“We're a community of a city of 11,800 and we'll swell to anywhere between 35,000 and 40,000 on a weekend,” says FCVB president Brady Closson.
Just about a four-hour drive southwest of Dallas, Fredericksburg is a 178-year-old town settled by German immigrants. It is the second-most-visited wine region in the nation, after Napa Valley.
“There's a lot going on right in our community, from development and the culinary scene to the wineries that have exploded literally on down East 290,” Closson adds.
Despite its growth, Fredericksburg's soul lies in its gastronomy. It’s where you taste history, feel heritage and sip the present.
German Roots
Founded in 1846 by German settlers, Fredericksburg’s European influence is commemorated through its food. Visit Otto’s German Bistro for a farm-to-table dinner that pays homage to the town’s roots with duck schnitzel, served with the German version of mac and cheese, käsespätzle; German red cabbage, rotkohl; and a German brandy, demi-glacé. The Wurst Platte features house bratwurst, German potato salad called kartoffelsalat, sauerkraut and senfgurken, mustard pickles.
Altstadt Brewery leans further into tradition. In 1516, the German state of Bavaria established a set of standards called Reinheitsgebot that dictated how beer was produced. The purity law confined brewing to barley, hops and water. Bavaria-inspired Altstadt Brewery continues to utilize the five-century-old Old World brewing method with offerings like Kölsch, German Pils, Hefeweizen and a German IPA..
Fredericksburg Brewing Company, the state’s oldest operating brewpub, launched in 1994, the year after Texas House Bill 1425 legalized on-site direct-to-consumer beer sales. It includes a restaurant, brewery, Biergarten and a 12-room bed and breakfast alternative, Bed & Brew. With open-container laws downtown, it’s an ideal stop before shopping on Main Street.
Peaches, Peaches, Peaches
Beyond beer and bratwurst, Fredericksburg’s most beloved crop is its peaches.“We're an agrarian-based community and it's all about working the land and the land giving back,” Closson says.
From mid-May through August, peach season reigns. Though the number of peach farmers has significantly declined due to economic and climate shifts, growers like Vogel Orchard, Burg’s Corner, Jenschke Orchards and Fischer & Wieser Farmstead preserve the tradition.
Fischer & Wieser Farmstead evolved from Fredericksburg’s first roadside fruit stand, Das Peach Haus, which opened in 1969 by Mark Wieser, and turned into a nationally acclaimed specialty foods brand co-founded by Wieser and Case Fischer. The farmstead offers accommodations, cooking classes, a farm-fresh fruit outpost called Tha Stand, retail space Das Peach Haus and Dietz Distillery.
Jenschke Orchards is interactive with pick-your-own seasonal crops like strawberries, blackberries, pumpkins and peaches. They even have Christmas trees during the holidays. Since opening in 1961, the orchard has expanded to include an on-site restaurant Leroy’s, Jenschke Cellars wine tasting room and a country store that serves a crave-worthy peach cobbler. The gooey dessert is part pie, part pillowy cake and full of Fredericksburg peaches.
Seven miles east, multigenerational Burg’s Corner sells fresh fruit and over 100 different jams, preserves, jellies and canned goods. Don’t miss the back counter’s peach sundae, drizzled with a one-of-a-kind peach topping.
Napa Valley of Texas
Three decades ago, Fredericksburg had just two winery permits: Becker Vineyards and Grape Creek Vineyards. Today, that number has climbed to 94 permits, according to Closson.Visitors can see, swirl, sniff, sip and savor award-winning wines at Meierstone Vineyards inside in a former blacksmith shop, Rhinory’s 55-acre rhino reserve or Texas’ first certified organic vineyard, Halter Ranch Texas.
While Highway 290 is filled with estate vineyards and Main Street glitters with tasting rooms, Fredericksburg isn’t a wine-bingeing vacay.
“The residents don't want that to become our identity,” Closson says.
Local Flavor
Local’s don’t just advocate for their town’s legacy, they fuel its future with locally owned eateries for every hour of the day. Start the day at Caliche Coffee, from the Otto’s team, with the Not Another Kale Salad, a kale, Brussels sprouts, and green apple salad topped with a seven-minute egg and avocado. For lunch, Emi’s on Austin channels Emilia Harper’s abuelita with carnitas waffle fries, chicken tinga bowls, shrimp tortas and calabacitas tacos. Piccolina’s viral bubbles-topped Italian ice, The Proseccolina, is a picture-perfect afternoon treat. 
Toast at Texas’ first sparkling wine bar, Six Twists Sparking. It is the only spot pouring France’s Champagne Paul Déthune.
Slate chef Ross Burtwell’s Cabernet Grill on the itinerary for dinner. The “Bragging Rights” honey butter drop biscuits served with bacon butter and cabernet jam and Magic Mushroom, a seared Lion’s Mane mushroom topped with gorgonzola, are not to be missed.
