By Nick Birdwell, Wide Open Country
Come for the German food and biergartens, but be sure to stick around for these 10 things you didn’t know about Fredericksburg, Texas.
Local News
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Fredericksburg Texas
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10. Fredericksburg knows how to rock…
Photo: Rockbox Theater Website
The Rockbox Theater is a vintage time-machine live music venue located in downtown Fredericksburg. The focus at Rockbox is tribute artists. You can catch performances here inspired by the likes of Buddy Holly, Aretha Franklin and Elvis.
9. Fredricksburg will say, “Willkommen, y’all!”
Photo: Pinterest
Fredericksburg is the earliest home of Texas German, a special dialect spoken by early German settlers in the Hill Country who refused to speak English.
8. Fredericksburg is Famous…
Photo: Pinterest
Part of the film Seven Days in Utopia, starring Robert Duvall in another hole-in-one performance, was actually filmed at the Boot Ranch golf club in Fredericksburg.
7. Fredericksburg goes to town on the weekend…
Photo: Pinterest
Unlike the Europeans who spent their days in the city and weekends on country retreats, early German settlers in Fredericksburg decided to live in the beautiful Texas Hill Country and weekend in the city. Enter the creation of the Sunday House: a small, two-story house in the city that was great for weekend trips for supplies. Architecturally, the houses are noted for their downstairs small rooms and upstairs sleeping loft that is accessible only by a ladder or staircase outside the home. Also, they would send the old folks in the family to live in the homes in the city when they were too told to work. Mandatory retirement? Sign me up!
6. Fredricksburg gets up-close and personal with the Pioneers…
Photo: Pinterest
The Pioneer Museum covers three acres and features a permanent exhibit of 300,000 artifacts. Each of the 11 buildings on site showcase the ingenuity and spirit of early Texas pilgrims–many of whom were German immigrants.
5. Fredericksburg puts on a good show…
Photo: Pinterest
The Fredericksburg Theater Company is celebrating its 19th season of providing world class entertainment to the people of the Hill Country. With classics like Our Town and Broadway hits like Into the Woods and Evita, the Fredericksburg Theater Company has something for everyone. Fiddler On the Roof pictured above.
4. Fredericksburg knows flowers…
Photo: wildseedfarms.com
Wildseed Farms, established in 1983 and still family-owned and operated on the popular Texas State Highway 290, is the country’s largest wildflower farm. Wildseed welcomes visitors year-round to visit its beautiful floral fields, and is home to plenty of live music and even a butterfly garden.
3. Fredericksburg knows how to drink…
Photo: Pinterest
Having a hard time picking between the 15 exquisite Fredericksburg Vineyards? Welcome toFredericksburg Wine Road 290: a great example of what can happen when a bunch of winos put their heads together. Wine Road 290 is an association of 15 independent vineyards who have joined together to welcome folks to the visit and taste their grapes. To visit, just take 290 the whole 45-mile stretch from Fredericksburg to Johnson City. Guided tours are also available if you think you’ll be doing a little more than tasting.
2. Fredericksburg wants you to hang around…
Photo: travelandleisure.com
The Hangar Hotel is housed in a 1940’s style airplane hangar and evokes the era’s romanticism and obsession with aviation. The hotel is designed to mimic the exoticism of the South Pacific and the luxury of the 1940’s. Hangar Hotel features airplane memorabilia, a Tiki lounge and even its own 40’s diner. And, since it’s located right alongside the county airport, guests can watch planes take off and land all day long. The Hangar Hotel offers a first-class ticket to cloud nine.
1. Fredericksburg loves the Admirable Admiral…
Photo: Pinterest
Fredericksburg is the birthplace of Chester W. Nimitz, the Fleet Admiral of the Pacific Fleet during World War II. The Admiral commands so much respect that Fredericksburg was awarded the rights to the National Museum of the Pacific War. To add even more lineage to legacy, the museum is located in the original building of the Nimitz Hotel, which was built by Admiral Nimitz’s grandfather–who himself was a merchant marine. The Nimitz Hotel was once so popular that it welcomed esteemed guests as powerful as President Rutherford B. Hayes and General Ulysses S. Grant.
