Seen from the pedestrian bridge is the nearly completed 1,000 square-foot indoor - outdoor bar.
Photo by Teresa Kendrick
The bar’s pergola-covered outdoor area is still under construction.
Photo by Teresa Kendrick
“After what feels like a very long build, we’re finally almost there,” say Matthew and Rachel Buchanan, owners of The Leaning Pear restaurant.
In the Fall of 2023, the couple embarked on an expansion of the eco-conscious restaurant’s bar, patio and parking areas. Last week, the new pedestrian bridge that spans the Cypress Creek watershed at the rear of the property was completed. The lighted walkway over the creek connects customers to the restaurant from the newly completed rear parking area, located about 400 yards further southeast along River Road. The parking area is equipped with an EV charging station and there are two benches with views along the watershed on the pedestrian walkway.
Still underway is the rebuild and expansion of a new 1,000 square foot bar and pergola that will shade outdoor tables.
“We’re hoping to open the new bar and patio in May and can’t wait to share this new space with the community,” says Rachel. The indoor portion of the bar will have seating for up to 40 guests, a sound system and a big screen TV, as well as an expanded liquor license and a menu of bar bites for nibbling. Small live music acts will take place outside on the patio extension.
Perhaps not immediately obvious to visitors who look forward to experiencing the restaurant’s expansion are the elements of the restaurant’s green infrastructure. The Buchanans say they “are especially excited about new wayfinding signs” that will explain to guests the measures they’ve taken to align their ecosensitive location with Wimberley’s resilient community principles.
Near the benches on the new pedestrian walkway from the rear parking lot a wayfinding plaque will read, in part: “You are overlooking land that is part of the Cypress Creek Watershed, which connects to the Blanco River and the larger Guadalupe River Basin. Serving as a crucial wildlife corridor that winds through the Wimberley valley, Cypress Creek supports diverse aquatic life, mammals, and beneficial pollinators. Over 1,000 unique plant and animal species have been identified in the general riparian area, including more than 130 bird species.”
Others signs will point out Wimberley’s presence on the Edwards Plateau, rain and solar harvesting, kitchen gardens, native plant life and permeable areas that allow rain to filtrate through soil rather than create flooding runoff. Each sign will include a QR code which point toward websites that allow visitors a deep dive into green infrastructure principles.
