Hill Country escape

Toast springtime in Texas with a quintessential weekend getaway to Fredericksburg

Summer is peach season in Fredericksburg.

Photo courtesy of Fredericksburg CVB

For Houstonians planning spring weekend getaways, a perennial favorite destination is Fredericksburg. Even if you’ve been there before, this burg offers plenty of reasons to go back: wineries, distilleries, fun and fine dining, accommodations with character, and plenty of great outdoor excursions.

Check out our suggestions for a getaway that has it all.

Specialty food brand Fischer & Wieser created the Fischer & Wieser Farmstead, a kind of mini-theme park for food and wine that includes the Das Peach Haus store and tasting room, a cooking school, a seasonal roadside fruit stand, the Dietz Distillery, and an onsite B&B, the Farmhouse. Outside, in addition to the original peach orchard, the property has a pond and vegetable garden.

Together, it adds up to a great place to relax, says chief experience officer Deanna Fischer.

“We just want people to come spend time, sit outside, walk through the orchard,” she says.

Its peach trees bloom in March, usually right around spring break, making for a great photo op.

Pop by the Dietz Distillery tasting room or grab a cocktail and sit outside to enjoy the view. The Fischers’ oldest son, Case Dietz Fischer, distills brandy using fresh fruit from the orchard, as well as a Texas-style gin and a raspberry vodka, all currently available only onsite. A wine tasting room in the store serves five varieties of Texas wines, Fischer says. Or buy a bottle and, you guessed it, sit outside and relax.

As the second busiest wine tourism destination in the country after only California’s Napa Valley, Fredericksburg has no shortage of places to taste and drink wine. Take advantage of perfect spring days at the many spots with great outdoor facilities. One of the best, Signor Vineyards, has picnic tables on a sprawling lawn and scattered beneath giant oak trees for enjoying wine by the glass and bottle in the shade.

Get caught in an unexpected spring shower? Dash into the Joanna’s Market tasting room in the original Livesay cottage, which in addition to wine offers fresh treats and desserts from Fredericksburg’s Emma & Ollie bakery. It’s open Sunday through Thursday noon-5 pm, and Friday and Saturday 11 am-6 pm.

It is kind of an unspoken rule that visitors to the Hill County must climb Enchanted Rock — and the view from the top of the 640-acre granite dome 425 feet above the ground is incredible, as is the scenery on its many miles of trails. It’s so incredible that the park often reaches capacity, so reserving day passes in advance is a must.

For a more off-the-beaten-path experience, head to:

Old Tunnel State Park, a tiny slice of nature where you can hike a half-mile nature trail and watch for birds and other wildlife. The trail opens daily at sunrise and closes at 5 pm from November to April. From May to October, millions of Mexican free-tailed bats roost in the abandoned railroad tunnel that gives the park its name. Tickets are required to stay after 5 pm to watch the bats leave the tunnel en masse. Bat viewing is offered seven nights a week during those months, with nightly educational presentations Thursday through Sunday. Tickets are not sold onsite, and pets are not allowed because, well, bats.

Literally next door to Old Tunnel is Alamo Springs Café, famous for its Cover Burger, which appeared on the cover of Texas Monthly’s 2009 Best Burgers in Texas issue. It’s a half-pound cheeseburger topped with grilled onions, avocado, and green chiles served on a jalapeño cheese bun. The place has plenty of outdoor seating, a full bar, and frequent live music.

It does sometimes rain in spring in Texas. No worries. That’s time to head for the National Museum of the Pacific War, a Smithsonian Affiliate housing the most comprehensive account of World War II in the Asiatic-Pacific theater. (Trivia question: Why is it located in Fredericksburg? Because Chester W. Nimitz, a Navy fleet admiral in that conflict, was born there.) The sprawling facility also has an outdoor Memorial Courtyard and Japanese Garden of Peace that’s lovely to visit when the rain lets up.

Across the street, check out Tubby’s Ice House neighborhood burger and taco joint (try the goat vindaloo and black bean and kale), which offers indoor and outdoor seating. Plus, there’s a full bar featuring margaritas, craft beers, wine, and frosé. It’s open daily 11 am-9 pm.

If you have any weekend left, simply stroll Main Street for a plethora of other restaurants and tasting rooms, as well as adorable shops. Or hop on the 290 Wine Shuttle, departing from downtown Fredericksburg to a set of wineries every 10 minutes on Fridays and Saturdays. Or book a private tour of some of the dozens of wineries and breweries lining this road all the way to Johnson City. Remember to raise a toast to spring!

Get enchanted with a visit to Enchanted Rock.

Photo by Steve Rawls

Get enchanted with a visit to Enchanted Rock.

burgers drinks museums nature wine hill-country cocktails

Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

san antonio tejano music museums hall of fame music openings