“Oom Pah Pah” in the Texas Hill Country
Written: Jun 07 '01 (Updated Jun 07 '01)
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Pros: Historic town with lots of German influence.
Cons: The stores close so early.
The Bottom Line: Fredericksburg would be best for a romantic weekend get-away but it is also a good place to take the family.
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| colleenmf's Full Review: Texas Hill Country |
On a recent trip to San Antonio, my husband and I decided to spend a weekend in Fredericksburg, Texas. We knew that there would be good German restaurants and plenty of antique stores but we really didn’t know if we’d find enough to do for a whole weekend. As it turned out, we were tempted to stay another day because we couldn’t fit everything into our schedule.
We arrived the Friday before Memorial Day and were able to find a satisfactory hotel room at our third try. (The other two hotels were fine, just full. Occasionally, we like to “blow with the wind” and make no reservations or commitments before the vacation.) At about 8:00 pm, we finally set out to explore and learn a little about the town.
Fredericksburg has a population of almost 7,000 and is about an hour northwest of San Antonio. German farmers were the first Europeans to settle here in 1846 and reminders of the early German residents are everywhere. Many streets and buildings have German names and many stores have signs in German first and then English. Quite a few restaurants serve German food. It seems like every other building has been designated an historical landmark. On Main Street, there are entire blocks that have historical markers on each building.
The main area for tourists is seven blocks on Main Street in the center of town. We found antique shops, souvenir shops, art galleries, jewelry stores, gift shops, and plenty of places to eat. Unfortunately, all we could do was window shop since everything except the restaurants closed at 5:00 pm. The early closings are most definitely a reflection of the original German settlers.
Having nothing else to do we decided to eat at a brewpub called the Fredericksburg Brewing Company. We each got the five-beer sampler (the main reason I like brewpubs is the samplers) with our dinner. The menu included many German foods such as various sausages and pork dishes. But there were plenty of familiar dishes like sandwiches and hamburgers for the less adventuresome. There is a hotel on the premises that offers a “Bed and Brew” for $89 a night. Many accommodations in Fredericksburg are “Bed and Breakfast” but the owners of the Brewing Company hotel have decided to forgo the breakfast and give their patrons a beer instead. Interesting concept. We may try that the next time.
Saturday morning we had breakfast in at a bakery in a little courtyard off Main Street. There seemed to be a good selection of bakeries and small coffee shops to choose from. Now that the stores were open, we found plenty to see and do. There is a wine tasting room that also sells beer. In Fredericksburg, you can walk up and down the streets while drinking alcohol as long as it is in a plastic cup. Another German influence. Beer, wine, sangria, and margaritas are available on every block. We even found a winery where they actually make the wine. We read many of the historical markers, shopped at the “five and dime”, and other stores and were ready for a rest.
The Auslander Restaurant seemed like a good choice. The name means “Foreigner” in German and they serve German, Mexican, Italian, Greek, and American food. Here we tried some of the locally made sausage and more beer. We followed this up with a visit to The National Museum of the Pacific War. (That’s another entire Epinion.)
When every thing again closed at 5:00 pm we drove about 10 miles over to Luckenbach, Texas. They were having a festival to celebrate the third anniversary of their sesquicentennial. They have an open-air dance hall/beer hall and the old post office has been turned into a souvenir shop. Luckenbach offers monthly dances, weekend jam sessions, and various annual festivals.
We also drove out to Enchanted Rock about 18 miles north of Fredericksburg. This is a granite out crop with hiking trails and climbing areas. They also offer camping facilities. Although we didn’t have time to hike it seemed like it would be an enjoyable place for those who like to get away from civilization for a while.
Wildseed Farm is two miles east of Fredericksburg and is a working wildflower farm. (Is that an oxymoron? If you are cultivating flowers are they still “wild?”) They offer walking tours, picnic area, gift shop, “biergarten,” and an opportunity to pick your own bouquet. There is no admission charge and plenty of free parking. But remember, they close at 6:00 pm (5:00 pm in the winter).
They weekend that we were in Fredericksburg, the local Jaycees were having their annual crawfish festival. They had Zydeco bands, Cajun food, even a cooking class, as well as the usual games and activities that one finds at a fair.
On Sunday we tried 2 more restaurants, the Rathskeller for brunch and the German-American Restaurant for dinner. We finished our tour of the Pacific War museum and drove on to San Antonio with plans to return to Fredericksburg some day.
If you are in the area, Fredericksburg is worth a visit. Whether you have only a few hours for a good German meal or a few days to explore the entire area, plan a stop in this quaint little hill country town.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
colleenmf
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Colleen Farley
Location: Lubbock, TX
Reviews written: 146
Trusted by: 147 members
About Me:
Happily married, mostly retired, and addicted to the internet.
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