A quiet western-shore community on Lake Buchanan, defined by Confederate salt history, the founding vineyard of the Texas wine industry, and a long, empty drive along FM 2241.
Tow (rhymes with "cow") is an unincorporated community on the western shore of Lake Buchanan in Llano County, approximately 20 miles northwest of Burnet. The 2020 Census recorded a population of 226 in the immediate area. The community is accessed primarily via FM 2241, a winding two-lane road that runs along the lake's western edge. Tow has no traffic lights, no grocery store, and no downtown. What it has is a post office, a volunteer fire department, a general store, and a direct relationship with the lake and the land that has persisted since the 1850s.
Tow is known for two things that seem unrelated but share a common thread of resourcefulness: the Confederate Salt Works that operated here during the Civil War, and Fall Creek Vineyards, the winery that helped launch the modern Texas wine industry in 1975.
Tow is recognized as the oldest community in Llano County. The area was first settled in 1852 when David and Gideon Cowan, along with their mother Ruth, arrived from Tennessee. Directed by local Native Americans to a salt bed near the Colorado River, the Cowans developed the Bluffton-Tow Salt Works. The community took its name from brothers William and Wilson Tow, who arrived with their families in 1853. A post office was established in 1886.
During the Civil War, the salt deposits gained strategic importance. The Confederate States of America Salt Works operated along the Colorado River near present-day Tow, producing salt for the Confederate Army at a time when the Union naval blockade had cut off Gulf Coast salt supplies. Salt was essential for preserving meat and tanning leather, making these inland deposits critical to the war effort. The operation employed local labor and shipped salt by wagon to Confederate supply depots across Central Texas. The works operated continuously from 1862 until 1867, when a cyclone struck the area and destroyed much of the infrastructure, effectively ending production. The ruins were later submerged when Lake Buchanan was filled in 1938.
When Buchanan Dam was completed, portions of the original Tow settlement were flooded. The community relocated to higher ground along what is now FM 2241. Unlike Bluffton, which was almost entirely submerged, Tow survived by shifting westward, maintaining its post office and its identity as a distinct community.
In 1975, Ed and Susan Auler visited France and noticed that the limestone terrain and climate of their Llano County ranch bore a striking resemblance to the wine-growing regions of Burgundy and Bordeaux. The soil composition — thin, calcium-rich topsoil over fractite limestone — and the latitude (approximately 30.8 degrees north, comparable to parts of southern France) suggested that vinifera grapes could thrive here. They planted experimental vines on their property overlooking Lake Buchanan, working with viticulturists from the University of California, Davis to identify grape varieties suited to the Texas Hill Country climate.
The early plantings focused on Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. By 1980, Fall Creek Vineyards was producing commercial wine, making it one of the first modern wineries in Texas. The operation has since expanded to approximately 65,000 cases annually and distributes throughout the state. Later plantings added Tempranillo, Sangiovese, and Merlot as the Aulers refined their understanding of which varieties performed best in the Hill Country heat and the alkaline soils of the Llano Uplift.
Fall Creek Vineyards is located at 1820 County Road 222, Tow, TX 78672. The tasting room sits on a bluff above the lake, offering views across the water to the eastern shore. It is widely credited, alongside Llano Estacado in the High Plains, as one of the founding operations of the modern Texas wine industry.
The drive along FM 2241 from Highway 29 to Tow is one of the quieter routes in the Highland Lakes region. The road runs roughly 18 miles through open ranchland, crossing cattle guards and passing through stands of live oak and mesquite. The terrain is distinctly different from the eastern shore of Lake Buchanan — here, the pink granite of the Llano Uplift is more exposed, the soil is thinner, and the vegetation is sparser. The landscape feels more like the Edwards Plateau than the lush bottomlands near Burnet.
The western shore of Lake Buchanan itself is rocky and irregular, with granite outcroppings running directly into the water. There are few sandy beaches. The shoreline is largely private, with scattered homes and cabins set back from the water on elevated lots. Public access on the western shore is limited to Black Rock Park, an LCRA facility with a two-lane concrete boat ramp and camping. The park sits on exposed pink granite — hence the name — and provides the primary public launch point for the western half of the lake.
| Restaurant | Address | Known For |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Creek Vineyards Tasting Room | 1820 County Road 222, Tow, TX 78672 | Estate wines, lake views from the tasting room patio. One of the founding Texas wineries. |
| Tow Country Store | 19998 FM 2241, Tow, TX 78672 | Basic supplies, cold drinks, and local information. The social hub of the community. |
Dining options in Tow are essentially nonexistent beyond the vineyard. Visitors eat in Burnet (20 miles east), Llano (20 miles west), or Kingsland (15 miles south).
| Event | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grape Stomp | Late summer | Annual harvest celebration at Fall Creek Vineyards. |
| White Bass Run | February–April | Anglers launch from Black Rock Park to fish the western shore and upper lake. |
| Wildflower Season | March–April | FM 2241 is lined with bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush in good years. |
Lodging in Tow is limited to vacation rentals and a handful of RV parks along the western shore. There are no hotels or motels. Most visitors staying in the area rent lakefront cabins through private owners or book campsites at Black Rock Park. The nearest full-service lodging is in Burnet, approximately 20 miles to the east.
* Getting There: From Burnet, take State Highway 29 west to FM 2241, then follow FM 2241 north approximately 12 miles. From Llano, take Highway 29 east to FM 2241.
* Pace and Vibe: Tow is extremely quiet. There is no commercial district. The community operates on ranch time — early mornings, quiet afternoons.
* Supplies: The Tow Country Store carries basic necessities, but for groceries, hardware, or fuel, plan to stop in Burnet or Llano.
* Cell Service: Coverage is unreliable along much of FM 2241 and the western shore. Plan accordingly.
Tow represents the quieter, less accessible side of the Highland Lakes — the western shore that most visitors never see. Its history encompasses the oldest settlement in Llano County, Confederate-era salt production, the displacement of communities by dam construction, and the unlikely birth of the Texas wine industry on a granite bluff above the lake. It matters because it demonstrates that significant things can happen in places that appear, on the surface, to be nothing more than a post office and a country store on a two-lane road.
Part of the HillCountry.ai network — local guides for the Texas Hill Country, powered by Backroads Hill Country.