Dripping Springs, Texas – April 5, 2025
Tucked among the rolling hills and live oaks of the Texas Hill Country, where the air smells of cedar and wildflowers and the stars blaze brighter than city lights ever allow, sits a 12-acre luxury resort and it could soon belong to you for the price of a movie ticket. For just $10, anyone in the U.S. can enter a raffle to win the entire Canyonwood Ridge resort: a 7,000-square-foot main lodge, six private cabins, a spring-fed pool, a wedding venue that books out two years in advance, and even the business license that’s made it a beloved destination for brides, retreat-goers, and weary souls seeking quiet.
Owners Marla and Ben Carter didn’t plan to part with their dream. They built Canyonwood Ridge from scratch in 2016, pouring savings, sweat, and late-night hopes into every stone pathway and reclaimed-wood beam. But after Ben’s recent heart surgery and Marla’s aging parents needing full-time care back in Colorado, the couple made a bittersweet choice. “This place gave us everything,” Marla says, standing on the porch at dawn, coffee in hand. “Now we want it to give someone else a fresh start not just sell it to the highest bidder.”
“We didn’t want it to become a corporate rental or sit empty,” Ben adds, voice still soft from recovery. “We wanted it to go to someone who sees the magic here maybe even someone who’s never owned land before.”
The raffle, approved by the Texas Attorney General’s office to comply with state charity raffle laws, caps entries at 300,000 tickets meaning the odds of winning are 1 in 300,000, far better than most lotteries. All proceeds beyond operational costs will go to the Wounded Warrior Project and the Texas Hill Country Alliance, which protects local aquifers and open spaces. As of Friday morning, over 210,000 tickets had already been sold, from Alaska to Florida, with buyers ranging from retired teachers to young couples dreaming of a life less ordinary.
“I’ve never bought a raffle ticket in my life,” says Elena Morales, a nurse from San Antonio who entered on a whim. “But I drove out here last year for my sister’s wedding. Woke up to deer in the meadow, drank coffee under the stars… I cried when I left. Now I keep thinking: What if?”
Of course, winning comes with responsibilities property taxes, maintenance, the weight of stewardship. But for many, the fantasy isn’t just about real estate; it’s about reclaiming agency in a world that often feels out of reach. “Homeownership feels impossible for my generation,” says 29-year-old graphic designer Jake Lin, who bought five tickets. “But for ten bucks? I get hope. And maybe a future.”
The drawing is set for May 15. Until then, the Carters will keep hosting guests, lighting firepits at dusk, and walking the trails they built by hand knowing that soon, someone else will inherit the quiet magic of this Hill Country haven.
And for $10, that someone could be you.
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