FREDERICKSBURG TRAVEL GUIDE: WHERE TO GO, STAY, AND PLAY
If you’re looking for an amazing place to escape reality and feel like you’re in a completely different country, look no further than Fredericksburg, TX. Fredericksburg is a beautiful gem of a place about 4 hours west of Houston, about an hour and a half north of San Antonio, and an hour and a half west of Austin. I visited Fredericksburg this past February and was immediately in love because of the vast land full of vineyards and the historic culture of downtown. However, I wasn’t able to really experience Fredericksburg to its’ fullest until my mom and I decided to take a 4-day trip there in October. So now you’re probably thinking “What the heck makes Fredericksburg so special? What can I even do there?” Well I’m here to give you the full inside scoop of where to go, stay, and play in Fredericksburg, TX!
What is there to do in Fredericksburg?
Stop by the visitor’s center
The Fredericksburg Visitors Center is a must while visiting even if you’re a pro to the little town, you’re sure to find something you’ve never seen or done before. Mom and I loved being able to walk around and grab different brochures for museums, restaurants, hotels, excursions, wine tours, vineyards, and more! Additionally, the individuals working the front desk are beyond friendly and ready to help you plan out your time in Fredericksburg or answer any questions you might have. We grabbed our brochures and headed out to explore the town and oh boy… did we explore! We were able to cover many different things in Fredericksburg and still have a lot left to do for our next visit.
Head over to Wildseed Farms
Wildseed Farms is the perfect place for the entire family, your mom, sister, or a cute day date! The farm has been growing fields of wildflowers for the production of seed for over 35 years! They are the nation's largest working wildflower farm with over 200 acres in Fredericksburg Texas alone and you get to see A LOT of it. We thought the farm was huge and then it kept getting bigger and bigger! During the fall they have lots of pumpkins in pretty much every color and shape and even some fun areas for photo opts. Peep my mom in the “punkins” one below. She’s the cutest!! Just when you thought they couldn’t have more, they have a vineyard and tasting room too. They currently have 20 acres of grapes in production with another 30 acres in the planning stages. Haha remember when I said they have A LOT of land.. they do!
Mom and I decided to grab a drink before heading out to their butterfly garden. We had the peach and watermelon daiquiris and they were delicious. They were a little expensive for how much we received but it goes back to the farm, which makes it worth it for us.
When you visit, remember to be respectful of the flowers and plants! Stay on the trails and on the outside of the fences. I promise there are amazing places to take photos with the flowers without harming them.
Walk up and down Main Street
You truly can’t experience Fredericksburg, TX without walking up and down Main Street a couple of times. We walked up and down it numerous times and I swear I saw something new every single time, haha! There are several shops with things from antiques, clothing, baby items, leather goods, and home furnishings to even a store solely selling Christmas items! Main street has restaurants, coffee shops, tasting rooms (where you can grab a bite to eat and a glass of wine), breweries, distilleries, museums, and more!
Main Street is undoubtedly the place to check out multiple times while visiting. I think the historic buildings and little parks are what really made me love it. It’s a place where when you walk the streets you feel the German influence and history and can even taste it too! The Old German Bakery and Restaurant is my favorite German restaurant on Main Street for breakfast (get the German pancake) and of course, the Fredericksburg Brewing Company is my favorite place to grab a German beer, soft pretzel, and a scotch egg! Another area to swing by to learn a little bit of history and enjoy some nature is the Marktplatz von Fredericksburg, which is pictured in the first two images below. The park surrounds on all sides one of the most revered treasures of the City, the Vereins Kirche. The octagonal-shaped building was the site of the first church and the first school in Fredericksburg. Marktplatz hosts festivals, concerts and an ice skating rink in the holiday season. Read more about this iconic park here.
Check out a vineyard
Grape Creek Vineyards
Grape Creek Vineyards was founded in 1983, making it the oldest winery on Highway 290, which is THE highway you’ll end up on while touring vineyards! The vineyards generally represent grape varieties from warmer growing regions like the Rhone Valley and Madiran in southern France, and Colline Teramane and Basilicata in Central Italy. When you arrive at the vineyard, you won’t believe you’re in Texas. It truly looks like you’re in Italy! This was my second time visiting Grape Creek Vineyards and it certainly won’t be my last. We decided to do a tasting and our tasting guide, Lisa was phenomenal. I swear every time I visit we have an amazing tasting guide. I’m always left wanting to buy a lot of wine and this time I actually decided to be a wine club member and receive wine 5 times a year! Additionally, every time I visit I get a free glass of wine and so do my guests up to 4 people total (myself included). Grape Creek doesn’t sell their wine in any stores so you can only buy it there or online. Being a wine club member makes it a little cheaper plus I love being able to grab a glass of wine when I visit the vineyard or any of their tasting rooms. You might be wondering what a tasting room is. Well, it’s kind of like a wine bar but away from the vineyard! Grape Creek has two tasting rooms: one on Main Street in Fredericksburg and one in Georgetown Square!!
Additionally, Grape Creek Vineyards has a fabulous restaurant. It’s one of the only vineyards off 290 to have a full restaurant; so keep that in mind. We actually ate here twice; once while wine tasting and the second was just for lunch after we went to a wine tasting somewhere else. I highly recommend the charcuterie board (pictured below) and the pizzas! We had the rendezvous pizza which is white truffle oil, mozzarella, shaved parmesan, arugula, fig, balsamic drizzle & prosciutto chip and it was heavenly. Mom and I are picky about our pizzas too, if that tells you anything. Oh, and wine club members get a discount of 15% at the restaurant too. There is also a little members-only patio that serves light bites if you want to chill up there but they don’t serve the full restaurant menu so keep that in mind as well. Grape Creek does do vineyard tours, we just weren’t able to do one last minute so make sure you call ahead to schedule a tour. Andrew and I are going to come back and do a tour together sometime in 2021!
4.0 Cellars
4.0 Cellars is right across the street from Grape Creek Vineyards and is another MUST while visiting Fredericksburg. What’s a little different about 4.0 Cellars is that they house wines from a handful of vineyards around Texas. Those include Brennan Vineyards (in Comanche, TX), Lost Oak Winery (in Burleson, Texas), and McPherson Cellars (in Lubbock, Texas). I thought it was really cool that they house all these wines from across Texas and you can taste them all at 4.0 Cellars. The property is huge and allows you to spread out from people and enjoy the outdoor areas or head inside for a tasting in their large tasting bar. They also offer private tastings and you can find more information on that here. Additionally, they offer a wine and cheese pairing experience! If you’re like me and love cheese you’re going to LOVE this. The Texas Cheese & Wine Experience features five artisan cheeses from Texas cheesemakers and creameries around the state: CKC Farms in Blanco, Eagle Mountain Farmhouse in Lipan, River Whey Creamery in Schertz, and Veldhuizen Cheese in Dublin. They then select 4.0 wines to perfectly complement each cheese for a delicious experience. This would be perfect for a group of friends or family. Find more information on this experience here.
Pop over to Das Peach Haus
Das Peach Haus is a MUST while in Fredericksburg because of its vast offerings. Offering casual dining experiences of cultural favorites, public and private cooking classes with culinary instructors, pubic and private wine tastings of the region’s best selections, and private dining where art, science, and music create the perfect meal! We popped over to check out their fall set up and to see all the pumpkins but stayed for the delicious peach wine and view of the peach orchards and atmosphere. Das Peach Haus has a rich history behind it too. In 1969, Mark founded Fischer & Wieser’s Das Peach Haus as a roadside fruit stand, built from the logs of an 1870 German log cabin. Das Peach Haus quickly became the place to go in Fredericksburg, Texas for the best locally harvested peaches and preserves made from local, ripe fruit. Read their entire story here. It was such a cool feeling to be sipping on peach Moscato (which you can buy here) while gazing out at the peach orchard. Y’all… I truly did not feel like I was in Texas. I can’t stress that enough! It was wild.
Swing by a Museum
Pioneer Museum
The Pioneer Museum was great! I’m such a fan of learning about the places I travel to and the Pioneer Museum is a fantastic way to learn about Fredericksburg’s German heritage and how the town came to be. My favorite part about this museum is that it was outside. There were multiple buildings you could walk into and experience what it truly was like in the days of the pioneers. I don’t want to give too much away but I highly recommend checking it out while visiting. It took us about an hour to walk through and experience it all.
National Museum of the Pacific War
Oh my gosh. Y’all this museum is incredible! It’s HUGE. The National Museum of the Pacific War, a Smithsonian-quality museum dedicated to WWII. I definitely recommend setting aside a couple hours to make it through this museum and then of course experience the Japanese peace garden outside the museum too. It’s one of the most serene locations in Fredericksburg. This museum is A LOT, I won’t deny that, so be prepared to take in a lot of information at one time. It’s beyond worth it though. I was incredibly impressed.
Both the Pioneer Museum and the National Museum of the Pacific War are off Main Street and walking distance once you’ve parked.
Spend the day at a farm
Jenschke Orchards
Who doesn’t love heading to a farm with your friends and family?! Jenschke Orchards started as a peach stand in the 1960’s and has expended into a country store. Jenschke Orchards is primarily a “Pick Your Own” orchard growing over 30 varieties of peaches in addition to strawberries, blackberries, pumpkins, and Christmas trees. You can also find an array of tasty canned goods, as well as fresh cobblers, homemade ice cream, farm eggs, and fresh produce for those who opt not to pick whenever you visit the store.
Jenschke Orchards was the perfect place to pick some pumpkins and my favorite part, GO THROUGH A CORN MAZE!! I have never been through a corn maze before and this was really fun to do with my mom. We were laughing at each other the entire time because it was HUGE and we went the wrong way numerous times but were able to make it through in about 40 minutes! Picking your own pumpkins was free, you just paid for them on the way out but to experience the corn maze it was $10 per person.
Below are the different harvest dates so you can plan accordingly depending on what you’d like to pick!
Strawberries- February to May
Peaches- May to September
Blackberries- May to June
Pumpkins- September to October
Christmas Trees- November to December
Experience nature to it’s fullest at Enchanted Rock
I'm a huge fan of state parks and have been wanting to visit Enchanted Rock for a while now so when we found out we’d be in Fredericksburg for a while we made reservations to check it out. Enchanted Rock is about 30 minutes from Main Street and is a straight shot. Be careful driving because there were A LOT of deer near the road on our drive there. Reservations right now are required to enter the park and can easily be made online. It’s super affordable too; only $8 per person. Mom and I decided to take the summit trail and hike to the top of Enchanted Rock and y’all it wasn’t an easy trek, by any means. It was very steep going up and down because it’s basically a big circle haha. We reached the top in about 30 minutes with some little breaks in between. When we made it back down we decided to do a couple other little trails including the Interpretive loop that’s about half a mile and includes some fun facts about Enchanted Rock and it’s surroundings. See the Enchanted trail map here. Enchanted Rock is a great place to hangout for the entire day and truly experience nature. There were some great picnic tables with grilling areas by the Interpretive Loop that would be great for a picnic. Additionally, you can camp at Enchanted Rock for $18 a day + daily admission. Andrew and I are thinking about going back to camp for a couple of days next year.
If Enchanted Rock is booked for the day or a little too far for you to drive, you can always check out Cross Mountain Park. We actually had planned on going to Enchanted Rock back in January and then when we got there they weren’t allowing people without reservations in AKA us… SO we had to last minute figure somewhere else to go. Cross Mountain Park is definitely smaller than Enchanted rock but gives you a spectacular view of Fredericksburg as you can see below. The hike is only about 15 minutes and is a great place to chill at the top or even have a picnic. You can even create your own little rock tower at the bottom of the mountain. There were tons of these at the bottom and I thought they were so cool!
Where are the best places to stay in Fredericksburg?
Fredericksburg Inn and Suites
If you’re looking for a nice relaxing hotel with a plethora of space to drink a bottle of wine but close enough to walk to Main Street, then look no further! Fredericksburg Inn and Suites is the place for you and the whole family or even a romantic getaway. The rooms were great and the biggest plus was that the beds were comfy! All the rooms surrounded a courtyard area with fire-pits, numerous tables, and benches. We stayed here for two nights and on both nights we sat outside our room with a glass of wine and planned our next days. Fredericksburg Inn and Suites have A LOT of amenities too. They have complimentary eats and treats, two pools, a hot tub, entertainment, and more which you can see here. Being able to walk to everything off Main Street was a HUGE plus too because sometimes it can be hard to find parking off Main Street or if you’re drinking on Main Street you can easily walk back to your room. From our very first interaction with Jim at the front desk to leaving early in the morning to head to breakfast on our last day our time there was amazing. We will definitely be staying again soon.
Where are the best places to eat in Fredericksburg?
Twisted Sisters Bake Shop
I am so freaking happy my mom found this place while looking for bakeries near our hotel because this place needs to be on your list of places to grab a coffee and a pastry. It’s about a 3-minute walk from Fredericksburg Inn & suites with plenty of seating inside and out. Mom had the salted caramel latte and breakfast burrito and I had a chai latte with a croissant and then we split a cinnamon roll! The pastries were extremely fresh and perfect! It’s always the worst when you order a pastry that looks amazing and is hard. Theirs were 100% delicious as well as the drinks. This is a place to sit down for a quick bite or grab some things to go. We only had breakfast but they have a delectable menu featuring a wide selection of sandwiches, pretzels, hot dogs, cakes, cookies, muffins and so much more. Be sure to check out their fb page here.
Emma + Ollie
Oh man. Emma + Ollie. I still dream about this avocado toast, y’all. I’m still trying to recreate it! Also, let’s take a minute to appreciate this beautiful morning glow. Mom and I decided to grab breakfast at Emma + Ollie before heading to Enchanted Rock so we got there right when they opened at 7:30 a.m. We were looking for places that use good wholesome ingredients with a nice patio for breakfast and Emma + Ollie was literally what we wanted & more. Additionally, the owner has a great story and tie to Fredericksburg. Kathy's whimsical and creative personality is deeply embedded in the Emma + Ollie brand. The restaurant is partly named after her grandmother, Ollie (and Kathy's beloved canine companion), who shared a similar zest for life! Her family has been a part of Fredericksburg for many years and she is over the moon to provide the community with a place to gather and eat well. Read more about Emma + Ollie’s story here.
Now let’s talk details about the food! They have pastries in the front where you order and grab coffee and then you can go to the back where they have a big patio. We were able to relax and really enjoy our food while sipping on coffee. Mom ordered the Emma + Ollie Breakfast which is: two organic eggs as you like, sourdough toast + choice of cheese grits or hash browns and I had the famous dream about it all the time avocado toast. It’s fresh toasted sourdough with avocado, fresh greens + sunflower seeds topped with an over-easy organic egg. I really think it was those sprouts and sunflower seeds on top that made it 100%! Overall, you’ve gotta put this place down on your list for breakfast one morning.
Main Street Taquitos
100% write this down as a place to go!! I’m already a huge fan of street tacos, which actually makes me pretty picky when it comes to them, but this place… they do it right!! Mom and I passed this taco place multiple times while walking up and down Main Street to and from our hotel and finally, on our last day, we stopped by. Oh man, I wish I had some of these while writing this.. they were that good, and oh did I mention cheap?! We got 5 street tacos: 3 chicken and 2 el pastor with everything (it all comes on the side) and a Mexican Coke for $12! I can totally see this being the place to grab some late-night food after chilling at a tasting room or a light lunch before heading to a vineyard.
Navajo Grill
We had heard so many good things about Navajo Grill from locals and from Yelp, so we decided to grab an early dinner there one night. Mom and I typically don’t eat a ton of food so we decided to grab some drinks and apps as our meal. Mom hadn’t been having the best experience with cocktails recently so she was hesitant to order something but our waiter was actually the bartender and would make her samples of drinks to try before making her an entire drink, which we thought was awesome. Finally, we landed on a drink my mom liked and it was delicious. I wish I could remember what was in it! Just ask your waiter to create something based on your tastes while there. We started with the Navajo fries which were topped with bacon rosemary salt and black pepper then served with aioli and they were divine. Yum. I love me some good fries, let me tell ya.
For our meal, mom ordered the crab cakes app as her meal and honestly, I would avoid them. They weren’t terrible but they definitely weren’t worth $17 in our opinion. However, we do love crab cakes and eat them often so that could have easily played into our overall opinion of them. I ordered a classic Caesar salad and the French onion soup and both were absolutely delicious! Y’all… I’m such a fan of French onion soup. If you haven’t tried it before, this is the place to get it. Yummy! We sat outside in the courtyard area and had a wonderful time sipping on our cocktails, munching on our food, and listening to music. I highly recommend sitting outside to fully experience Navajo Grill!
Pritzer Sweet Shop
This is ALWAYS my last stop in Fredericksburg so I can bring a little bit of Fredericksburg with me. They have the most delectable treats, I mean.. look at them. Are you drooling yet? Pritzer Sweet Shop offers the famous sweet German pretzel along with cookies, candies, ice cream, and more right on Main Street! I love the sweet German pretzel but my all-time favorites are the giant coconut macaroons and sometimes they are drizzled with chocolate. I swear they are heaven on earth for my coconut lovers. Shown in the photos below are the sweet German pretzel, lemon cookie, salted caramel cookie, monster cookie, and two coconut macaroons!
Overall, Fredericksburg was a wonderful place for us to relax, bond even more, and truly experience a place together. We wined and dined and will always remember this amazing trip to Fredericksburg together! I highly recommend bringing your mom, sisters, or significant other to Fredericksburg for a trip you’re sure to remember for years to come.
Let me know if you have any questions about Fredericksburg or if you have any other suggestions on places to go!
XOXO
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