Everyone has been to Fredericksburg, Texas. Even if you are certain you have never been, I promise you that is, in fact, not the case. Because anyone who has seen a John Wayne movie, has already walked down Main Street in this small, but growing, Texas Hill Country town.

In early January, it’s dry and dusty. Pick-up trucks kick up clouds of dust as they turn off paved roads. People wear cowboy boots, and the measured clop of their heels reminds me of the moments leading up to a shootout. The main drag in town is one long stretch of storefronts outlined in lights. Nearby houses are built on small wooden frames and a gust of wind sets the lone rocker on one front porch in motion. Historic Gillespie County Jail is a narrow, two-story building, its windows and doors crossed with iron bars, and I half expect a Rio Bravo extra, the one who had a little too much to drink at the bar last night, to stumble outside.

One thing that may strike you as unusual about this charming Texas town is the number of German restaurants that dot Main Street, from Der Linderbaum and the more raucous Auslander biergarten at the east end to the Old German Bakery and Restaurant at the west end. Signs saying willkommen hang in their windows and menus all feature iconic Bavarian specialties like schnitzel, sauerkraut soup and sausage.

Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 by German émigrés seeking refuge from political and social unrest at home and looking to establish a new Germany in the Republic of Texas; its food scene helps to preserve the memory of those early pioneers. Situated 70 miles west of progressive, food-focused Austin and in the midst of Texas wine country, the town offers visitors a budding farm to table movement and the opportunity to taste some of the region’s latest vintages.

Das Peach Haus, located just outside of town, offers cooking classes in a historic warehouse once owned and operated by Lone Star Beer. You can learn the ins and outs of sauerkraut soup, braised cabbage, jägerschnitzel and German potato salad during the Hill Country German Feast sessions on Saturdays. The highlight of the class for me was learning out to make schnitzel properly; until now, I just hadn’t been pounding those cutlets thin enough!

Peach Haus is a also a gourmet gift shop with loads of sauces, wines, mustards and other goodies you might want to pick up as a memento of your trip. Their raspberry chipotle sauce is supposed to be pretty damn good.

Head back into town and spend a few hours walking up and down Main Street. There are lots of shops to pop in and out of, including Headquarter’s Hat, with its impressive collection of Lucchese boots. Home furnishing stores abound, as do tasting rooms. Stop in a few to find what you like best and add that vineyard to the top of your list. If you need a pick-me-up, check out Clear River Ice Cream, a retro ice cream parlor with red booths, arcade games, and a mean-looking banana split.

For dinner, your options are many. In an effort to learn more about German food, I went to Otto’s, a farm-to-table German bistro just off Main Street where I was joined by Evelyn Washburne, the owner’s wife. For more on Otto’s, the great food they are serving there and the way they are changing people’s perception of German food, check out the full review here.

You’ll notice what looks like the top of battleship across the street from Otto’s. For WWII buffs, Fredericksburg may already be on your radar as the home of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. The National Museum of the Pacific War, an impressive complex sprawling the block between Main and E. Austin Streets, encompasses several museums that document the life of Fleet Admiral Nimitz and chronicle the war in its Pacific theater. You could easily spend a full day here; the amount of information and artifacts on display – including fighter planes, uniforms worn by men fighting in the air and at sea, and one of the midget submarines used in the attack on Pearl Harbor – is staggering. As I feel so much of what I learned about World War II focused on Europe, I found the museum to be especially interesting.

If you spend the morning at the museum, consider heading back to Main Street for lunch and, if you’re still interested in German food, try Der Lindenbaum, serving Rhineland specialities, or Auslander for its convivial biergarten atmosphere. For those not feeling German food, Vaudeville offers a more continental menu with items like a trendy power bowl, which was “conceived for vegans, but fit for Texans.”

Spend the rest of the afternoon visiting one of the nearby wineries, like Fat Ass Ranch and Winery with its clever donkey mascot or Becker Vineyard. The up and coming Texas wine industry deserves it’s own post, as it’s actually an older growing region than California! Catholic priests began cultivating grapes here in the 1600s to make wine for the Eucharist, but production all but shut down during Prohibition and is still feeling the affects almost a hundred years later with the strict alcohol laws in place in many counties across the state.

Another night in town, and I would suggest The Treaty House, also on E. Austin Street. Its cocktail menu features creative sips like the Corpse Reviver No. 2 with gin, Lillet, Cointreau, lemon and Absinthe, while its food brings a little bit of New Orleans to the Hill Country with dishes like blue crab dip with toast points, chicken fried Texas quail on a white cheddar grit cake and bread pudding with whiskey caramel sauce.

Depending on what time of year you are in town, there are several seasonal attractions. Come at Christmas and, in true German fashion, the town is decorated to the nines. Great garlands reading “Merry Christmas” line each end of Main Street and wreaths adorn each lamp post. Every tree in the town square is strung with lights, there’s a giant nativity pyramid, and each store front is a festive one. Come in April or late summer and relish peach season! I’ve heard they are some of the best.

Before leaving town the next day, I’d recommend a trip out to Enchanted Rock, a large pink granite dome rising 425 feet above the horizon so called because the local Native Americans believed the rock groaned at night. Channeling Daniel Day-Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans, I ran (a little bit of the way) to the top.  It’s a beautiful view with 360° views of the surrounding countryside. I loved seeing those Texas backroads stretch endlessly into the distance from above. There are lots of other trails within the park, so you can spend a couple hours exploring the area.

If you’re looking for a weekend getaway, give Fredericksburg a shot or make it a day trip the next time you are in Austin. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Town Guide: Fredericksburg, Texas

Das Peach Haus
1406 US-87
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 997-8969
http://www.daspeachhaus.com/

Headquarters’s Hats
122 E. Main St.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 990-8510
http://www.headquartershats.com/

Clear River Ice Cream and Bakery
138 E. Main St.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 997-8490

Otto’s
316 E. Austin St.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 307-3336
https://ottosfbg.com/

National Museum of the Pacific War
340 E. Main St.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 997-8600
http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/

Der Lindenbaum
312 E. Main St.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 997-9126
http://derlindenbaum.com/

Auslander Restaurant
323 E. Main St.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 997-7714
http://www.theauslander.com/

Vaudeville
230 E. Main St.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 992-3234
https://vaudeville-living.com/

Fat Ass Ranch and Winery
51 Elgin-Behrends Rd.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 644-2300
https://fatasswine.com/ 

Becker Vineyards
464 Becker Farms Rd.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 644-2681
https://www.beckervineyards.com/

The Treaty House
241 E. Austin St.
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 997-0909
http://thetreatyhouse.com

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
16710 Ranch Rd. 965
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(830) 685-3636
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/enchanted-rock