Fredericksburg, TX

Fredericksburg, Texas and I go way back.  As an eight year old, I remember gazing at the display cases of the Old German Bakery with glee.  My parents told me I could get one treat. I perused the myraid of delectable pastries trying to decide…cherry cheese danish, apple strudel, cream filled donut or a gigantic cinnamon roll dripping with icing. I don’t recall which one I got, but the joy of getting to choose still sticks with me.

The bakery is just one of the things that make this small German town in the Hill Country of Texas a great get-a-way for a long weekend, especially if you’re stationed at Ft. Hood, Austin or Joint Base San Antonio.

About every 10 years, I make my way back to Fredericksburg. Each time I return, the city grows quite a bit while still keeping it’s German heritage front and center. So come explore Fredricksburg’s Main Street with me.

In the Days of Pioneers

To understand Fredericksburg, you’ve got to start at the beginning. Way back in 1846 a German settler named John O. Meusebach chose the location for Fredericksburg, sandwiching it between two creeks four miles north of the Pedernales River. More German families quickly moved to the area and the town began to grow.

In a very rare move in Texas history, Meusebach, on behalf of the town, made a treaty in 1847 with several tribes of Comanches that provided protection for settlers and Native Americans. The settlers would be allowed to farm the land and the Comanches would be allowed in town at any time. He also created a reciprocal agreement that in times of famine towns people and Comanches would trade commodities each one needed for survival.

This treaty appears to have been kept by both the town of Fredericksburg and the Comanche Nation, a very unique feat during this time. Today, you can see the actual smoking of the peace pipe during the treaty meeting depicted in sculptures at the Pioneer Memorial Garden at the Marketplatz on E. Main Street.

An unusually shaped building stands a short walk away from the memorial garden at the Marketplatz. The eight-sided Vereins Kirche, built in 1847, once served as a church, community meeting spot and school. The original building stood in the middle of today’s Main Street. After the building fell into disrepair, it was torn down in 1897.

But by 1934 the Gillespie County Historical Society began building an exact replica of the church on the Marketplatz with the help of the Works Progress Administration. Today, you can tour the Vereins Kirche Museum while visiting the Marketplatz.

The historic Marketplatz offers even more fun with festivals. For those of you missing Germany’s Oktoberfest, check out Fredericksburg’s Oktoberfest held here each year. It’s three days of German and American food, drinks and entertainment.

The town follows up Oktoberfest with Weihnachtseit (the Christmas season) at the Marketplatz. The Christmas Night of Lights kicks off with a brief town history highlighting its German heritage, then caroling and the lighting of the Marketplatz.

The piece de resistance is the 26-foot tall German Christmas Pyramid that dominates the park. Artisans in Germany handcrafted it specifically for the town of Fredericksburg.

If you’re looking for more pioneer history, head down the street to the Pioneer Museum. This museum shows what brought Germans deep in to the heart of Texas and what life was like for those who settled in Fredericksburg and the surrounding areas. From log cabins to a fire department, this collection of buildings tells about the hardships and successes found in the early days of Fredericksburg.

Shopper’s Paradise

Many of those pioneers set up shops in downtown Fredericksburg. Today if shopping’s your thing, you’ll be delighted with the sheer number of unique stores along Main Street. From the Pioneer Museum all the way down to the National Museum of the Pacific War, you’ll find 150 shops, art galleries and wine tasting rooms to explore.

I don’t remember too many wineries in the area during my early visits to Fredericksburg, but now Gillespie County’s bursting at the seams with them. Main Street alone has at least 10 tasting rooms. Taking Highway 290 out of town also puts you in prime winery country.

This whole stretch of Main Street comprises the National Historic District, with over 80 points of interest. Many of the buildings are constructed out of Native Texas limestone. The city decided, thanks to the historic designation, that chains stores and franchises wouldn’t be allowed.

Mixed in with the shops, you’ll also find plenty of coffee shops, restaurants and even the Fredericksburg Farmers Market on a Thursday afternoon at the Marketplatz.

Just off Main Street, the Warehouse District offers more shopping and restaurants. Antiques, bike shops, pizza and Mexican food can be found along Lincoln Street over to Llano and Washington streets. We enjoyed breakfast at the Sunset Grill in this area.

If shopping in town doens’t satisfy your itch, you can always check out Fredericksburg Trade Days at Sunday Farms. It has seven barns worth of vendors one weekend a month.

Sailing in to History

At the eastern end of Main Street, you’ve probably noticed the unusual ship-shaped building. That’s the National Museum of the Pacific War. Well, it’s part of the museum, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Right off the bat, a museum about World War II battles in the Pacific Islands located deep in the heart of Texas puzzles a lot of people. It puzzled me too. It makes more sense when you discover Admiral Chester W. Nimitz grew up in Fredericksburg. His grandfather owned the white hotel on Main Street.

Nimitz played a large role in the US Navy during World War II, specifically in the Pacific region. He commanded the Pacific Fleet during the war and signed the treaty with Japan’s unconditional surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri.

After the war, Fredericksburg town leaders wanted to create a museum about Nimitz. He agreed only if the museum honored all of the people who served in the Pacific Theater. Thus the National Museum of the Pacific War was born. The Nimitz Hotel housed the first ineration of the museum.

The first time I visited as a kid, the museum only included the white building on Main Street. I remember being fascinated by the ship model under glass in the main room.

Since then, every time I return, the museum continues to grow, now taking up six acres in Fredericksburg. The main entrance on E. Austin Street ushers visitors past an eye-catching display to the main part of the museum. It actually consists of six sections: the George H.W. Bush Gallery, Admiral Nimitz Gallery, Plaza of Presidents, Japanese Garden of Peace, Memorial Courtyard and the Pacific Combat Zone.

If you want to see everything, expect to spend most of the day at the museum. We spent the morning in the galleries and gardens located near the main entrance and then took a break for lunch at Emi’s on Austin for some delicious tacos.