Texas Hill Country
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Gillespie County

Fredericksburg

The unofficial capital of the Hill Country — German heritage, a walkable Main Street, and the front door to fifty wineries.

  • 30.275°N 98.872°W
  • Wine
  • History
  • Shopping

The place

Founded by German immigrants in 1846, Fredericksburg still wears its heritage on its sleeve: Sunday houses, biergartens, a limestone Main Street, and bakeries that have been turning out strudel for generations.

Today it’s the busiest town in the region — the place most people make their base camp. Wine tasting rooms line US‑290 just east of town, the National Museum of the Pacific War anchors the historic district, and Enchanted Rock is a short drive north.

Don't miss

  • Stroll Main Street’s shops, biergartens & bakeries
  • Taste your way down the US‑290 wine road
  • National Museum of the Pacific War
  • Day-trip to Enchanted Rock & Luckenbach

Things to do

How to spend your time

01

Walk Main Street

Six blocks of limestone storefronts, German bakeries, biergartens, boutiques, and the Pioneer Museum. Save room for a pretzel and a peach pastry.

02

Tour the wine road

More than fifty wineries cluster along US‑290 and the back roads of Gillespie County — the heart of Texas wine country. Hire a driver or book a tour and pace yourself.

03

Pacific War Museum

A surprisingly vast, world-class museum on the WWII Pacific theater, in the hometown of Admiral Chester Nimitz.

04

Peach stands in season

From May into August, roadside stands sell Hill Country peaches by the basket. Stop at the first one you see — they sell out.

Gallery

A look around

Fredericksburg — view 1
Fredericksburg — view 2
Fredericksburg — view 3

Photography openly licensed via Wikimedia Commons — see credits.

Pair it with

Experiences here

Wine Country

Fifty-plus wineries along the US-290 corridor and the back roads of Gillespie County.

Explore

Smoke & Barbecue

Post-oak smoke, brisket by the pound, and pit lines worth the wait.

Explore

Trips through here

Ready-made itineraries

The Fredericksburg Wine Weekend 3 days · Weekend

The Fredericksburg Wine Weekend

Tasting rooms on US-290, a climb up Enchanted Rock to earn your dinner, and a beer at Luckenbach where everybody’s somebody.

  1. Fredericksburg Main St.
  2. US-290 Wine Road
  3. Enchanted Rock
  4. Luckenbach
3 days 60 miles View trip →

Nearby

More destinations close by

Enchanted Rock, Llano & Gillespie

Enchanted Rock

30.507°N 98.820°W

Llano & Gillespie

A massive pink granite batholith that hums and ticks as it cools at night. Climb it by day, then stay for some of the darkest skies in Texas.

  • Hiking
  • Dark Skies
Johnson City & the LBJ Ranch, Blanco County

Johnson City & the LBJ Ranch

30.277°N 98.412°W

Blanco County

Boyhood home of a president and the Texas White House. In December the whole town lights up; in spring the roadsides run blue with wildflowers.

  • History
  • Wildflowers
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY THE SPRING-FED HEART OF TEXAS

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