In my previous post I mentioned traveling to Waco, TX with my bestie, Heather. After we wrapped up our 48 hours there, we jumped in the car and made our way to Fredericksburg. It’s about a three hour, very scenic drive from Waco through Texas Hill Country. It’s beautiful.
Neither one of us had been to Fredericksburg, but we were REALLY excited to go. The only thing we really knew was that it was known for their wineries. Considering we were on a girls weekend getaway… this was perfect! On our drive, we started to notice the abundance of wineries. I’m talking winery after winery after winery!
Get this – the Fredericksburg area is home to more than 40 wineries and tasting rooms! What we didn’t realize was that we were actually driving down what they call their urban wine trail. They even have more than a dozen wine tour companies. The town is very cute with over 150 shops, boutiques, and art galleries. If that wasn’t enough, they also host nearly 350 festivals and special events each year!
Special thanks to Texas Tourism & Fredericksburg Convention & Visitors Bureau for hosting us.
As always, all opinions are my own.
Where to Stay
Inn on Barons Creek
We stayed at the Inn on Barons Creek. It was a cute hotel situated right on the creek and within walking distance to Main Street. They have a spa, heated pool, complimentary breakfast, and free wifi. We were so busy that we hardly spent any time at the hotel! The rooms were comfortable and we loved that they had black washcloths for makeup removal purposes. So smart.
Lincoln Street Inn
Fredericksburg has several cute bed & breakfasts like Lincoln Street Inn. I’ve never actually stayed in a bed & breakfast before, but Lincoln Street Inn looks really cute. We happened to meet the owners while we were out to lunch and they were just the sweetest people.
What to Do
Wine Tasting
Before I even think about discussing the wineries, I HAVE to tell you about the 290 Wine Shuttle. For $24.99 a person, you get an all day pass with “hop on – hop off” access to the wineries. We did this on a Saturday. The busses were pretty full, but the company was awesome. By the time we got on the last bus of the day, everyone was our best friend! 😉 They say on the website that the buses come every 15 minutes, but to be honest, it seemed like they came faster than that.
Becker Vineyards is huge and very pretty. We were surprised when they said they didn’t allow weddings. We found it to be a little chaotic with how many people were there, but the staff were extremely friendly and made us feel welcome. I’m used to small wineries in Wisconsin and Michigan – this place is 10 times the size of any winery I’ve ever been to. They had several bars set up and live music! Be sure to try the Reserve Chardonnay.
4.0 Cellars is a tasting room that showcases products from three different wineries. We loved the vibe of this place. The people were very friendly. It was a little more calm than Becker Vineyards which allowed us to have a more in depth tasting. The grounds were cute, albeit nothing spectacular. We loved the Sauvignon Blanc – 2016 Lost Oak Winery (I bought a bottle) and the Dawson Red – Lost Oak Winery, which would be a great wine for Thanksgiving!
Wildseed Farms and Wedding Oak Winery (at Wildseed Farms) was by far the most beautiful winery we went to. The grounds were gorgeous with fields of zinnias and stacks of pumpkins. I would save this winery for the end to take advantage of the golden hour (the lighting about an hour before sunset). You’ll get the BEST photos. I ended up buying a bottle of Bridal Veil 2015.
Go Hiking
About fifteen minutes outside of town, you’ll find Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. It’s the second largest granite dome in the USA. There were all age levels hiking up this large rock, but it does get pretty challenging. Proper footwear is required and don’t hike in the rain. The pink granite gets very slick. It took us about an hour to go up due to constant photo ops.
Shop ’til You Drop
Just as the wineries are situated perfectly in a row, so are the shops! Main Street is where you will find the majority of them. Our favorite store was Vaudeville. It was truly one-of-a-kind with home furnishings and decor on the first floor, an art gallery on the second floor, and a fantastic restaurant in the basement. (More on the restaurant later!) We really wanted to check out Blackchalk Home & Laundry and Carol Hicks Bolton, but they are closed on Sundays. Make sure you get to visit these stores. They look AWESOME.
Where to Eat
Lunch
Tubby’s Icehouse is the perfect place to go for a semi-quick bite to eat. You order from the counter and your food is made to order. The mahi-mahi taco was my favorite. Heather loved the kale caesar salad.
Vaudeville Bistro was probably the best restaurant we ate at the entire time we were in Texas. The sandwiches were to. die. for. I had the reuben dressed in brussel sprout kraut and Heather had the club laced with apple butter. Not only were these sandwiches unique, they actually tasted great. I’m 99.9% sure we died and went to heaven for a minute or two. We were kindly introduced to the owner who sent us over an order of their fried chicken. Luckily for us, we were there on a Sunday. It’s the only day you can get it. YUM.
Dinner
Otto’s German Bistro is a cute place to go for dinner. They have a nice outdoor patio and we learned that they are the same owners as Tubby’s! We found the beet salad and steak to be a bit too salty, but my scallops were on point. If you don’t have a reservation, expect to wait about an hour to get a table.
Have you heard of Texas Hill Country? Did you know all of this existed there? If so, tell me about your experience in the comments below. I’d love to hear!
XO, Lauren
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