Tandy Hills Natural Area

Once upon a time, I used to live in Austin. And in between constantly complaining about how it’s so unbelievably not like it was _​_​number of years ago and sitting in stupid traffic all the time, one of my favorite things to do was to go out and enjoy the natural areas that they actually did do a pretty good job of preserving — the greenbelt, Barton Springs, the trails, Pease Park, Zilker Park, etc etc.
So I’ve lived here for the better part of a decade, and as much as I do unmistakably love Fort Worth, the one thing I’ve always said is that there’s not a lot of natural beauty here, à la the hill country.
Well, I was wrong, and Tandy Hills is what the natural beauty of our little slice of prairie is.
It’s really a hidden gem, in that it’s a mostly-​pristine area that’s just far enough from the middle of town, so there never seem to be a lot of people here. In fact, I’ve been out a few times now, and it’s generally just been me and my pups., roaming around with all the trees and hills and creek beds and what-​not, caught between the subtle roar of the interstate and the calm sound of all the everything that used to be there before the noises of civilization.
They have a festival every spring here called Prairie Fest that’s meant to raise awareness of it and the fact that someone seems to frequently be threatening to drill in it or around the periphery, and I’ve always meant to come out, but have always been lured away for some reason (it doesn’t take much — promise of a free beer or two will usually distract me from whatever I had planned to begin with, so it’s not saying much).
But the point of all of this is that Tandy Hills is a really unique thing here. Worth a trip if you’re looking for a different (but not very far) way to get away.

What a pretty little spot. Went here for PrairieFest today and enjoyed it. A good amount of wildflowers and grassy beauty. There are a number of trails leading off here and there if you want to get in some healthy exercise (but unlike me, remember to bring water) I saw bees, baby goats and doggies, painters and crafts, and lots of big blue sky. They had live music, and people were hanging out, enjoying the area. I saw frisbees being thrown, and I brought some bubbles to blow. It isn’t a giant festival, but it is a nice stop on a pretty day. I hope to go back to the area at a less crowded time and enjoy some quiet walks. Overall I’d say it was a small but cute festival and a pretty and natural slice of prairie land which is becoming hard to find these days. Get out and enjoy some sunshine!