Fixin’ to visit Fredericksburg this summer? The heart of Texas Hill Country offers activities aplenty, from the rustic to the refined.
Peach Pickin’
Georgia who? Texans pride themselves on (among many other things) their peaches, which hit peak deliciousness between May and August. Pick your own at any number of multigenerational family-owned farms. Jenschke Orchards boasts other U-pick produce and a wine tasting room. Vogel Orchard sells incredible peach cobbler and peach butter made from matriarch Nelda Vogel’s original recipes. Burg’s Corner has a huge selection of artisanal foodstuffs and an ice cream counter with sweet peach ice cream.
Bubbles Drinkin’
Texas Hill Country = Texas Wine Country, and there are scads of vineyards and tasting rooms where you can sample the state’s famed Roussannes, Marsannes and Mourvèdres. But a new kid in town specializes in sparkling wine. Six Twists is the first tasting room in Texas devoted to Champagne, Crémant, Cava, Prosecco and more. Pair a glass of Champs with global bites including Spanish fried potatoes, conservas and caviar flights in the luxe yet comfy lounge.
Garden Tourin’
There’s a lot going on at Hill Country Herb Garden, a sprawling property that includes a garden-to-table restaurant, boutique lodging (three styles of guest cottages or the spacious Garden House, which sleeps 12) and the region’s premier spa. But the draws in spring and summer are undoubtedly the beautiful herb and flower gardens dotting the parcel. Pop into Marigold gift shop for seed packets and every type of botanical art and floral merch imaginable.
Compound Crawlin’
Speaking of sprawling properties: You could spend days at the Fischer & Wieser Farmstead, a collaboration between two longtime Fredericksburg families, the Fischers and the Wiesers. Their substantial acreage includes country store Das Peach Haus, the F&W cooking school, a wine tasting room, Dietz Distillery, Tha Stand produce stand, lodging (a 1910 farmhouse and modern Airstreams), a private pond, a peach orchard and an experimental orchard. You can do a gluttonous food-and-drink crawl without leaving the premises.
Vittles Eatin’
Not all wine towns are food towns, but thankfully, Fredericksburg is. Our recs for a day of deliciousness: for breakfast, a jalapeño-cheddar kolache and an iced latte at Caliche Coffee Bar & Roastery; for lunch, a carnitas torta and Mexican Coke at Emi’s on Austin; and for dinner, either duck schnitzel and a dry Riesling at nouveau German bistro Otto’s or the signature lobster-topped chicken-fried ribeye with a big Texas Cab at Hill Country legend Cabernet Grill. You’ll have to roll yourself back to your hotel, but it will be worth it.
