were correct on both counts.

Lodging
From the wooden key cards to the room’s leather trash cans, the selection of Vietnamese coffees, the electric kettle with various temperature controls, the robes awaiting our arrival in the closet, and the toilet tissue folded into a point, Whit and Kim’s special touches lovingly graced our room. Our Treetop Room had a private balcony that looked out to a lovely hill country view and made it hard to leave. The room’s décor gave us a peak into the couple’s private antique collection.

Our Visit
The resort offers a variety of guest experiences, some included and some for a fee. We opted for the complimentary history tour and alpaca feeding, two great ways to get our bearings. The pool area was a lovely sanctuary, and we swam, slept, and read our afternoons away.

I took a private yoga class, which was held outside on a beautiful morning. My yoga teacher, Stephanie, introduced me to mudras, a Sanskrit word meaning gestures. Mudras are hand and finger gestures that are believed to influence energy flow in the body and mind.

As we walked around the property, a surprise awaited us at every turn: an antique bird cage, a sculpture made more beautiful with its covering of moss, a vineyard producing Camp Lucy wines, an outdoor pavilion, and handmade clay tiles, both from Vietnam. We learned that the stonework, which looked ancient, was installed by master stonemason Dario Camacho. His unique style became so popular customers began referring to it as “Dario style.”

The purchase of an antique Amish barn, brought from Ohio and, once again, painstakingly rebuilt, piece by piece, showcased the simplistic beauty of the wood and its design and is now known as the Great Hall. Measures were taken to make sure the small cross etched into the wood on the outside of the barn was on display. It was a symbol, used by the Underground Railroad, as a secret message denoting a haven for escaped slaves.

The gnarled trees that had grown up and across the dirt path to Sacred Oaks gave this outdoor wedding venue a mystical feel. As the sun dappled through the trees, we walked up to the arch and in front of the empty chairs, set up in rows, had an impromptu vow renewal ceremony. Walking back, the Camp Lucy logo, a heart-shaped emblem and a Vietnamese symbol for love and family, kept appearing on tiles and stones. When we returned to our room, complimentary gold-covered chocolate strawberries awaited our arrival. Another perfect day at Camp Lucy.

Author’s Note:
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