As we mentioned in our Southwest Texas road trip itinerary (Marfa, Lajitas, & Big Bend), we’ve been focused on exploring more of what Texas has to offer. We’ve lived in Dallas for about 10 years, and besides the major cities, we haven’t explored much of the state – and as we all know, Texas is a BIG state! We’ve always been a big road trip family, but since we’ve lived in Dallas, we’ve made hopping on planes a habit – so besides the skyscrapers and big city atmospheres, we’ve been determined to learn more about what makes this state so wonderful through a series of road trips.
A couple weeks ago, my boyfriend, Scott, and I planned a weekend road trip to visit Fredericksburg, Luckenbach, and Enchanted Rock. While I’ll share my experience on the latter two soon, today I want to talk about why I loved Fredericksburg – and to say I LOVED Fredericksburg is an understatement. The mixture of the wine country, German heritage, and small-town feel made this hill country town a perfect weekend getaway.
WHAT TO DO IN FREDERICKSBURG:
- Go Wine Tasting – The Texas Wine Trail (also known as Wine Road 290) is a 30-mile stretch from Fredericksburg to Johnson City lined with wineries. The stretch is beautiful, so plan to spend a day along this road hopping from winery to winery!
- Visit The German Biergartens – Since Fredericksburg was discovered by German immigrants in the 1800s, the German influence still remains strong here. You’ll see plenty of German biergartens lined along main street (look for the flags, you can’t miss them!), so pop in for a cold beer and a pretzel or bratwurst for a tasty lunch!
- Listen to Live Music At Hondo’s On Main – This was our first stop when we arrived Friday night, and it was one of my favorite parts of the entire weekend. The outdoor music venue is located on Main Street and is the epitome of Texas with live country music, two-stepping, beer-drinking, and a ridiculous amount of cowboy boots. It was both lively and relaxing – You HAVE to visit Hondos when you visit Fredericksburg.
- Explore Main Street – Here you can get a bit of everything: shopping, art galleries, tasting rooms, biergartens, live music, etc. It’s the hub of everything, so you can’t miss it.
- Hike Enchanted Rock – Just 17 miles north of Fredericksburg, you’ll discover Enchanted Rock National Park. This pink granite dome is unlike anything else you’ll see in the state, so pack your sneakers (I didn’t prepare and went barefoot… not recommended) and go for a hike. The views from the top can’t be beat!
- Visit Luckenbach – Only 14 miles from Fredericksburg, this tiny town is definitely worth a quick visit. With only THREE residents in the town, Luckenbach is a special place that can’t be missed. Some of the biggest names in country music have played here, and it’s one of those places where everyone feels welcome. Grab a beer, listen to the outdoor music, shop for a cowboy hat, and head to the dance hall. It’s a one-of-a-kind place.
- Snap A Photo In the Wildflower or Lavender Fields – Fredericksburg is known for it’s wildflower and lavender fields, so be sure to pull over on the drive, take a walk in the fields, and snap one
WHERE TO STAY:
While we generally prefer boutique or luxury hotels, Fredericksburg is known for it’s B&Bs. We rented Kaden’s Cottage through Absolute Charm, and we loved our stay. Our cottage was a garage reinvented as a guest house – but since it was a stand-alone place, it felt very private and cozy! The unit was very nice and the decor was modern – which I LOVED! The only downside of this unit was the bathroom – the sliding barn doors didn’t provide much privacy and there was only a tub (no shower). Despite that, we absolutely loved it and totally recommend it to anyone visiting! I will definitely book this unit again on my next visit.
WHICH VINEYARDS TO VISIT:
As I mentioned above, there are SO many vineyards along the Texas Wine Trail. While you can wine-hop at every vineyard, these are some we recommend trying:
- Becker Vineyards – Becker is one of the most popular vineyards in Fredericksburg. The winery itself is beautiful and quite large, plus the wine is delicious. We recommend packing a picnic or a cheese plate to enjoy on the grounds.
- Grape Creek – While we loved Becker, Grape Creek was my favorite. The winery was beautiful, and it’s no wonder this place is known as the “Tuscany of Texas”. We recommend joining the wine club – it will comp your tasting plus you’ll get a free glass of wine each day at the Tasting Room on Main Street!
- 4.0 Cellars – This was definitely a notable winery in Fredericksburg you should visit, but not our favorite. It has more of bar-like feel than vineyard, BUT it’s a great place to end the day on the patio listening to the live band!
- Fat Ass Ranch & Winery – This winery is known for their fruit wines (watermelon, anyone?). Since we aren’t a fan of fruit wines, we decided to skip this one. However, we wanted to include it because we heard it’s a fun stop for lawn games, live music, and a bit more of a rowdy scene – if that’s what you’re looking for!
Since drinking and driving is never cool, you should definitely consider one of the wine tours. There are plenty of shuttle services that visit each of the vineyards, so you can hop on and hop off as often as you please!
Also, one of our favorite wines from the vineyards was Viognier. It was recommended as “the white wine for red-wine drinkers” and we completely agree! YUM.
WHERE TO EAT:
- Vaudeville – Vaudeville is one of the top restaurants in Fredericksburg, and one of the more chic spots in the city. It’s only open for dinner Friday and Saturday, but stop by on Saturday night for live music!
- Grape Creek – As a pizza addict, Grape Creek totally tops the list. The pizza was delicious, and it was the best stop on our Saturday wine tour. Grab a seat outside next to the vineyard for live music and a delicious meal. The pizzas were top knotch!
- German Biergartens on Main Street – You can’t come to Fredericksburg without German food, so pop into one of the Biergartens on Main for bratwurst and schnitzel.
HOW TO GET TO FREDERICKSBURG:
Getting to Fredericksburg by car is simple! It’s located between San Antonio and Austin, but it’s only four and a half hours from Dallas. We left around 5:00 on Friday and arrived in perfect time for Hondo’s.
Whether you’re looking for a romantic getaway, small-town experience, or a fun wine-tasting weekend with friends, you have to add Fredericksburg to your travel list!
Read more of our Texas travel guides:
Austin | Dallas (1 & 2) | The Houstonian Hotel | Gruene, TX | Marfa, Lajitas, & Big Bend | The Highland Hotel Dallas