The Fredericksburg Collection Fredericksburg Vacation Rentals

Deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country is the city of Fredericksburg.  Established in 1846, there are many ways to describe Fredericksburg with its authentic German heritage, historic buildings, award-winning wineries, eclectic shops and unique restaurants. This is just the beginning of what awaits you in Fredericksburg and the Texas Hill Country. You will experience the welcoming atmosphere the minute you arrive. The central location between Austin and San Antonio (40-minute drive), and Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston (4 hour drive) makes traveling to Fredericksburg convenient. In the spring the first thing you may notice are the Texas bluebonnets and other wildflowers carpeting the landscape along the major highways throughout Texas.    First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, can be thanked for starting the tradition of planting wildflowers along federal and Texas highways. Thirty thousand pounds of wildflower seeds are planted each year to beautify Texas roads. There is the opportunity to visit Wildseed Farms just outside of Fredericksburg. In addition to all the wildflowers blooming in the fields, there are vineyards and a wine tasting room to experience. Fredericksburg is in the middle of the Texas wine country. With over 100 wineries and vineyards in the area, 50 of them offer wine tasting rooms and tours. The Urban Wine Trail features the wineries and tasting rooms located downtown. All within walking distance of the shops and restaurants. Wine and beer can be purchased to go and enjoyed as you shop along Main Street. The second option is to take a wine country tour; full day, half day or private. The third option to visit the wineries is to ride the less structured 290 Wine Shuttle which departs from downtown every 10 minutes.

The first sign of spring is the wildflowers and the perfect time to visit Fredericksburg if you prefer warm days and cool nights. Each month kicks-off with a First Friday Art Walk with participating galleries hosting new art shows. After browsing the art galleries, head to Luckenbach, TX (a 15-minute drive) for the Luckenbach Chili Cook-off in March. For sports lovers, there is the Lyndon B Johnson 100 bike ride and various half marathon and 10k runs. Fredericksburg is home to the Lady Bird Johnson golf course. This 18-hole course recently had $2 million in renovations and is one of the best municipal golf courses in Texas.

As spring turns into summer there will be festivals, rallies and shows to enjoy. Wine tastings and grape stomps, festivals, events, a motorcycle rally, the Peach JAMboree and Rodeo, and a food truck festival – just to name a few of the 400 events that happen throughout the year. Don’t’ miss the local Farmers Market at Hurkamp Park, downtown. Vendors will be there every Saturday 7AM – 1 PM, rain or shine!  The specialty fruit in Gillespie County is peaches. The fruit is available from May to August depending on the variety of peach. During the summer, peaches can be purchased at roadside stands or even picked straight from the tree at several orchards. Just mention Texas and the image of cowboys and horses comes to mind. A fun activity for the family is a horseback trail ride. There are several outfitters offering trail rides through the Hill Country for all skill levels from novice to experienced riders. For those not wanting to ride a horse, there is another choice of a carriage ride through downtown to get the historic feel of Fredericksburg. Besides horses, Fredericksburg is home to over 3 million bats inhabiting an abandoned railroad tunnel in Old Tunnel State Park. Just outside of Fredericksburg is Enchanted Rock State Natural Area highlighting a climb of the pink granite dome with 360 views of the hill country from the top. In addition to climbing the dome, there are over 10 miles of hiking trails to explore, rock climbing sites to scale, birds to watch and geocaching for treasure hunters. Cross Mountain Park, just on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, has another view atop the historic hill that Native Americans used as a lookout.

Autumn arrives with cooler temperatures in the air and cowboys arriving in Fredericksburg for the Texas Hill Country Cowboy Gathering. It is a true touch of Texas.  A “don’t miss” attraction is the National Museum of the Pacific War.  This museum tells the story of World War II in the Pacific. The human side of the war is depicted in over 55,000 square feet of exhibit and gallery space. The Pioneer Museum offers a glimpse of life from when the German settlers arrived in Texas to life today in Fredericksburg and Gillespie County. There are 10 buildings on the historic site of over 3.5 acres that tell the story of those first pioneers. The winter holidays bring out the old-world Christmas festivities – including an ice skating rink, holiday market and Christmas Home Tour. The Light the Night Christmas Parade, early in December, provides holiday spirit to guests and locals alike. Santa and Mrs. Claus greet visitors for photos in Peppermint Plaza. Main Street has over 150 shops, boutiques and art galleries to find all the gifts on a Christmas list. The variety of shops range from antiques, home décor and women’s fashion to artwork, jewelry and chocolate. There is even a shop just dedicated to Christmas. 

The local restaurants in Fredericksburg offer a variety of cuisines. The favorites are the authentic German dishes made from original recipes, such as wiener schnitzel, bratwurst and goulash with an apple strudel dessert.  For a lively setting, visit a beer garden, where in addition to food and beer you can enjoy music, songs and games. There are also plenty of breweries offering tours, sampling beers on tap and a dining experience. Texas cuisine means BBQ – slow smoked meats of all varieties – ribs, sausages, brisket along with beef, pork, chicken and turkey. There is something for everyone’s taste. Made by the l -ocals, each with their own special take on BBQ, like the mesquite wood pit bar-b-que. Please save room for dessert. The Texas tradition of pecan pie and fruit cobbler is not to be missed. Fredericksburg may be situated in the Hill Country, but Tex-Mex and Mexican food can still be found here. Homemade tortillas, tacos from a food truck and restaurants all serve up the traditional dishes of enchiladas and fajitas along with salted-rim margaritas. Fine dining restaurants can be found on Main Street and out of town. There is a supper club, sushi bar, dinner in the garden or dining at the vineyards. Farm to table dining is typical at the local restaurants that prepare dishes with the fresh ingredients from nearby farms, orchards and wineries. Family friendly dining can be found in Fredericksburg and the surrounding area, burgers and ice cream are always on the menu.

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