Fredericksburg, Texas:
Where Germany Meets Texas
by Paris Permenter & John Bigley

What's your idea of a vacation? An international trip to explore new cultures, from music to cuisines? A shopping excursion to seek out one-of-a-kind items? A romantic getaway, tucked in historic lodging, just you and yours? Or a fiesta, a chance to kick up your heels and enjoy a few carefree days?

In Fredericksburg, Texas, you'll have the chance to fulfill any of those vacation fantasies. This Hill Country community, located northwest of San Antonio on US 290, has something for everyone.

Every October, the community remembers its German roots with Oktoberfest, three days of Old World fun. Fredericksburg celebrates two decades of Oktoberfest with polkas, German pretzels, and plenty of fun. The event features over 50 artisans as well, so holiday shoppers looking to get an early start will find unique items, from pottery to jewelry to woodwork.

"This is a family event," notes David McClure, president of the Pedernales Creative Arts Society. "We want people of all ages there--seniors, the kids, everyone--all having a good time." Children can race remote-controlled cars at Kinderpark, have their faces painted, or burn off some extra energy in the jumping castle.

October also marks another festival anniversary: the Fredericksburg Food and Wine Fest. Scheduled annually for late October, this festival showcases Texas winemakers and culinary artists. Visitors can taste the best of the state's wine harvest as well as food from over 40 vendors.

Whenever you visit, you'll find several outstanding wineries within the Fredericksburg area including Bell Mountain Vineyards, Grape Creek Vineyard, Fredericksburg Winery, Chisholm Trail Winery, and Becker Vineyards. Wine aficionados should pick up a copy of the "Texas Hill Country Wine Trail" brochure, available from the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau or online at http://www.texaswinetrail.com. The trail showcases 16 wineries throughout the region.

If steins and sauerkraut are more your style than chardonney, then Fredericksburg Festhaus may be your destination. The Sauerkrauts, who have performed at shows in Las Vegas and Branson, recently opened the Festhaus which features a 90-minute show called "Oompah with Attitude." The show is performed Wednesday through Saturday.

Or do you feel that fine art and sculpture might be more your style? You're in luck: Fredericksburg is home to many excellent galleries that present nationally and internationally known talents. Whistle Pik Galleries, Fredericksburg Art Gallery, Beckendorf Gallery, and many others offer shoppers unique opportunities.

This community is also a prime destination for day trippers looking for antiques, gifts, books, and crafts. The shops along Fredericksburg's Main Street and nearby side streets offer travelers a weekend bursting with shopping opportunities, no matter what their tastes. One-of-a-kind gifts can be found at unique shops like The Peach Tree Gift Gallery and Tea Room, the Fredericksburg Herb Farm, and the Wildseed Farms Market Center.

History buffs also find plenty of attractions for a Fredericksburg getaway. For a look at early Fredericksburg, visit the Pioneer Museum Complex at 309 West Main Street. This collection of historic old homes includes a 1849 pioneer log home and store, the old First Methodist Church, and a smokehouse and log cabin. Also on the premises you'll see a typical 19th-century "Sunday house." Built in Fredericksburg, Sunday houses catered to farmers and their families who would travel long distances to do business in town, often staying the weekend.

Have another look at Fredericksburg's rich history at the Vereins Kirche Museum at Market Square on Main Street. You can't miss this attraction: it's housed in an exact replica of an octagonal structure erected in 1847. The museum is sometimes called the Coffee Mill (or Die Kaffe-Muehle) Church because of its unusual shape. Exhibits here display Fredericksburg's German heritage, plus Indian artifacts from archaeological digs.

More about that early history can be learned with a visit to Fort Martin Scott Historic Site, located two miles east of town on US 290. Established in 1848, this was the first frontier military fort in Texas. Today the original stockade, a guardhouse, and a visitors center with displays on local Indians are open to tour, and historic reenactments keep the history lesson lively.

More recent military history is explored at The National Museum of the Pacific War (formerly the Admiral Nimitz State Historical Park) at 340 East Main Street. Admiral Chester Nimitz, World War II Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific (CinCPac), was Fredericksburg's most famous resident. He commanded 2.5 million troops from the time he assumed command 18 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor until the Japanese surrendered.

The Nimitz name was well known here even years earlier. Having spent time in the merchant marines, Captain Charles H. Nimitz, the admiral's grandfather, decided to build a hotel here, adding a structure much like a ship's bridge to the front of his establishment. Built in 1852, the Nimitz Steamboat Hotel today houses a three-story museum honoring Admiral Nimitz and Fredericksburg's early residents. The latest addition to the museum is the George Bush Gallery, showcasing the wartime service of the former president.

If you want to extend your day trip into a weekend visit, Fredericksburg is the capital city of Texas bed-and-breakfast inns. Over 300 B&B accommodations are located in Gillespie County in everything from Sunday houses to local farmhouses to residences just off Main Street.

For more information on Fredericksburg, call the Convention and Visitors Bureau, (888) 997-3600.