Fredericksburg, Texas –
It’s pretty funny that in 12 years of living in Texas I never got to the Hill Country except for an afternoon luncheon on a ranch. Now I’m back as a tourist.
And a mom. I’m coming to see the new restaurant that has hired my daughter as its executive chef.
Fredericksburg, 75 miles west of Austin, with a population of 9,346, is living tribute to a history that began when Germans settled here in 1846.
German names still abound, from Der Stadt Freihof Cemetery at the east end of town, to the landmark Vereins Kirche Museum that tells of the famed “Sunday Houses.” (Farmers and families came into town on Saturday to pick up supplies and socialize. They stayed over until Sunday so they could go to church. )
Fredericksburg is one of two well-known towns of German heritage. The other, New Braunfels, is northeast of San Antonio, just off Interstate 35.
Germans take Christmas seriously, and descendants of settlers still live in and around the area. They’ve worked at keeping holiday traditions intact.
Every year Main Street is transformed from that of a typical Texas community populated by hardworking ranchers, farmers and shopkeepers to a kind of wonderland glistening with thousands of white, red and green lights.
Yes, Virginia, there is more to Texas than Dallas and Houston.
Although the holiday season has been in full swing since Thanksgiving, you still can attend Christmas Eve services at one of the town’s historic churches.
Boxing Day at Becker Vineyards is observed Dec. 26 with live music and a reading of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” The hours are from noon to 6 p.m., and the event is free (464 Becker Farms Road, off U.S. 290 East).
Also on Dec. 26 is the town’s Zweite Weihnachten, or “Second Christmas” party.
“Germans were very big into Christmas so they brought their traditions with them,” says Ernie Loeffler, director of the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “You spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family, but the 26th is for friends and neighbors.”
Not only do Texans come from throughout the state to visit, tourists come from all over the country.
John Vessa of Denver came Thanksgiving weekend to see the Admiral Nimitz exhibit at the National Museum of the Pacific War; John Kilpatrick came from Houston with his wife Melody Mechler, whose great-great-grandfather arrived with the settlers.
Stan Kern, director of the Texas Healing Arts Institute, came from Austin.
“I’ve been to Fredericksburg several times,” she says. “We used to come over here when I was in high school to go rock climbing at Enchanted Rock. On the way home we’d cruise into Luckenbach. This time we wanted to eat at this new restaurant.”
Luckenbach, 15 miles southeast of Fredericksburg, is the town that periodically swells from its standard population of 3 to 3,000 when Willie, Waylon and the boys get together. It’s kind of hard to know when you’ve arrived, though, because people keep stealing the signs.
Still, if you’re going to be anywhere near Fredericksburg between now and New Year’s Day, pay the place a visit.
Just make sure you stick around long enough for the lights to go on in the evening. If the kids need something to do, let them count the lights. Tell them to let you know when they get to 1 million.
Maybe there aren’t really that many, but it looks like it could be the number the town wears for the holidays. Light poles, the marketplace and the town’s 150 shops are ablaze with them. .
Wander through Knopp & Metzger department store at 261 W. Main St. Take particular note of the architectural details. Look for camouflage clothing for toddlers. There are shirts and pants for the boys and dresses with Peter Pan collars for the girls.
Hey, this is Texas, and you’re in hunting country.
While you might expect to find a dry goods store that sells ammo for deer season, you probably wouldn’t expect to find hand-woven ponchos, purses and other colorful merchandise from Mexico and Guatemala – unless you stop by Marilyn’s of Fredericksburg (219 W. Main) and meet Marilyn Bell, who could sell ice to Eskimos.
Across the street is Darlene Marwitz’s Lavender Market at Villa Texas, which brings a touch of the Mediterannean to Fredericksburg, known locally as “Fred.”
Marwitz was historian and furnishing manager for the restoration of the Texas state Capitol. She combined her historical preservation background with a love of all things Italian, and opened the market after years of travel throughout Italy.
As one might imagine, there is no shortage of food or beer here – from the moderately priced Altdorf German Beer Garden (301 W. Main), where you can get a sampling of three large homemade German sausages for under $10, to August E’s (6258 U.S. 290 East) the newly opened high-end eatery, where entrees start at twice that and where aforementioned daughter presides over the kitchen.
There’s an excellent chance that I would have found my way to Fred even if my daughter weren’t a chef here. But here I am, settled in to a cozy B&B, one of dozens scattered throughout the town.
I turn on the television just to check in with what’s happening in the outside world and see that Denver is blanketed in snow. It’s 64 and sunny here.
Ah, Texas.
Ellen Sweets is a food and feature writer for The Denver Post.
The details
Getting there: From San Antonio, take Interstate 10 to U.S. 87 north to Fredericksburg. From Austin take U.S. 290 west into town. Either way the drive is about an hour and a half.
Housing reservations: First Class Bed & Breakfast Reservation Service, 1-888-991-6749 or Gastehaus Schmidt, 1-866-427-8374 or Main Street Reservation Service, 1-888-559-8555 or Hill Country Lodging, 800-745-3591 or
More information: Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Bureau, 888-997-3600 or go to
