Wildflower tourism is a growing pastime in Texas, providing small towns with a new source of revenue and a new reason to preserve their precious natural habitats.

The Hill Country west of Austin is fertile ground for day trips and longer excursions into the Lone Star State's rural heartland. An easy scenic drive begins with a drive down Loop 1 (known as the Mopac Expressway) to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (www.wildflower.org), a marvelous botanical garden and horticultural center specializing in the native plants of central Texas.

After touring the gardens, head over to Interstate 35 and continue south about 25 miles to San Marcos, a good place for outlet mall shopping and outdoor recreation on the San Marcos River. From San Marcos, drive west on Highway 12 about 10 miles to the junction with Highway 32. This stretch of Highway 32 leads up to a scenic ridge known as the Devil's Backbone, which winds through classic Hill Country scenery to Fischer, a bucolic village founded by German immigrants in the 1880s.

In Fischer, stop by the old Fischer Store for a peek into the past, when all-in-one outposts like this humble tin shack served as the store, bank, post office and tavern for agricultural communities across America. Next drive northwest on meandering Fischer Store Road and east on Route 2325 to the town of Wimberley, where you can shop for antiques or take a coffee break at the Wimberley Pie Company (www.wimberleypie.com).

Before completing the loop back to Austin, drive north on Route 12 to the junction with Route 1826, turn right and continue another five miles or so to one last stop at The Salt Lick (www.saltlickbbq.com, a rural barbecue joint in the village of Driftwood. This renowned purveyor of slow-cooked ribs, brisket, links and chicken attracts a steady stream of customers from Austin, and a well-fed posse of Hays County sheriff's deputies who hang out in the parking lot and occasionally sweep the restaurant for underage drinkers. The county is dry, so if you want beer to wash down your mounds of meat, pack a cooler before leaving Austin.