Brittany Kelley
WIMBERLEY — The Wimberley Lions Club held a community forum Tuesday, Feb. 3, to inform residents on the current state of tourism.
“Tourists are woven into our daily life here in Wimberley and how we manage that tourism matters to everyone that calls Wimberley home,” said Lions Club member Frank Curtis. “This community forum recognizes the delicate balance that the city of Wimberley and its partner agencies are working to achieve.”
He continued by emphasizing that there needs to be a balance of welcoming visitors to Wimberley, while safeguarding the natural beauty and small-town charm it encompasses.
Michelle Woods, director of Tourism for Wimberley, explained that the Tourism Department is funded through hotel occupancy tax (HOT), which is a tax on individuals that stay overnight in available lodging. These funds are state regulated and do not contribute to the city’s general fund to work on projects, such as roads, but rather continue to go back into the promotion and marketing of Wimberley. For example, this year, Woods stated that they are attempting to focus on digital and print media, such as releasing a venue magazine later in the year.
Currently, there are 125 lodging establishments within the city, she said. In 2025, there were approximately 1.3 million visitor days or days in which people stayed in the city.
“That represents a 28% year-over-year growth over 2024, which is pretty remarkable,” said Woods. “It’s important to note that the visitor days does represent a mix of overnight stays, as well as day trippers … We do see some pretty clear seasonable patterns January through December, which, even if you don’t know [that] you’re familiar with them, you’re familiar with them. You’ve felt them. The lows are in January and February and the peak months are, typically, June and July.”
These patterns have been more stable over the past two years, after falling, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Woods explained.
Although there have been positives with tourism, there are also drawbacks, such as resident complaints regarding parking, traffic, protecting Wimberley’s character and water conservation. She noted that these concerns are valid, but, at the moment, an easy fix isn’t available.
Despite this, staff is working to “set expectations with our visitors before they arrive,” such as encouraging parking in one spot and walking around to various destinations, rather than continuously driving throughout.
Other projects that the city is working on include:
Monument signage in three districts: Market District, Midtown and Gateway
Digital alignment by updating platforms, like Google Maps
Urban Trails project to connect parks, parking lots and downtown businesses to improve walkability
A shuttle with several stops throughout the city
The Visit Wimberley website has also been revamped, said Woods, as staff has focused on making it a functional tool that includes updated businesses, information about parking, bathrooms, basic amenities, emergency services and more.
“Another concern that we hear is affordability. Are locals being priced out? Unfortunately, at this point, affordability is more of a regional Central Texas issue. There’s not a lot at Visit Wimberley or the city level that we can do. There’s a lot more factors than just tourism that goes into this, but we do know that our tourists support our local businesses; they keep those jobs and those businesses thriving,” said Woods.
Despite the increase in tourism, Woods shared that there has not been an increase in crime tied to the industry.
Looking to the future, Woods noted that her office’s goal is sustainable tourism by using data-driven decisions and having a willingness to adjust.
Next, Wimberley Development and Public Works director Nathan Glasier discussed zoning codes.
“I think zoning is really important when it comes to managing growth and development within the city limits,” said Glasier. “It’s only given to cities in Texas, so counties do not have zoning authority. They cannot enforce use restrictions, but, basically, a city can pass laws that dictate how you develop your property and this means: where a building can go, how big that building can be, how tall it can be and then, also what you can do on the inside of the walls of that building.”
Of the nine square miles within city limits, 85% of it is zoned as a single-family district, where residences or some form of approved agricultural or religious assembly can occur. Five percent is parks and public facilities, such as schools and libraries, and 10% is commercial use.
The primary restriction in Wimberley is regarding height, Glasier explained, as there cannot be a building more than 35-feet tall or two stories. There are also impervious cover restrictions, tree protection ordinances, a protected waterway overlay and, following its approval in 2021, a historic preservation overlay district. This means that the architecture must be approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission to ensure that it matches the city of Wimberley Historic District design guidelines.
The floor was then open to residents in attendance to ask questions.
One resident questioned the possibility of discount cards for locals, to which Woods stated that this has come up in various committees, but that, ultimately, it is up to the businesses themselves to decide if this is something they want to offer.
Another asked about the housing availability. According to Glasier, the city is currently working on a Comprehensive Plan, which will hopefully address this concern after it is adopted in May. It will also discuss water concerns associated with growth.
The Old Kyle Road project was mentioned and city administrator Tim Patek shared that the current plan is to install a roundabout by Blue Hole, with a one-way road to Ranch Road 12. Furthermore, there are still discussions going on surrounding Oldham Street. He also clarified that these are county projects, not the city’s, but that staff is doing their best to be in the conversation.
For more information on tourism in Wimberley, visit www.visitwimberleytx.org.
