This Hill Country community is one of our favorite getaways thanks to its proximity to great natural attractions, a fun, historic atmosphere, and numerous dog-friendly accommodations in this capital of the Texas bed and breakfast world.
US 290 runs through the heart of Fredericksburg’s downtown district, becoming Main Street within the city limits. Originally the street was designed to be large enough to allow a wagon and a team of mules to turn around in the center of town. Today, Main Street is filled with shoppers who come to explore the stores and restaurants of downtown Fredericksburg.
Fredericksburg welcomes all visitors—just look at the street signs for proof. Starting at the Adams Street intersection, head east on Main Street and take the first letter of every intersecting street name: They spell “all welcome.” Drive west on Main Street starting after the Adams Street intersection. The first letter of the intersecting streets spell “come back.”
Table of Contents
What to do in Fredericksburg, Texas
Enjoy Wine Tastings and Tours
Dawn breaks over a dew-crystallized vineyard. Nearby, the vintner arrives for an early start to the day. In the distance, pickup trucks meander down the ranch-to-market road, greeted by the calls of onlooking cattle and goats.
It’s another day in Texas wine country.
Much of the Lone Star State’s fast-growing wine industry is centered in the Hill Country near Fredericksburg, founded by German settlers who planted the Vitis vinifera grapes that thrived in the Mediterranean-like climate of their new home. It would be a century before production would begin on a serious scale, but the roots of the Texas wine industry had been planted.
With over 100 wineries in the Fredericksburg area, you’ll find no shortage of wineries to visit for tastings, tours, shopping and even overnight stays. The Fredericksburg CVB has an online directory of local wineries.
Tour the National Museum of the Pacific War
This historic park (formerly Admiral Nimitz State Historical Park) is composed of numerous sections: the former Nimitz Steamboat Hotel, the Japanese Garden of Peace, the George H. W. Bush Gallery, the Pacific Combat Zone, the Plaza of the Presidents, and the Memorial Courtyard.
The complex was first named for Admiral Chester Nimitz, World War II Commander in Chief of the Pacific (CinCPac), Fredericksburg’s most famous resident. He commanded 2.5 million troops from the time he assumed command 18 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor until the Japanese surrendered. The Nimitz name was well known here even years earlier. Having spent time in the merchant marine, Captain Charles H. Nimitz, the admiral’s grandfather, decided to build a hotel here, adding a structure much like a ship’s bridge to the front of his establishment. Built in 1852, the Nimitz Steamboat Hotel catered to guests who enjoyed a room, a meal, and the use of an outdoor bathhouse.
The heart of the museum is the George H. W. Bush Gallery, an extensive collection devoted to World War II Pacific campaigns. The exhibits include media-based interactive displays that illustrate the history, the scope, and the cost of the war in the Pacific.
Behind the museum lies the Garden of Peace, a gift from the people of Japan.
This classic Japanese garden includes a flowing stream, a raked bed of pebbles and stones representing the sea and the Pacific islands, and a replica of the study used by Admiral Togo, Nimitz’s counterpart in the Japanese forces.
Follow the signs from the Garden of Peace for 1 block to the Pacific Combat Zone. This takes you past a collection of military artifacts, including a “fat man” Nagasaki-type atomic bomb case, a Japanese tank, and a restored barge like the one used by Nimitz.
Go Batty at the Old Tunnel State Park
Located 10.5 miles south of US 290 on the Old San Antonio Road, the Old Tunnel State Park showcases an abandoned rail tunnel that became the perfect home for three million Mexican free-tailed bats who chose the location as their summer home.
Every May through Oct the tunnel fills with the annual visitors who provide the important service of mosquito control for the region. You can view the emerging bats every night (or their return during the early morning) from the free upper viewing platform. On some evenings during peak season, you can view the bats from the tunnel level on ranger-guided tours for a fee. Unlike most state parks, this park is not open for canine visitors. To make sure you visit during the proper time, call (866) 978-2287 to learn the current bat schedule.
Drive through Peach Groves.
Almost half the peaches in the state of Texas come from the region around Fredericksburg, and a drive through the peach groves is a fun way to look at this important crop, whether you visit during the spring bloom or the summer harvest.
The numerous varieties of peaches grown here mature on a staggered schedule, so look for fresh fruit at local stands (and even pick your own offerings at some farms) from mid-May into early Aug.
Visit the Fredericksburg visitor center for a brochure about the peach growers or visit www.texaspeaches.com for more information.
Tour the Pioneer Museum–and Learn about Sunday Houses
Located at 325 W. Main S, the Pioneer Museum features historic old homes includes an 1849 pioneer log home and store, the old First Methodist Church, and a smokehouse and log cabin–and an example of a 19th century Sunday House
What’s a Sunday House? Sunday houses catered to farmers who would travel long distances to do business in town, often staying the weekend. With the advent of the automobile, such accommodations became obsolete. Today the old Sunday houses scattered throughout Fredericksburg, Texas are used as bed-and-breakfasts, shops, and even private residences. They are easy to identify by their small size and the fact that most have half-story outside staircases.
Learn about the Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers Heritage Center is of special interest to anyone looking to learn more about the long history of the Texas Rangers. Showcasing a collection previously housed in San Antonio’s Buckhorn Museum, this new facility will feature authentic Texas Ranger artifacts, from guns to badges.
The expansive new museum, located on 16 acres east of town, features the Ranger Ring of Honor, an open-air pavilion, amphitheater, campanile bell tower, theater, and more.
Let’s Go to Luckenbach, Texas
Waylon Jennings’s country song made this tiny burg a Texas institution. Quiet except during evening dances, Luckenbach makes a fun photo stop.
The town consists of a shop or two and a small general store serving as a post office, dance hall, beer joint, a bust of Luckenbach founder Hondo Crouch, and general gathering place.
Take a Hike at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
Walk off that schnitzel with a hike at this park, home of the largest stone formation in the west, second only to Georgia’s Stone Mountain. According to Native American legend, the rock is haunted. Sometimes as the rock cools at night, it makes a creaking sound, which probably accounts for the story.
The hike up the main dome takes about an hour, and hikers are rewarded with a magnificent view of the Hill Country. In warm weather (from April through October), start your ascent early in the morning before the relentless sun turns the rock into a griddle. You’ll also find plenty of trails circling the dome for an easier walk. Dogs are welcome at the park but not on the dome trail.
Experienced climbers can scale the smaller formations adjacent to the main dome. These bare rocks are steep and dotted with boulders and crevices, and ascending them requires special equipment.
Picnic facilities and a sixty-site primitive campground at the base of the rocks round out the offerings.
To prevent overcrowding, a limited number of visitors are allowed in the park during peak periods.
Tour the Fredericksburg Herb Farm
At 407 Whitney Street, the gardens of the Fredericksburg Herb Farm produce the herbs for everything from teas to potpourris. Tour the grounds, then visit the shop for a look at the final product. A bed-and-breakfast also is located on-site.
View Bluebonnets on the Willow City Loop
Near Fredericksburg, the 16-mile-long Willow City Loop, a drive through unfenced ranch land that includes canyon views, bluffs, spectacular wildflowers, and wildlife, is another popular bluebonnet trail.
The Willow City Loop is north of Fredericksburg off Highway 16; take the second Willow City Loop turn off Highway 16 to enjoy this winding trail.
Learn about local history at the Pioneer Museum
Located at 325 W. Main St., this collection of historic old homes includes an 1849 pioneer log home and store, the old First Methodist Church, and a smokehouse and log cabin.
You’ll also see a typical 19th-century Sunday house. Built in Fredericksburg, Sunday houses catered to farmers who would travel long distances to do business in town, often staying the weekend. With the advent of the automobile, such accommodations became obsolete.
Today the old Sunday houses scattered throughout the town are used as bed-and-breakfasts, shops, and even private residences. They are easy to identify by their small size and the fact that most have half-story outside staircases.
Shop at Wildseed Farm
And on the outskirts of the city, the production fields at the family-owned Wildseed Farm in Fredericksburg are blanketed in a kaleidoscope of colors to inspire any green thumb. The largest family-owned wildflower seed company in the country, the annual Wildseed Farms Wildflower Celebration is scheduled for early to mid-April, when the fields are filled with bluebonnets and other Texas wildflowers. You can stroll along a walking trail and even cut your own wildflower bouquet; weekend visitors can also enjoy a taste of local wines and the sound of Texas music. Each spring, the Butterfly Haus opens for visitors to walk through its free-flying butterfly habitat.
Dine on German Food
Ausländer Biergarten and Restaurant has served up schnitzel, sausage, and suds for over two decades. Opt for indoor or outdoor (dog-friendly!) dining with a selection that includes traditional bratwurst, Wiener schnitzel, Jager schnitzel, and even Texas schnitzel, topped with a spicy ranchero sauce. The beer garden features an extensive selection of beverages accompanied by live music.
Further west, take a break from shopping and enjoy some good German food in a pleasant outdoor setting (also dog-friendly) at Altdorf German Biergarten and Restaurant. Sandwiches, steaks, burgers, and Mexican food are served here as well. There’s also dining in an adjacent stone building erected by the city’s pioneers.
Check out the coffee mill church.
Located on Main Street in Market Square, right across from the Courthouse, Vereins Kirche Museum is housed in an exact replica of an octagonal structure erected in 1847.
Back then the edifice was used as a church, as well as a school, a fort, a meeting hall, and a storehouse. The museum is sometimes called the Coffee Mill (or Die Kaffe-Muehle) Church because of its unusual shape. Exhibits here display Fredericksburg’s German heritage, plus Native American artifacts from archaeological digs.
Tour the first frontier military fort in Texas.
Located east of Fredericksburg, Fort Martin Scott Frontier Army Post was established in 1848 as the first frontier military fort in Texas.
Today the original stockade, a guardhouse, and visitor center with displays on local Native Americans are open to tour, and monthly historic reenactments keep the history lesson lively. Ongoing archaeological research conducted here offers a glimpse into the fort’s past.
Shop at an old-fashioned five-and-dime store.
Located right on Main Street, Dooley’s 5–10 & 25c Store preserves the tradition of old-fashioned five-and-dime stores, offering sundry items in a nostalgic building with pressed-tin ceilings. You’ll find gifts, toys, toiletries, craft supplies, and souvenirs–and lots of memories.
Enjoy sophisticated dining.
Fredericksburg is home to a growing number of fine dining establishments such as August E’s . August E’s features nouveau Texas cuisine in a relaxed setting offering both outdoor deck dining and a main dining room that was formerly a historic train depot. The restaurant is especially known for its dry-aged prime Angus steaks as well as its fresh, never frozen, seafood that is shipped in daily.
Enjoy the Largest Selection of Texas Wines at The Cotton Gin Village
Located just a few minutes south of downtown, the Cotton Gin offers elegant dining in a Texas-style environment. The restaurant is surrounded by historic cabins, each available for a bed-and-breakfast stay, as well as a waterfall and pond. Inside, the menu at the Cabernet Grill reflects Texas tastes, starting with Shiner Bock–battered onion rings or pecan crusted crab cakes and continuing with entrees including grilled Bandera quail, Gulf shrimp ranchero, and many cuts of steak.
Sample local beer.
The downtown Fredericksburg Brewing Company is known for its ales and lagers but is equally notable for its casual restaurant, housed in an 1890 building, which also includes a biergarten. Next door, a “bed-and-brew” offers accommodations.