Leakey Texas is a small town deep in the Texas Hill Country, located on US Highway 83 in Real County. The population is somewhere over 300. A lot of people seem to move in and yet the population sign never changes....

If you want to escape the city and chill in the country, this is the town for you. The main attraction? The beautiful Rio Frio River! Float, swim, fish, canoe, do it all on the Frio.

The Frio, as the locals call it, is shallow in most places. Like its name, it is usually cold and crystal clear. It is a gorgeous river that your whole family will enjoy. My husband grew up in Leakey and spent a good deal of time on the Frio.

Tubing the river is the number one tourist attraction. Tubes can be rented in Leakey or you can bring your own. Plan to spend at least a few hours tubing in the river on a hot summer day. It feels great and is so much fun. Don't forget the sunscreen and your camera.

Make reservations to rent a cabin early in the year as they all fill up by the summer. I recommend Crider's Frio River Resort. The owners are friends of ours and they are good people. While you are there, be sure to stop by Bonnie's Bakery for the best baked goods around! Bonnie's cinnamon rolls are to die for!

There are many other cabins around town to be rented. There are also some motels that you can stay in. Just call ahead because they really do get booked up in the summer. The Chamber of Commerce website listed at the bottom of the page will give you information on a lot of local Leakey businesses.

There is no 5 star cuisine in or near Leakey but you won't starve. There are some pretty good eateries in downtown Leakey Texas. Frio Canyon Lodge is a good place to eat. The locals enjoy eating there so you know it is good.

The best place around, in my opinion, is only open in summer. It is in the town of Concan, a place called Neal's on Highway 127, several miles down Highway 83 from Leakey.

They have terrific lunches and dinners in a rustic camping lodge type facility. They have a really neat dining area and the food is pretty decent. Neal's also has cabins to rent.

In downtown Leakey Texas, there are shops and stores to browse through. While you are there, be sure to visit the antique shop owned and run by my husband's Aunt Betty. It is called The General Store.

Betty Smith has great taste and always carries new things. There are some wooden bird feeders and other woodcrafts for sale out in front of the store made by my father-in-law, John Schulze. If you enjoy rustic wood and metal crafts, be sure to stop by.

The General Store is located on Highway 83 and is a always crowded in the summer. My mother-in-law, Ann Schulze, sometimes helps her sister behind the counter when it gets really busy.

After shopping, you will want a snack. Go right across the street to the convenience store called Frio Canyon Exxon for some soda and pizza. Linda and Will run a nice place to eat and you can fill up your car as well.

Right next door is the Cold Creek Canyon Company. They offer massages, haircuts, facials, and manicures.

Beautiful Garner State Park is just 9 miles south of Leakey. Take US Highway 83, turn east on FM 1050 for 2/10 of a mile to Park Road 29 to enter Garner. You can camp there or just go for the day. Swim in the Frio River, hike, just enjoy the beauty. It is an incredible place to visit. I love it there.

If you are in Leakey on a Sunday morning and you want to worship, I suggest attending Church In The Valley right on US Highway 83. Service starts at 10:45am. This is a non-denominational church in a beautiful new facility. My children sing and play there when we visit on Sunday mornings. You will enjoy the warmth of Christ's love there.

If you need prescription medication or you want to visit some bigger stores, you will have to drive 40 miles one way to Uvalde. There is no Walgreen's or Wal-Mart close by.

The biggest event of the year in Leakey Texas is the July Jubilee. This happens during the week of the 4th of July. There is a big parade and craft fair as well as a street dance and a rodeo, unless these events are rained out. It does happen occasionally. Sometimes the parade is actually on the 4th but it is usually on the Saturday before or after the 4th. You can check for the exact date on the Frio Canyon Chamber of Commerce website.

You can get a deer lease for hunting from some of the local ranchers in the fall. Many of the ranches have cabins to rent while you hunt.

Christmas is a pretty big deal in Leakey Texas as well with the lighting of the courthouse and a visit by Santa in early December.

The Leakey July Jubilee is the town's fourth of July celebration, complete with a parade, an arts and crafts fair, a street dance, and a rodeo. It is a time to spend with family and friends and lots of tourists.

My family and I have attended many times over the years. Of course, when my husband was a boy, he went every year. The arts and crafts fair is held on the lawn by the courthouse and there is always a good number of booths, many from out of town. There is always a lot of food and cold drinks to keep you cool in the heat.

The street dance is held from 8pm to midnight on the Leakey downtown square. The rodeo is usually held after the parade. The parade starts at 10am.

The Leakey July Jubilee is usually held on the weekend, as close to the 4th of July as possible. For 2009, July 4th is on Saturday so the big events will be held on the correct day!

The street dance this year is on Friday night at 8pm. There is a $5 charge in 2009 for the street dance.

The kids will love the rodeo. Of course, there is a charge for this as well, but everyone enjoys it. There is still plenty of time to go tubing down the beautiful, clear Rio Frio River and yes, it really is cold. The cold feels fabulous in the heat of July. Every cabin and motel room in the area is completely booked for this important weekend so make your reservations months in advance if you are not fortunate enough to have relatives who live in Leakey.

The parade is the old-fashioned kind that I used to go to as a kid, where they throw candies and necklaces out to the kids and the whole town takes pride in it. Many merchants participate, as well as students and former students of Leakey Elementary School, Middle School, and High School. My mother-in-law was part of the basketball team when she was in high school and about 6 years ago her old team marched in the parade. They had a blast.

One thing not to expect--fireworks. For some reason, Leakey never has a fireworks display for the July Jubilee. However, many residents and tourists go to firework stands on the way to Leakey and buy their own. They set them off the whole weekend. We have done this but to me, it is more fun to sit on a blanket and watch the fireworks display like I used to watch in New York State when I was growing up!