Lake Marble Falls is the smallest of the Highland Lakes, but it’s big on fun, including spending the day exploring by paddle. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Welcome to the first in a series of stories featuring the unique communities in the Highland Lakes. Each city and town in Burnet and Llano counties has a rich history and a wide variety of recreation, arts and entertainment, shopping, and dining opportunities.
Marble Falls begins the series as the largest community on the smallest lake. It is the area’s shopping center, known for its boutiques, big-box stores, and restaurants.
Speaking of where to eat, the city offers a plethora of places to begin the perfect day of exploration. Take your pick of breakfast taco offerings from gluten-free to super-sized. Coffee shops abound with pastries, cozy settings, and good company. For traditional eggs, bacon, grits, and pancakes the size of your face, there’s no place like Blue Bonnet Cafe—named for a blue head covering and not the flower. Return to the Blue Bonnet from 3-5 p.m. for pie happy hour. (You think the pancakes are big? Wait until you see the meringue on those pies!)
Here’s what to see and do in Marble Falls:
ART GALLERIES
The beauty of the lakes and landscapes inspires artists of all styles and mediums. Here are a few highlights.
Start in downtown Marble Falls at the Highland Arts Guild and Gallery, 318 Main St., once a post office and now a stunning display of local talent. Don’t miss the gift shop in the back.
Make an appointment for an hour-long tour of Beloved Gallery, just a few blocks away at the corner of Avenue H and Second Street off of U.S. 281. You’ll learn the story of artist Akiane Kamarik, whose painting of Jesus, “The Prince of Peace,” hangs in its own room for quiet contemplation. People travel from around the world to see the artwork she says was inspired by her walks and talks with Jesus as a child. Kamarik painted “The Prince of Peace” on a canvas bigger than herself when she was 8 years old.
Another internationally known artist, Benini, settled in Marble Falls and opened his home-based gallery to the public at 3440 FM 2147 East, about 5 miles from the city. MuseoBenini is one of around 300 single-artist museums worldwide and includes paintings and sculptures.
EXPLORE HISTORY
Marble Falls is a community that values its 137-year-old history. The rock on which it sits was quarried to build the Texas Capitol and most other state offices in downtown Austin. It also built the Old Granite School, which is 135 years old and now houses The Falls on the Colorado Museum, 2001 Broadway in Marble Falls.
The two-story building educated students until the late 1980s. As of 2025, it is undergoing one of at least three major renovations in its lifetime. This one will open its second floor to museum exhibits for the first time since the Marble Falls school district administration moved out of the structure some 30 years ago.
Knowledgable docents are on hand to lead visitors on a fact-filled tour that includes the bones of a 700-year-old bison (unearthed locally!), artifacts of pioneer life in the area, and dresses worn by the city’s first woman mayor, Ophelia “Birdie” Harwood, who was elected before women even had the right to vote.
Stroll the walkways between Johnson and Lakeside parks near downtown to learn about the city’s musical history. History Row is home to several monuments to music, including the most recent addition: the resetting of a once-lost granite tribute to Oscar Fox, composer of “Hills of Home” about his hometown of Marble Falls.
For a modern version of Fox’s inspiring view, drive up to Starbucks just south of the U.S. 281 bridge spanning Lake Marble Falls. From there, you can look out over the water and see downtown and Granite Mountain.
Another history stop is coming in February 2025: the opening of the Black History Museum at St. Frederick Baptist Church on Avenue N.
SHOP TILL YOU DROP
Marble Falls is the shopping mecca of the Highland Lakes. It has the only Walmart, Ross Dress for Less, The Home Depot, and Lowe’s for miles around. It is also known for its boutiques, gift shops, crafts, and thrifting. A major shopping outlet being built south of the city on U.S. 281 has a projected October 2025 opening date.
Set aside plenty of time to explore downtown Marble Falls and its shops and restaurants. Whether you’re looking for jewelry, clothes, gifts, or candy, you’ll have a wide array from which to choose along Main Street.
Satisfy your sweet tooth at Choccolatte’s with homemade English toffee and bon bons and Oh So Yummy with Blue Bell ice cream and fudge.
Step back in time at Ms. Lollipop Parties, Fun and Gifts, an old-school candy shop and a vibrant spot for a social media selfie. If you’re lucky, you just might meet the owner, Ms. Lollipop the clown, in her full regalia. The candy and toy shop hosts movie-themed parties throughout the year, so check the calendar and maybe plan a trip to Marble Falls for the next visit from the “Back to the Future” car, Batman, or Star Wars heroes and villains.
HAVE A DRINK, PLAY A GAME
The variety of bars and entertainment in Marble Falls is impressive for such a small town. At Putters and Gutters Fun Center, 4100 U.S. 281 North, visitors can bowl, skate, play arcade games or mini-golf, ride go-carts, attend a concert, and have a burger and a beer.
Speaking of beer, breweries are a big boast for the city, starting with Save the World Brewing Co. in the Marble Falls Business and Technology Park on U.S. 281 south of town. The brewery recently added to its list of achievements, winning gold and bronze medals at the 2024 U.S. Open Beer Championship.
One of the newest bars, Sips on Seconds, models itself on the illegal speakeasies popular during Prohibition in the 1920s. Reservations are required, and visitors only get instructions on how to enter once they are on the list. (Hint: It has something to do with the red phone booth on Second Street in downtown.)
MAKE A SPLASH
Two amazing parks offer easy access to the city’s biggest asset: Lake Marble Falls. The lake is small, but the opportunities to get wet and have fun are huge.
Lakeside Park, 305 Buena Vista Drive, features a sandy beach, a roped-off swimming area, and the city pool complete with diving board, slide, and mushroom waterfall. You can fish, launch your boat, or grab a paddle on the lake.
A paved walking trail links Lakeside Park to Johnson Park, 230 Avenue J South, a tree-shaded green space on Backbone Creek that also has a boat ramp as well as a playground. Both parks have public restrooms. You can connect to the city’s other main park, Westside, from Johnson Park on the Backbone Creek hike-and-bike trail.
One thing you cannot do in Marble Falls parks is feed the ducks and geese. In 2024, the city passed an ordinance against feeding waterfowl to discourage migratory birds from making Marble Falls a permanent home, which is unhealthy for the animals and the parks.
MARBLE FALLS FACTS
- Marble Falls is named for the falls that are now under the lake, which is part of the Colorado River chain. They were located just west of the U.S. 281 bridge near the old, green, concrete structure on the north side of the river. That was once a mill that generated electricity from the rushing river before it was dammed in several places to create the Highland Lakes.
- The rock the falls rushed over is not marble but granite. It just looked like marble to people passing through.
- The city was laid out by a blind man, Confederate Gen. Adam R. Johnson in 1887. Johnson lost his eyesight fighting in the Civil War.
- Rock from Granite Mountain on RR 1431 West was used to build the Texas Capitol and just about every other state building in downtown Austin. The city traded the rock for a railroad line. The Capitol was built with cheap prison labor.
