What to do Fredericksburg Texas? This Texas Hill Country town with a population of 11K is still somewhat a hidden travel gem. Although Fredericksburg Tx vineyards are what is primarily boosting visitor growth, there is so much more to do in this historic Texas town. Don’t get me wrong, a Fredericksburg Texas visit with an itinerary of just vineyards sounds like bliss. But don’t be surprised if you want to pack in these other Fredericksburg Tx things to do, too.
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What To Do In Fredericksburg Texas
In between wine tasting at Fredericksburg Tx vineyards, discover downtown, German food, rustic shopping, Enchanted Rock, LBJ, and more.
Sip at Fredericksburg Tx Wineries
Fredericksburg Wine 290 is a 30-mile stretch of vineyards and wineries between Johnson City and downtown Fredericksburg. This makes wine tasting super easy as you drive in from Austin or San Antonio to kick off your visit. With a designated driver in mind, there are many wine tours available and even vineyards downtown eliminating the need to drive at all. How do you narrow down which vineyards to visit? Here are my top picks and the reason why.
Fredericksburg Tx Vineyards
Augusta Vin
Go for their pretty 2-story timber-framed tasting room and outdoor green space.
Barons Creek Vineyards
This Fredericksburg Tx vineyard offers impeccable service, atmosphere, live music (weekends), and wines with grapes from Texas, California, Washington, and Spain.
Barons Creek modern tasting room
Becker Vineyards
The Fredericksburg Main Street location gives you the coolest keepsake tumbler to shop while you sip.
Sip Becker wine while shopping on Main Street
Calais Winery
Boutique winery in a cave. Blink and you might miss it! Look for a small wooden sign and a French flag. Reservation only.
French Connection Wines
The j’adore wine sign is the perfect backdrop for a girls’ Fredericksburg Tx visit. Reservation only.
Grape Creek
This “Texas in Tuscany” vineyard is one of the first in Fredericksburg. It relies solely on tasting rooms and its wine club for sales.
Pedernales Cellars
Family-run Spanish and Rhone style wines from locally grown grapes, with an unsurpassed view of Texas Hill Country.
Pontotoc Vineyard
Located on Fredericksburg Main Street in a charming cottage, stop for the sangria everyone rages about while shopping downtown.
Signor Vineyards
This 200-acre estate vineyard is not only the prettiest winery but efficiently run, with options to keep you busy while you wait.
Love this Wine Barn at Signor Vineyards
William Chris Vineyards
The Fredericksburg Tx vineyard with impeccable focus on old-world craft and the unique purpose behind each new vintage. William Chris is the first vineyard in the US to import a Galileo Tank from Bordeaux France. Reservation only.
Enjoy Restaurants In Fredericksburg Texas – especially the German ones
Since Fredericksburg Tx was founded by the first German immigrants who settled the town in 1846, expect a lot of German influence and especially German food. FBG is one of the best destinations in Texas for schnitzel and apfel strudel, so bring your appetite.
Fredericksburg Tx German Restaurants
Altdorf Biergarten, 301 W Main St
Altdorf has a family atmosphere and a dog-friendly patio.
The Auslander, 323 E Main St
The Auslander offers a casual atmosphere and is also dog friendly.
Der Lindenbaum, 312 E Main St #4612
The historic limestone building originally built by the Germans settlers makes this restaurant charming and authentic.
Otto’s German Bistro. 316 East Austin Street
Upscale German 5-star dining. Reservations required.
Share an apfel strudel at Auslander
Explore FBG Main Street
Fredericksburg Main Street is lined with shops, wineries, restaurants, galleries, museums, and even a pretty Marketplatz. The Marketplatz park divides the historic east Main Street shopping district and the west. It’s perfect for picnics and kids to play, and especially pretty during the holidays.
Shops on Main Street are primarily concentrated between Adams and Elk streets, and are commonly referred to as “The Magic Mile”.
Federicksburg Tx Shops You Must Visit
Big Pop’s Popcorn Company, 217 E Main St
Big Pop’s is my kids’ favorite candy store in FBG.
Dogologie, 148 E Main St
Unique dog store on central Main. You can even book a Dogologie Haus for your Fredericksburg visit.
Lone Star Candy Bar, 254 E Main St
You have to go for the chocolate-dipped bacon and pickles!!
Try chocolate covered jalapenos, pickles & bacon at Lone Star Candy Bar
Zertz, 106 E Main St
Find fun Texas Hill Country-inspired fashion.
Have Brunch and Shop In the Warehouse District
Woerner Warehouse, 305 S Lincoln St
The best spot for brunch or lunch is at Woerner Warehouse. It looks entirely industrial from the outside but inside you’ll find rustic feminine charm. The menu is loaded with so many fabulous options you’ll want to order one of each. And although Woerner Warehouse is a popular restaurant with a wait on the weekends, you keep yourself busy looking through all the delicate goods and pretty clothes on the other side of the warehouse. Woerner Warehouse has a dog-friendly patio.
Excellent brunch and shopping spot at Woerner Warehouse
Carol Hicks Bolton Antiques, 301 S Lincoln St
After Woerner Warehouse, go to Carol Hicks Bolton Antiques. This place is so dreamy you’ll wish you had a moving truck to bring it all home with you. Amazing local and French goods. You can spend hours here.
Carol Hicks Bolton Antiques is a massive warehouse of pretty things
Blackchalk Home + Laundry
Across the street from Woerner Warehouse is Blackchalk Home + Laundry. This former 1920s-built laundry building is home to fresh decor and eclectic finds. It’s a unique Texas Hill Country shop you don’t want to miss.
Blackchalk Home + Laundry is in a cool 1920s renovated laundry building
Pick Flowers at Wildseed Farms
Pick flowers and pumpkins at the nation’s largest working wildflower farm, Wildseed Farms. Even my teen son thinks it’s incredibly cool. It costs nothing to visit the 200-acre farm. There is a half mile of walking trails, surrounded by beautiful gardens, a butterfly garden, and covered sitting areas for a break from the sun. It costs $20 to fill up a Wildseed Farms cup with as many wildflowers as the cup will hold.
Pick your own flowers at Wildseed Farms – dogs are welcome too!
Hike Enchanted Rock
Enchanted Rock is a Texas State Park located 30 minutes from Fredericksburg. There are several trails ranging in complexity. You can summit Enchanted Rock or choose some of the loop trails where dogs are allowed. The moderate 4.5 Loop Trail is hot hot hot even in late September. Bring plenty of water for the whole family and a water bottle dispenser for the dog.
Enchanted Rock is a stunning Texas State Park. To visit, you must secure a day pass and arrive within your allotted timeslot. Enchanted Rock offers tent camping only.
The Enchanted Rock Loop Trail is 4.5 miles
Stop At The Frontier Outpost General Store
Either before or after hiking Enchanted Rock, stop at The Frontier Outpost General Store at 9821 Ranch Rd 965, Fredericksburg. While the store offers minimal goods to buy, you can replenish your water supply and take a peek around the general store’s collection of pinned dollar bills, guitars, and old newspaper clippings.
Stop at the rustic Frontier Outpost General Store during your FBG visit
Eat Peaches at Jenschke Orchards
If you’re not a native Texan, Georgia typically comes first when you think of the best peaches in America. But once you give Texas Hill Country peaches a try, you may have a change of mind. Best picked between May and September, Jenschke Orchards is the only orchard in Fredericksburg where you can pick your own.
Drink An Adult Slushie At Garrison Brothers Distillery
Garrison Brothers is the first whiskey distillery in Texas and the first bourbon distillery outside of Kentucky. Visit the Whiskey Shack for southern comfort food, paired with creative bourbon crafts like the frozen John Daly (Arnold Palmer with Bourbon) or a frozen Garrison Brothers Bourbon with Dr. Pepper.
Visit The LBJ Ranch
Down the road from Fredericksburg in Johnson City is the LBJ Ranch. When Lyndon Johnson became president after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Johnson Hill Country estate became a significant location in the country.
The LBJ Ranch was used to host cabinet meetings, diplomatic events, and other presidential functions. The Johnsons decided to turn the estate into a National Park Service in December 1972 to teach others about US history and agriculture that flourished here. While presidential functions no longer reside here, the cattle do.
Get a glimpse of the Texas White House at LBJ’s Ranch
Things you can do at LBJ Ranch include:
- Drive around LBJ’s Ranch to see the extent of the grounds
- Peek Into LBJ’s Air Force “One-Half”
- See the Texas White House
- Find someone famous on the Friendship Stones
- View LBJ’s collection of antique automobiles
Take a peek inside the Air Force One-Half at LBJ Ranch
Visit the National Museum of the Pacific War
The National Museum of the Pacific War is the only museum in the continental US solely featuring the account of those who served World War II in the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre. This is a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum containing artifacts, stories, and facts about the Pacific War between 1941-1945. The modern war museum is 55,000 square feet of indoor space, including 3 galleries. It’s undoubtedly what to do in Fredericksburg Tx for any history buff.
Plan your visit by viewing the different exhibits and suggested times using the National Museum map.
Visit Luckenbach
13 miles from downtown Fredericksburg at 412 Luckenbach Town Loop, you can visit Texas’s legendary Luckenbach Hall. It was built in 1850 as a community hall but was used to record albums and function as a dance hall. It turned famous after “Luckenbach Texas” became a Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson hit in 1977. For what to do in FBG on the weekend, put on your best dance boots and listen to honky-tonk with a cold German beer.
Relax at a Fredericksburg Tx Bed and Breakfast
While there are many bed and breakfast options for your Fredericksburg stay, Hoffman Haus is perfect. Located at 608 E Creek St, it’s a short walk to restaurants and shops on Main Street.
In addition to its central location, Hoffman Haus Bed and Breakfast offers luxurious accommodations. The unique breakfast basket delivery is exceptionally fun and delicious. This is where to stay in Fredericksburg for convenience, charming accommodations, luxury goods to experience and buy on-site, and is even dog-friendly.
My family loved Hoffman Haus so much that it took some coaxing to do these other things in Fredericksburg. For a chill Fredericksburg visit, lounge on your cottage patio sipping coffee or wine all day. And because of its location and amenities, you can!
Hoffman Haus is the best bed and breakfast location in FBG
Final Tips For A Fredericksburg Tx Visit
Whether you’re planning a day in Fredericksburg or an entire weekend, I hope this travel post has inspired you to visit. Whether you choose to make it a visit entirely about the Fredericksburg Tx vineyards or combine it with fine German restaurants, shops, Enchanted Rock, and legendary dance hall, I hope you enjoy Fredericksburg Texas as much as I do.
If you’re interested in pairing FBG with another Texas Hill Country town that also offers vineyards, a river float, and small-town Texas charm, consider Gruene. Just like Fredericksburg, Gruene is great for birthday destinations and big group events.
Fredericksburg is a top girls’ weekend destination in Texas, whereas Round Top is the more quaint winery-less choice. Both are charming and must-visit places in Texas if you are trying to narrow down where to go.
While any time of year is perfect for a visit, much of what to do in Fredericksburg Tx peaks in fall. Don’t miss FBG’s annual Oktoberfest at Marketplatz from October 4-6, 2024.
Signor Vineyards gets all dressed up for fall
Have you been? What’s your favorite thing to do in Fredericksburg? Share in the comments.
