Need a small weekend getaway without the kids? Fredericksburg is a fun place to visit. This Fredericksburg Travel Guide has some great wineries to visit, places to eat, and tips on how to do the wineries right.
If you love wine and need to get away from the bustling city life, I think Fredericksburg is a fun place to visit. It’s about four-and-a-half hours away from DFW, and such a cute, quaint place in Texas Hill Country. Now, it’s not Napa by any means, but they have some amazing local wines/grapes that they grow and harvest and they’re really, really tasty. I even came home with some bottles to enjoy!
Fredericksburg is truly something special. You’ll find so many elegant shops, antique shops, fine and casual dining, and of course, wine vineyards. You can see the German heritage throughout the historic buildings along Main Street.
History
Before we get into all the vino, I did want to spend a few moments to chat about why Fredericksburg is so famous. It was founded on May 8, 1846, by German immigrants under the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas. Named after Prince Frederick of Prussia in the 1800s, the town even has its own dialect of German known as “Texas German,” spoken by early settlers who refused to give up their native tongue entirely. The town hosted many types of factories throughout the early 1900s but became known as a tourist destination by 1930.
Now, let’s get into all the fun things to do there!
Fredericksburg Travel Guide
Things To Do: Fredericksburg Travel Guide
- Wineries: Fredericksburg, also known as Texas Wine Country, is home to over 100 wineries and vineyards and has produced a variety of wines that have won state and national awards. The sole purpose of why we came here was to do some wine tasting. Boy was this FUN! Whether you’re doing this with a spouse, couples’ trip, girls trip, you’ll have a good time. Here are the wineries I recommend.
Helpful Tip: Please be sure to make reservations to all wineries in advance. They book up so I would recommend calling two to three weeks ahead of time.
This one, along with the following vineyard, were my top two favorites. This place is so picturesque…I literally couldn’t stop taking pictures. So pretty, and the wine was so delicious. You can sit inside or they had some nice covered patios to enjoy some wine and cheese. I regret not buying any since this was our first stop!
This place was beautiful. I love that you can walk through the actual vineyards itself to take pictures. So many beautiful places to sit and enjoy the wine with beautiful background views. I HIGHLY recommend this place. You can do a one-hour tasting and then walk around to explore after. I even came home with some bottles. Also, we booked a photographer to take pictures for us for an hour because we were celebrating a birthday and it was a fun experience. The pictures turned out amazing and something I highly recommend doing if you’re celebrating something or want to take some time off from your phone!
Photography: As I mentioned, we had a photographer shoot some pictures at Augusta Vin and she was amazing. We went through Misty Mclendon Photography.
This place was really cute. They had live music and it was a fun, lively place to sit and enjoy. What was neat about this place is they had three of Texas’ internationally recognized wineries, McPherson Cellars, Lost Oak, and Brennan Vineyards, to collaborate to form one big winery.
This was one place we really wanted to visit. We, unfortunately, did not make the reservation in time. This place came recommended to us and we were told it’s one of the most popular spots, which is why they book up fast. Next time I am coming here, but I couldn’t write this post and not mention it.
This place was stunning. So many huge trees and hummingbirds. They had a cute market called Joanna’s Market that sold lunch items and snacks but also sweets and souvenirs. You can also walk through the vineyards to take pictures, and the property is HUGE to explore. We spent a long time at this place.
2. Shopping: Main Street is where you can find more than 150 shops, boutiques, and art galleries as well as dozens of restaurants, wine tasting rooms, a brewpub, two museums & more. All the shops are locally owned and have such unique gift ideas. I personally stocked up on some cool stocking stuffers.
3. Spas: Although I did not get to visit a spa while I was there (next time for sure), they do have some wonderful options if you wanted to take a moment to get pampered and relax. Hoffman Haus was recommended and would be one of the places I hope to try next time.
Places to Stay
Because we went with a group of girls, we rented a huge house right next to Main Street. It was the perfect location So, I would recommend looking at Airbnb’s or VRBO’s if going with a large group. If you’re doing a romantic getaway, they have some cute bed and breakfast spots you should definitely book.
How to Get Around:
#1 Personal Uber Driver
Whatever you do, don’t drive while doing the wine tastings. We had the BEST Uber driver. He came recommended to us by a friend in Austin and when we called, he offered to take us around the whole day. He is actually from Austin and was so nice to come down and drive us girls around town to each winery. It was basically a party bus inside his SUV and it was FUN! His name was Angelo and I highly recommend him. Book him in advance so he can make the drive.
If you have Instagram, you can find him under UBERMEATX.
#2 Tours and Shuttles
The other option you could do is rent a car, tour, or shuttle. They have a ton of wine tours that you can book if you’re not sure where you want to go. They have experts who can book the wineries for you and all you have to do is show up with your car and let them do the driving.
#3 Uber
Yes, they have Uber there so if you’re winging it, just call an Uber to take you to your wineries.
Places to Eat: Fredericksburg Travel Guide
- August E’s: This was a nice dinner if you wanted to do one night of something a little fancier like steak and seafood.
2. Sunset Grill: Best brunch! I highly recommend this place.
3. Vaudeville: We tried to eat here because it was highly recommended, BUT…they had a two-hour wait. Go super early to eat here or when you’re not that hungry and don’t mind waiting.
4. Alstadt Brewery: This place had a real cute vibe to it and if you’re a beer lover, you’d definitely like this place. It’s all German food as well.
Related Blog Post: Girlfriends’ Getaway to Fredericksburg
There you have it. A fun Fredericksburg Travel Guide. Now you’re all set for your getaway to drink some vino and do some shopping. Stay safe!
