"Something smells good in the kitchen at Blair House in Wimberley, and you just might be cooking it.

No, you don't have to do all your own cooking at this inn, settled on 22acres strewn with wildflowers in the Hill Country. There are other things to do as well. You can stroll over to WImberley Glass Works, plat golf at five nearby courses, or browse through 125 shops and galleries just a little more than a mile away. But what's that aroma coming from the kitchen?

Usually, chef [Mark Malowski] is the one creating a fine meal, but each month, you can get flour up to your elbows, too, and take home all the recipes. The Blair House Cooking School has become a major event for the inn. For three days each month, guests gather around...and explore foods from down the road or an ocean away.

[Mark Malowski] prepares the breads, bountiful breakfasts, desserts, and the inn's Saturday night, five-course gourmet dinners ($62.00 per person). Attire is casual, although guests may "show up in anything from jeans to cocktail dresses."

"'Every week, people walk into the kitchen and shake his hand and say "Thank you,"' remarks Vickie Schneider, who owns the inn with her husband Michael.

"Vickie and Michael purchased the inn five years ago from its founder, Jonnie Stansbury. They've done some redecorating and added three hill-top cottages. With amenities such as a stone fireplace, King bed, marble whirlpoo ltub, and commanding views of the valley below, the cottages are popular for those special romantic get-aways.

'We've already had a couple who married there on the deck. You just back up for your honeymoon and go inside,' quips Vickie."

"You can make the days at lair House as lazy or as lively as you like. The staff at the inn can even arrange classes in the community on several topics: writing, tai chi, art, bird watching, and glassblowing. You can also get a massage, watch a movie chosen from the inn's library, or just watch the show of sunset from a swing under a tree. At Blair House, you can always cook up something to do-- or nothing at all."

-- Southern Living Texas Vacations Magazine, 2002