Enchanted Springs Ranch is not only a wonderful Hill Country attraction, but (as you might suspect if you’ve been lucky enough to visit) it’s a huge adventure for its owners, as well. The Texas Hill Country magazine has covered numerous bits and pieces of the Enchanted Springs Ranch story in past issues; this time we’ll attempt a sort of overview (but we’re warning you; you really need to see it for yourself!)

Steve Schmidt is a Hill Country native (born and raised in Fredericksburg) who has traveled the world and come back home. After high school, he was accepted into the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, where he earned a B.S. in Mathematics, then spent ten years flying warplanes (mostly B-52 bombers). His second decade in the Air Force was spent finishing a PhD in Statistics and teaching at the Air Force Academy, writing books on statistics and leadership, and advising defense contractors on matters of efficiency. When he retired from the military, he continued and expanded his consulting work as a private contractor. In addition to the defense contractors, his clients included corporate giants such as Motorola, Texas Instruments, Sony, General Electric, Abbott Labs, H.E.B. and Dannon Yogurt. His work took him all over the world. His wife, Vicki, worked with him as a partner in the consulting firm.

After a globe-trotting decade, Steve and Vicki decided to retire, and bought themselves a beautiful 86-acre ranch off Highway 46, just west of Boerne; the ranch came with three old barns. Steve built old-west-style façades to beautify the buildings, and used the area for barbeques with family and friends. Everyone liked it, so he kept adding on. Soon, a friend who designs sets for Hollywood films advised him to build a whole western town. Schmidt was excited about the idea of a place where people could experience the Old West and learn a little of the Hill Country’s rich heritage. Enchanted Springs Ranch was born!

As the w ...

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