Sunrise Beach is a laid-back lakeside community in the Texas Hill Country
Homes perched on the hillside look over Lake Lyndon B. Johnson in Sunrise Beach Village, an incorporated community of just over 700 people in the Texas Hill Country. “Sunrise Beach Village is a sleepy little lake town,” says Katie Simon, a local Realtor with the Lake Life Team at eXp Realty. Although Lake LBJ is a popular vacation destination 60 miles outside Austin, “There are no short-term rentals in Sunrise Beach Village, so people own the land and live there. Vacationers don’t come into that neighborhood unless they buy it as a second home,” Simon says. As a result, this quiet spot on the lake attracts retirees and generational residents seeking a relaxed lifestyle.
Lakefront properties with a wide range of price points
Small cabins and cottages that aren’t directly on the water can sell for between $260,000 and $700,000, depending on their condition and size. Waterfront properties with updated interiors and features like private boat docks sell for between $1 million and $2.5 million. According to Lydia Miller, broker/owner of Lake It Easy Realty, the housing market tends to move a bit slower here than surrounding areas like Kingsland. “There’s no city sewer system, so everyone needs a septic, and that has a lot of rules,” she explains.
Public water access in town and nearby Inks Lake State Park
Although some homes have private boat ramps, residents can also launch their boats at Granite Shoals Park and McNair Park. Granite Shoals Park and McNair Park also both have fishing piers and swimming areas. The neighboring community of Horseshoe Bay has several private golf courses, and Inks Lake State Park is about 20 miles north. Inks Lake State Park’s craggy rock formations along the Colorado River and wildlife like armadillos and great blue herons make for scenic hiking and kayaking excursions.
The CCAA hosts socials and events like a chili cook-off
McNair Park has been the location of town events like the Chili Cook-off, which included 15 competing chili teams, live music and a bake sale. The town hosts this for the first time in 2025 to raise money for Sunrise Beach Village’s non-profit Citizens for Community Action Association. The CCAA hosts other events like ice cream socials and Christmas parties and has helped build pickleball courts and walking trails in the town, among other initiatives.
Lake LBJ is a constant level lake that has experienced flooding
Lake LBJ helps generate electricity for the city of Austin, and its water levels are managed by a dam system. As a constant level lake, the water levels are relatively stable. This prevents droughts from significantly lowering the water level. However, Sunrise Beach Village, like other communities around Lake LBJ, is vulnerable to flooding. A major flood in 2018 caused significant damage in the area, and smaller floods have occurred in years since. “When it flooded [in 2018], it was the worst flood I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of them here,” Simon says.
Sunrise Beach Village has some essentials, and there’s more in Kingsland
Dining options in Sunrise Beach Village include Court’s Bar and Grille, a hole-in-the-wall beach bar serving drinks and American food, and Boaters Bistro, a lakeside haunt serving burgers and seafood. T-Mart is a gas station and convenience store, and the nearest grocery store is H-E-B in Kingsland, 8 miles north. Sunrise Beach Village also has several churches, and as an incorporated town, it has its own post office and fire station. The town has a CAP Index crime score of 1, lower than the national average of 4.
Area students attend the Llano Independent School District
Students are zoned to attend Packsaddle Elementary School, which is in Kingsland and has a C-plus rating from Niche. Students continue to B-plus-rated Llano Junior High School and B-rated Llano High School, both about 23 miles away. Llano High School offers dual credit classes through partnerships with Angelo State University and Central Texas College.
Getting to downtown Austin and the airport from Sunrise Beach Village
There is no public transportation serving the town, but Texas State Highway 71 takes drivers 60 miles east into downtown Austin. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is about 65 miles away, and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Marble Falls is among the nearby medical facilities.
Written By
Faith Wakefield
