Fredericksburg, Texas May 5 – May 15, 2024
The Texas Hill Country is know mostly for the wineries, but there are lots of other things to do in the area.
We went to the LBJ Library and Museum in Austin, but he is from the Texas Hill Country. We visited his ranch where he lived before, during and after his presidency which is located in Stonewall, Texas about 10 miles from Fredericksburg. We also visited his childhood home and a small museum in Johnson City, which is about 20 miles from Fredericksburg. Both are run by the National Park Service. Unfortunately, his ranch was under renovation, so we did not get to see the ranch or tour the inside. The museum in Johnson City was great and the Park Ranger tour of the childhood home was great. After all of that, I think we have learned plenty about LBJ!
We visited Wildseed Farms, where you can buy any type of wildflower seeds known to man.
We visited a couple of restaurants – these were not attached to a winery. We went to a Altstadt Brewery for German beer and food. The food was great, the beer was just OK. The building was spectacular, but the indoor decor was a little disappointing. We had great Barbeque at Backwoods BBQ. I thought this food rivaled the barbeque at Terry Black’s in Austin.
One of the top ten things recommenced to do in Fredericksburg is to hike Enchanted Rock – which we did. The hike is about 425 feet of elevation and about a mile long. The rock rises above the greenery of the Texas Hill Country and is a beautiful peach color (although I do not think my pictures really captured the color all that well).
One day we drove over to Luckenbach Texas which includes a General Store, a Post Office, a Dance Hall and an outdoor stage. Luckenbach has been around and making music since 1849 and was made more famous by the song of the same name by Waylon Jennings.
We dropped by a couple of distilleries while in Fredericksburg. I liked both for different reasons. Garrison Brothers Distillery had very tasty whiskey and Arch Ray had a beautiful facility.
The main attraction of the Texas Hill Country were the wineries. I expected rolling hills and beautiful vineyards growing up the hillside. Not so much. Most of the area was flat and the vineyards were in open country. The wineries themselves were all different. Some had great wine, others had great food, and a few had gorgeous buildings and grounds. We enjoyed the wineries we visited and here are a few highlights
Becker Tasting Room – We had delicious wine here.
Signor Vineyards – This winery had a beautiful outdoor seating area with tasty charcuterie.
Messina Hof – We liked the wine and the people were friendly.
Augusta Vin. This was a beautiful winery and the piano music was wonderful!
We connected with a couple of friends (Dan and Susan Kim) who were traveling through the area. They were in Austin while we were in Fredericksburg and they drove over and we visited the LBJ Ranch, Garrison distillery and a winery together. We had a lot a fun.
Next stop Fort Davis, Texas
“Luckenbach Texas” By Waylon Jennings