We decided to take a road trip deeper into the Texas Hill Country because the weather was so beautiful. We kept hearing about the beauty of the region. This area was settled by German migrants. You can see the influence in the churches, buildings and food. We started at the Visitors Center which is located at 302 E. Austin. We started there because the town is so busy. Locals know where the good stuff is located and that is where you can get a map of town. The volunteer staff there was wonderful. We remarked on how fast the speed limits are around town. The woman, who was very much my elder, stated you must drive fast in Texas otherwise you will never get anywhere. She had me in tears telling me tales of her driving adventures around the state. She was quite helpful in pointing out areas of interest around town. We had our map so we set off.

Downtown Fredericksburg is a brewery and wine tasting haven. There are numerous wineries and a few breweries that surround the town. You are allowed to walk the streets with your open containers as long as they are in plastic. You also don’t have to worry about drinking and driving. There is a shuttle that goes to some of the wineries that pick up and drop off in front of the visitor center.

While walking, make sure you see the plaques on the buildings. It will give you original history of the building. I am a history geeks so read every building that had its history outside. We walked over to the Marketplatz to see the Christmas displays.

We then made our way over to St. Mary’s Catholic Church. The original structure was built in 1846.

The Museum of the Pacific War is also in Fredericksburg. I wondered why this museum was deep in central Texas. I soon learned that Chester Nimitz was born and raised in this town. The location where he was born is still standing. While we did not visit the museum because we had other plans, it sure would have been on our list if we had planned better.

We choose instead to head out to Enchanted Rock. We used to live in Stone Mountain, GA which is home to the largest exposed granite in the United States. Enchanted Rock is the second largest so we could not miss this. It is about a 14 mile drive from downtown Fredericksburg. You cannot see it until you are almost upon it due to the hills. This is a huge difference between Enchanted Rock and Stone Mountain. Georgia is much more flat. I could see Stone Mountain from my office building in downtown Atlanta on a clear day. The color is quite pink. I apologize for the poor picture. Enchanted Rock is in rural area. The cost to enter the park is $7 per person. We only wanted to eat lunch there and move on. We did not want to pay $14 to eat our picnic lunch. So we continued on.

Next we headed for the LBJ Ranch. I did not realize that we were so close. Part of this is a state park and part is a national park. Neither park has a cost. LBJ deeded 600 acres before his death as a national park. It is still a working ranch. You have to drive slow because there are cattle and deer roaming freely around the ranch. There is a replica of home where his was born, the family cemetery and most importantly the Texas White House.

All in all it was a fun day. Have you been to this area? If so, what was your favorite part?