Last week, we headed to Fredericksburg, Texas for a little wine and relaxation. Although we were only in town for slightly less than 48 hours, we made the most of it and you can too! There will be a lot more information on our getaway in the weeks to come but in case you decide to head down for a quick trip (as you should), I wanted to share how we made the best of our 48 hours!
Our trip was a Wednesday evening thru Friday afternoon. Fredericksburg is a town where there is so much to do that it didn’t even matter that the weather was less than stellar. If anything, it provided more of a reason to pour ourselves another glass!
Step #1: Find yourself a great place to stay.
We started our journey from Fort Worth after work on a Wednesday evening. Three and a half hours later, we arrived. This gave us time to unwind after the long drive and left us with a full day to really take in the sights!
We stayed at the Fredericksburg Inn & Suites, right off Main Street in the historic downtown. These accommodations were awesome!!! Not only is this a historic landmark, they provide a full breakfast in the morning, freshly baked cookies in the lobby in the afternoon AND our room was gorgeous. The icing on the cake – our room had a Luckenbach theme. It’s like they knew the way right to my heart!
Night #1: Check in, settle in, pop open a bottle of wine and kick your feet back and exhale – you’re on vacation!
Full Day #1
It was raining. Pardon me, pouring outside so a trip to the Enchanted Rock was out of the question. (If it’s not raining, definitely try to do this first thing in the morning!)
8am – Rise and Shine followed by delicious pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon and yogurt in the inn.
10am – We headed over to the Fredericksburg Visitors and Convention Center (CVB). This is a chance to find what it is we wanted to see. There is so much to do so we picked a few of our favorites.
11am – We were headed to the vineyard, Becker Vineyards that is. With little time to spare, it’s time to make it count! Becker Vineyards is about 10-15 minutes outside of town. Regardless of which vineyard you choose, use the morning to head out to spend time at an actual vineyard. We were the first to arrive! Oh the glory of having an entire tasting room to yourself!
12:30pm – Time to find another winery. 4.0 Cellars was our choice. This was a slightly different adventure as there were three wineries in one location! That’s right – why have wine from only one winery when you can have three?! Easy choice!
2pm – Head back to town, it’s time to grab a bite to eat. We headed back to the Inn, parked and walked down over to Main Street. We are a little indecisive when we’re hungry but lucky for us the Fredericksburg Brewery is right on Main Street so we wandered right in. Grab a flight and pretty much anything off the menu. I’ve never had anything that wasn’t delicious!
3:30pm – Shop This area is historic and there’s something around every corner. Peruse the stores. Everything from art, antiques, locally made goods. If shopping is not for you, there’s always starting the next event early…
4pm – Downtown is also home of the Urban Wine Trail! The wine country has brought the wine to town! With at least seven tasting rooms within walking distance to each other, there’s no reason to drive outside of town, they’ve brought the good stuff to you! As we walked down Main Street, we made a stop to the Fiesta Winery tasting room. How convenient it is to just pop on in and grab a glass.
Tip: Grab a glass to go! It’s legal to walk within the historic district of Fredericksburg with your glass.
5:30pm – Peruse Main Street or explore the town! There’s so much to see and do that we really feel like we haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg. We found this gem in town while exploring.
7pm – Dinner. Although we were in a German town, we went Italian and my belly sure was happy that we did. Pasta Bella, right off Main Street feels like a secret heaven, homemade Italian food. (Below: Seafood ravioli.) There’s plenty of options, search around and I’m sure you’ll find something you will love!
Day 2
8am – Time to rise and shine, grab breakfast and check out of the hotel. A full day of activities ahead!
If there’s time before 11am, I highly suggest exploring the area. Take a detour off Main Street and explore! There’s so many historical buildings, the homes and B&B’s have an immense amount of character and the community of this town shines through and through.
11am – Wine tasting – at it again bright and early. This had to be my favorite tasting of the entire trip – Lost Draw Cellars. Where to begin – there wasn’t a single wine that we didn’t enjoy, the hospitality and conversation was amazing (trust me – talk to Troy) and they’re authentic and focused on building a community.
Need an extra incentive, they have a tasting wall. Buy a glass and pay it forward or perhaps you already have one waiting for you. Hint: To the next Vermonter that walks in, your first glass is one me!
12:30pm – Luckenbach One of my favorite places in Texas, this is it. It’s not just a song, this place really exists. The post office, the bar, the stage, wild chickens, cowboy hats, BBQ and a dancehall. The best part is the authenticity and meeting people from all over! Stories are amazing! Reminisce in this little spot and enjoy the live music from those who step in (or join in yourself)!
2:30pm – Eat lunch at the Hye Market. Just outside of town off Highway 290, lies the little town of Hye. The significance of the Hye Market location is that it is the post office that President Lyndon B. Johnson used for his entire life. (Read more about the history here from my last trip.) Today, it is still the functioning post office but it is also a market where you will have the best sandwich you’ve ever eaten in your life.
My recommendation: The Levi Local – Honey roasted turkey, swiss cheese, local herb aioli on wheat bread. I’m still trying to figure out how they made that sandwich so good. It disappeared right before my eyes!
4pm – Garrison Brothers Distillery Bourbon you say? The scenery reminds me of Virginia. The country, rustic atmosphere, not a neighbor in sight and relaxing in nature…. add a glass of bourbon, have a seat in the rocking chairs and we’re all set! This tour was so interesting! We love hearing how businesses begin and this is no exception. The Garrison Brothers are passionate about their product. The tour walks guests through each step of the process including samples along the way.
6pm – Time to head to the next destination or stay longer – that’s the best choice!
Tips:
– Swing by the CVB for information. Some pamphlets may have coupons for discounts or free products!
– Take advantage of visiting during the week!
– Most tasting rooms open around 11am.
– Give yourself about an hour at each tasting. Take your time, enjoy the wine, have great conversation with others. Some locations will even have cheese, meats and crackers available for purchase with your tasting.
– The majority of places close around 6pm (wineries and shops in town). If there’s somewhere you really would like to check out, research ahead of time.
– Looking for a B&B – see where I stayed on a previous visit.
so fun! it’s such a great little town. I like it better when it is peach picking season!
elle
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I’ve only been to Fredericksburg once, but loved it. We only went to Main Street – sounds like you had lots of fun off of the shopping area!
There is so much to do and see in town, it’s endless. We had a great time – Thank you!
I adore Fredericksburg…and you had me at cookies in the lobby!
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Haha, that cookie hit the spot on a cold, rainy day! It’s hard not to have an amazing time in a place like that – I’m glad you feel my adoration!
We love Fredericksburg and Luckenbach. Enchanted Rock kicked our booties, but it was awesome and beautiful.
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The Enchanted Rock is a little bit of a workout, isn’t it?! I don’t think I really understood how big it was until a couple years ago when I hiked it. I’d love to go back at some point, just not on a rainy day. Fredericksburg and Luckenbach and some of my favorite towns in this little state 🙂
This looks so fun! You definitely made the two days count!!
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Looks like a fabulous 48 hours! And I’m all about the wine tastings…and I love that you can leave a glass for someone else
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Really enjoyed pouring for you two at 4.0 Cellars – sounds like you had a great visit in the hill country – come back soon – more great wines for you await!
Hi Buzz! Thank you for checking out Down Home Traveler! It was great meeting you at 4.0 Cellars as well! We had a great time and I’ll be posting about our visit in the near future. We can’t wait to go back and check out the new wines you have in store for us!
Found your post through Pinterest, thank you for the informative blog on Fredericksburg. My husband and I will be going for a couple of days at the end of the month so it was great to read some ideas of things to do. I see that you are in N. TX (we are too), if you have not been to Saint Jo, TX to Blue Ostrich Winery I would highly suggest it. There is also another winery in the area called Arche that is good too but I do have to say Blue Ostrich has my heart. It is beautiful country and wonderful wine too! Thanks again for a great post!
Hi April! I am so excited that you will be heading to Fredericksburg and that you found the post. I hope it helps and that you have a most memorable trip! There is so much to do! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out (or email me) and I’ll be happy to help. I drove through Saint Jo a couple years ago and remember it being a beautiful drive and seeing the windmills on the way there but I wasn’t able to stop and really explore the area. With that said, I’m going to add it to my list. We love visiting wineries and new places. Thank you so much for the suggestions! Please let me know how your trip goes!
OMG Thank you for this. I am putting together an event for what I thought would be just a winery tour in Fredericksburg. I had no idea there was a bourbon distillery in the area and forgot about the enchanted rock. These would be great stops to put into our itinerary.
Hi Sarah! I’m excited that this has helped! Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope you have a great time.
Planning a trip and cake across your post! Love it!! The hotel you recommended is full two out of the three days we are staying. do you have any other recommendations as to where to stay, preferably with a pool.
Thank you!
Hi Natalie!
Ah what a bummer! I would suggest checking out the Fredericksburg CVB site (http://www.visitfredericksburgtx.com/lodging/). They have a ton of information on various places to stay during your visit! I hope you have a wonderful trip! Let me know if there anything else I can try to help with!