Growing up in the Texas Panhandle, the state’s Gulf Coast beaches were a distant dream. And I mean that literally — they were at least an eight-hour drive from where I lived. So, when I heard that a beachlike, human-made lagoon measuring 2.2 acres was opening at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Villas…

Most travel is extractive and passive. You show up somewhere, take photos of the same landmarks everyone else takes photos of, eat at a restaurant the guidebook recommended, and hit up some bars. You take some tours to learn about the place and, if you’re lucky, get to meet some locals on your trip. You…