She has lovely lines, is dressed in a sleek grey outfit, and dominates the room. She’s known warmly as “Oh Frankie,” which is a name that speaks to me. She’s also over ¾ of a century old and clad in mahogany.
I’m standing before PT-309, the only restored PT Boat to have seen actual combat service during World War II. It is a fully refurbished PT Boat, not too dissimilar to the one that President Kennedy captained in World War II. During the war, it is credited with sinking five enemy ships.
I discovered it in the National Museum of the Pacific War. What I was struggling to understand was why it was nearly 200 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and 1,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean, in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.
It’s just one of the many delightful surprises we found in the lively small town, less than 12,000, of Fredericksburg, Texas.
Discovering Fredericksburg
We left San Antonio just after sunrise, under a cloudless sky, for the 1-hour drive to the Hill Country and Fredericksburg. The bright sun belied the weather reports threatening thunderstorms.
Central Texas is known as Hill Country. Rolling hills amid grasslands slowly rise from the coast onto the Edwards plateau. Fed by a deep aquifer, several springs and streams crisscross the area.
Surprisingly, Fredericksburg was founded on May 8, 1846, by German immigrants under the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas.
In a territory dominated by the Comanche and Pueblo, explored by the Spanish Conquistadors, and fought over by Mexico and the United States, emigres from Germany, seeking a new start, settled on lands available in the new Republic of Texas.
John O. Meusebach, one such Wagnerian entrepreneur, founded the settlement with a little over a hundred adventurers in a valley between two creeks. He named the settlement Friedrichsburg (later changed to Fredericksburg) to honor Prince Frederick of Prussia.
Quintessential Main Street
The German heritage is still evident today. Many residents can trace their families back to those early times. A German dialect can occasionally still be heard from older residents.
We had eased our way into Fredericksburg past nondescript filling stations, convenience stores, and fast-food outlets before rounding a curve and finding ourselves in the heart of the city.
Fredericksburg’s Main Street is the historic district of the city and its central shopping area in town. The wide boulevard is beyond picturesque.
The first thing we noticed was the angled parking, which is seldom seen anymore outside of rural America.
Secondly, the quaint and evocative facades of the shops facing the street. Lined with beautifully preserved 19th-century buildings, Main Street blends historic German architecture with a repurposed modern but lively air.
As a National Historic District, chain restaurants and stores are not allowed. The draw is the many eclectic and one-of-a-kind shops that fill the wonderfully restored storefronts that are a throwback to another time.
What are now gift shops, wine tasting rooms, and art galleries were once businesses owned by local people that served the townspeople. Grocery stores, bakeries, pharmacies, dime stores, car dealerships and banks.
Just like then, shopping is still the heart and soul of Fredericksburg’s Main Street. With over 150 shops, boutiques, galleries, and restaurants, Fredericksburg Main Street is one of the many reasons folks come to this quaint town time and time again.
Majestic Buildings Filled with Treasures
By the time we pulled into town, parking was already at a premium. We found a spot just off Main near the Visitor’s Information Center.
A smiling, very helpful woman provided us with several helpful suggestions, a map, and sent us on our way to explore their fascinating settlement. Wide sidewalks lined the street, easing our way as we explored the historical buildings and their offerings.
I could not help but admire the almost Hollywood-esque venue laid before us. Fredericksburg’s buildings are museum pieces filled with fascinating shops, cafés, galleries, and boutiques.
New Life for Ancient Structures
It wasn’t long before I found myself, by happenstance, not need, in a hospital. However, in lieu of X-ray machines and bandage rolls, I was surrounded by shelves of cooking utensils and bakeware.
Der Küchen Laden serves that little chef in all of us. Der Küchen Laden is located in the Historic Keidel Hospital Building. A classy kitchen shop filled with cookware, imported bakeware, and kitchen tools, many of which you didn’t even know you needed.
Built in 1878, it served various purposes until Dr. Keidel remodeled it into a hospital in 1937. The Keidel hospital served the community for over 40 years before it became a kitchen-lovers fantasy.
German heritage notwithstanding, Fredericksburg is still Texas, and Texas is Stetson country. In Fredericksburg, Headquarters Hats is the go-to for your headgear needs.
Founded in 1996, Headquarters Hats is housed in the old bank building downtown. A stately limestone structure in a Romanesque style, complete with its distinctive bell tower, it was built in 1889.
Today, it’s home to a wide selection of custom hats, boots, and all the necessary items to fulfill your intrepid cowboy needs.
Becker Vineyards Tasting Room is located in the middle of Main Street in an old Buick dealership. The distinctive lines of the old dealership, right down to the beautiful Neon sign, are incorporated into its new responsibilities.
The tasting room is the in-town exposure for the 308-acre Becker Estate that harvests 66 acres of vineyards into an array of award-winning wines.
Besides a few suggested tastings of their quite good house pours, we found ourselves immersed in their gift shop with its large selection of gifts, home décor, bath and body products infused with lavender, which is also grown on the estate.
Wine Country
Surprisingly, as I don’t equate Texas with the South of France, Texas Hill Country is also known as Texas Wine Country. Fredericksburg and the surrounding county are home to 75 wineries.
Wine production in Fredericksburg dates back to the original settlers, who used the native mustang grape, a barely palatable fruit, to produce wines.
I counted 7 tasting rooms on Main, which might explain, beyond the obvious shopping opportunities, the many groups of women who appeared to be starting the weekend early.
As a nod to another heritage, several shops on Main offered free Lone Star beer to shoppers, which appeared to appeal most to the few harried husbands who were in tow.
There is a small group wine tour that takes you off Main Street and into the surrounding countryside, visiting three local wineries with tastings and lunch included. The itinerary is flexible, with the option to request a favorite stop.
Book the Fredericksburg wine tasting tour here.
German Culinary Delights
By Kathy Hosek
Fredericksburg offers a plethora of dining options, each promising a unique and delightful experience. However, when in Rome, we decided to embrace the town’s German heritage.
From bratwurst to brews, Fredericksburg’s German heritage is evident in the nearly dozen restaurants that serve German-inspired cuisine.
We ended up at Fredericksburg Brewing Company, the oldest Brewpub in Texas. We settled into the cavernous hall, bedecked in wood beams and slate floors.
Behind the full-length bar, the giant brewing tanks sit in full view of the dining room. We ordered the Sausage sampler, which came with locally made Knackwurst, Bratwurst, and Pepperwurst, accompanied by slaw, German Potato salad, and a rye roll.
We washed it down with a couple of their staples, Not So Dumb Blonde and Pioneer Porters. Excellent! Afterwards, a German Sweet Pretzel from Pritzer Sweet Shop, one of several bakeries, completed lunch.
Admiral Nimitz and the National Museum of the Pacific War
By Frank Hosek
Down the street, I spied what appeared to be the wheelhouse of a steamboat looming high above the street below. This unique dormer, actually modelled on the pilothouse of a Mississippi paddle-wheeler, was the brainchild of Charles Henry Nimitz Sr., who purchased the property in 1855.
Five years later, the Nimitz Hotel was hosting stagecoach travelers and became a center for community events.
The steamboat facade was added in the 1870s when the hotel expanded. Today, the space houses the Admiral Nimitz Gallery of the National Museum of the Pacific War, celebrating Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, who is Charles’s grandson and was born in Fredericksburg.
The surprising National Museum of the Pacific War, launched in 2009 in the landlocked Texas hills, was conceived to honor Admiral Nimitz, who was Chief of Naval Operations and commanded the Pacific’s operations during World War II.
Besides the Nimitz Gallery, the full National Museum of the Pacific War campus is a six-acre complex, including the George H.W. Bush Gallery, the Plaza of the Presidents, the Japanese Garden of Peace, the Memorial Courtyard, and the Pacific Combat Zone.
The experience is immersive. Each gallery, each exhibit takes you through those causes and events that defined those terrifying years. Included are exhibits on Pearl Harbor, the Doolittle Raid and the Atomic Bomb.
A Japanese mini-submarine on display was one of five subs used in the attack on Pearl Harbor. A massive Grumman Avenger, a torpedo bomber similar to the one flown by President George H. W. Bush, dominates its hall.
And, of course, there is the PT (Patrol Torpedo) Boat, “Oh Frankie,” named for Frank Sinatra. This was an amazing museum, both for the story it told and its totally unexpected location.
Sites Unseen
Mile-high thunderheads that had been building on the horizon finally chased us out of town beneath torrential sheets of rain. Gripping the steering wheel with both hands, our trip cut short, I lamented the lost opportunities.
We had missed a few recommendations from our helpful tourism center guide: The Pioneer Museum Complex that showcases the town’s 19th-century roots, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area with its massive pink granite dome, and 20 minutes outside of town, the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. LBJ, our 36th president, was born, raised, and died in Hill Country.
Strolling through the charming streets of Fredericksburg, admiring its German heritage, and soaking up its welcoming embrace, it was easy to become enchanted with this small Texas Hill Country jewel. It calls us back. Willkommen!
If You Go
The nearest airport to Fredericksburg is San Antonio International Airport (SAT), 65 miles away. From San Antonio, it’s a little over an hour’s drive to Fredericksburg.
Learn more at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center Website.
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Author Bio: Frank Hosek relishes traveling with his wife, Kathy. He enjoys discovering new experiences, meeting the people who make those experiences memorable, and sharing their adventures with others. He has written for Go World Travel Magazine, The Daily Journal, News Gazette and Lifestyles magazine. Frank has won awards from NWPA and IWPA for his travel writing. He looks toward the horizon for the next adventure.
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