Long time. I know. My fault. Forgive and read on! Some nice pics follow!!
My friend and I have been making Fredericksburg, TX runs for several years now. Things slowed down when I was in Louisiana due to the time needed to travel, etc. But... now that I'm back in Texas, my plan is to make it twice a year... at MINIMUM!!
So... we decided to make a Spring run. While we always enjoy wildflowers (which we saw each morning during our walk!), that is not our reason for going. We enjoy the food, some of the shopping, and, primarily, the wineries!! We also are always able to meet up with the previous owners of our most excellent B&B!! We always stayed there in the past. Once they sold it, we haven't returned. Can't possibly be as fabulous as it was when they had it. Sad, really. But... we always enjoy catching up with them and stay in touch.
Okay. Let's get started, shall we? :)
We meet in Georgetown, TX, then head west using the "back roads" to get there. They take us through Liberty Hill, Bertram, Marble Falls, and Johnson City before we actually arrive in Fredericksburg. BUT... there are many things to do on the way!
We have stopped in Marble Falls before... at a little winery, to grab a bite, to shop the little "downtown" area (original downtown!), and to just take a break. Our usual "big" stop before Fredericksburg is in Johnson City. We know of one winery there we like, Texas Hills Vineyard, so we stopped there first.
After buying the first round of bottles (!), we continued to the little downtown area. We wandered about looking in a few of the shops while waiting to grab an early dinner at Bryans on 290, a wonderful, surprise gourmet eatery there! (Incredible as it will seem to some, we actually ordered dessert!!! I KNOW! A rare occurrence.) While wandering, we ran across a brand new little winery downtown. We popped in on a tasting that had just begun for a winery tour group and were kindly welcomed by all. The owner was a young man who was clearly passionate about his process! He was full of tons of information he shared with us.
We absolutely enjoyed the time there... and the wine! I actually found a red I could drink!!! Exciting! (Usually can't handle the tannins that follow the wonderful taste... so just don't buy reds.) And yes... a second round of bottles was piled into the 'Hoe.
So... the first morning in Fredericksburg, we took our little "stroll" through the neighborhood surrounding our accommodations. While there were lots of interesting things, I was mainly taking wildflower pictures. These were in vacant lots in the neighborhood! The Bluebonnets were on their way out at the time but the Indian Blanket (red/orange/yellow) were blooming like crazy! Just a few (maybe more) for you:
After the walk, it was time to catch brunch at a most favored place... The Peach Tree Restaurant. There are some things that are worthy of repeating... and we do every time... even down to our order!! Say hello to Mimosas along with Quiche and Avocado Soup (it's Butternut Squash Soup in the Fall!).
So... after brunch, it was time to hit downtown Fredericksburg... at least the few shops we like to go to each time. While walking around, we found a couple of new benches the city had put out for the tourists to use for a little break during their stay! Absolutely cracked us up!!
A few wineries later, it was time to get ready to meet our friends for dinner. They had suggested a new place for us, the Fredericksburg Herb Farm. It has cottages (which we will consider staying in on the next trip), a restaurant (more later), and a garden and gift shop area that is lovely. We had a REALLY wonderful dinner there. I highly recommend it. In fact, they told us that they had a great brunch, too! So, my friend and I decided we should have brunch there the next morning on our way out of town and back to reality! Here are a few pics of what is there:
A Flight of Mimosas was interesting! And brunch was excellent... just as good as dinner the night before! Will definitely add this to our "repeat" place for dining.
Then we wandered through the grounds. Shot pics capturing the cottages that can be rented, the gift shop, as well as some of the garden area. Very lovely location. And... it's VERY close to downtown!
Okay. After brunch and a couple more wineries, it was time to head back east to Georgetown, drop off my friend, and return to Woodway. Sigh. Hate when the fun ends... but we did make one final stop on the way out. A pleasant way to say Goodbye until next time (and a very favorite winery, to boot)!
So... that's it, Blogging Pals. I know some of you may have read of Fredericksburg adventures before... but when we find "new" things, I like to post again. It is a great place to go hang out, relax, eat, shop, and wine away! Highly recommended. Probably avoid weekends and the "prime" wildflower time (as well as Oktoberfest!) to keep crowds lower.
Until next post...
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