The JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa - Review 2025

What to Do

Clearly, remoteness has nothing to do with activities at The JL Bar Ranch – it’s more difficult deciding what to leave out of your trip than it is to fill your time. Plus, you’ll surely want to leave room for relaxation by the stunning infinity pool or treatments at the spa.

Some of your time should be spent with the ranch’s horses, whether it be horseback riding, a simple meet and greet, or even a lesson on horse psychology. Other traditional ranch activities include archery and backcountry excursions to see wildlife and natural beauty.

There’s more than one way to enjoy one of the most famous local sports – shooting. Hit some targets at the pistol range, challenge yourself with the long shot at the long range, or hit a moving target at the skeet & trap range or the sporting clays range. That’s all besides the opportunities to hit real targets like whitetail, exotics, and upland birds on a hunt around thousands of acres.

What to Eat & Drink

The main place for dining at the resort is The Restaurant at JL Bar, which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Local ingredients are used for a variety of local and regional specialties, and this restaurant is well-known for its meat cuts and barbecue dishes. Its massive Sunday Brunch is a do-not-miss if you’re there on the weekend.

Hotel guests get exclusive access to MVBrew, an all-day coffee shop serving a variety of beverages, sandwiches, and desserts as well. There’s also the Main Lodge Bar & Lounge to grab a beer, wine, or cocktail at, as well as the Wine Cellar & Tasting Room for those who want to try a rare, vintage bottle.

Room Guide

With just 16 rooms and 16 luxury cabins, The JL Bar Ranch is a small resort by room number, leaving plenty of space for guests to spread out and have fun on their own. Your room choice is all about the space you want when settling down at the end of each day.

Lonesome Creek Rooms: These classic hotel rooms are set in a spot away from the main lodge, close to some of the shooting ranges. They are equipped with one king bed, custom wood furniture, and outdoor seating. There’s a barbecue pavilion just next door, and it’s a lovely walk down a path to the rest of the resort.

Deluxe Cabins: In spots surrounding the main lodge, these cabins feature an oversize king bed, two queen beds, or two queens and one twin bed for families. They offer extra space and tall ceilings along with luxurious furnishings and amenities.

The Archer’s Nest Villa: The resort’s top villa is commonly booked for special events like birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, family reunions, or corporate events. This is the property on which the homestead’s original headquarters was built in 1906 and offers seven bedrooms for up to 14 guests. It has its own swimming pool and rock slide, and the outdoor space is equipped with a kitchen.

Special Experiences

While horseback riding is cool enough, you can take this ranch sport to the next level with a horse psychology class offered by the resort’s equine experts. What, exactly, is horse psychology? It’s about the body language of a horse and being able to read them, as well as the famous technique of “linking up” – anything more than that is a secret to be revealed at the ranch, so if you’re curious, check it out.

Take advantage of the massive Texas sky and the wonderful lack of light in the countryside by joining a guided stargaze with the resort’s 10-inch telescope. You’ll be amazed at just how much you can see when all the way out here and just how much you can learn from the astronomy expert.

Afterward, order a S’mores tray to a fire pit to end off the evening with the country’s favorite dessert. The ranch also has an extensive cellar of wines and spirits, and you can try fine wine tasting, tequila tasting, or whiskey tasting to sample the best craft libations of the south.

Finally, if you’re a hunter or curious enough to try it, this is the place. Hunting expeditions always come with a ranch guide who will provide the guns, training, and expertise. Whitetail, axis, and fallow deer, red stag, blackbuck antelope, quail, pheasant, and turkey are some of the prizes you can bag on-property.