About six years ago, in the summertime, I visited Fredericksburg, Texas for the first time and just loved it. I had just purchased Real Food Traveler and thought the destination had so much charm and was so unique. I couldn’t wait to return. I visited in December of 2023, in the midst of the holiday season, and it had been worth the wait. The things I’d seen before were even better and there were many new discoveries to be made. Here’s a taste of a Fredericksburg, Texas Christmas plus other ways to enjoy it throughout the year. 

Save this article to Pinterest to help you plan your trip to Fredericksburg, Texas for Christmas or anytime. Photo and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough.

Editor’s Pick: Reasons to Experience a Fredericksburg, Texas Christmas 

Within a few hours of being in Fredericksburg, you start to sense it. With its small scale (you won’t find any highrises), historic Main Street, strong agricultural past and present, German heritage, iconic museums, and devotion to honoring the past while being willing to embrace what’s new, it’s easy to feel comfortable wherever you go. All of those things lend themselves perfectly to the holiday season, amplified by thousands of twinkling lights and special activities. 

During “Weihnachtszeit,” or the “Christmas season,” the heart of the festivities happen in the Marketplatz right on Main Street. Every night at 6pm, hear a 10-minute narrated presentation with the town’s German history and holiday carols that builds anticipation among visitors and locals (even though they can experience it nightly) before the entire area is illuminated to applause and cheers. The glow from the lit up Christmas tree, the Vereins Kirche landmark building, all of the park’s trees and the Christmas Pyramid, a multi-tiered German decoration with adorable characters in rotation (said to be the precursor to Christmas trees) make it very easy to revel in the Christmas spirit. There were smiles on everyone’s faces of every age. 

Besides the Christmas Nights of Lights, there are other holiday happenings including the annual Eisbahn Outdoor Skating rink also in Marketplatz; the Light the Night Christmas Parade; holiday concerts; photos with Santa; and Zweite Weihnachten (Second Christmas) at the Gillespie County Historical Society Sanctuary & Social Hall. For New Year’s, there are special dinners at restaurants, a big band dance, and countdown in the Marketplatz. 

In the heart of downtown Fredericksburg, the Marketplatz is beautifully decorated during the Christmas Nights of Lights. Photos and collage by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Events to look forward to throughout the year in Fredericksburg, TX: 

Springtime fun includes the Bluegrass Festival at Luckenbach Texas and Lavender Festival at Becker Vineyards.

Summer is busy with the Hill Country Film Festival; Stonewall Peach JAMboree and Rodeo; Fourth of July Parade and Fireworks; Gillespie County Fair; and Summer Horse Racing. Grape Harvest Season begins at the end of summer and runs into early fall with a variety of events including immersive Grape Stomps and Harvesting opportunities.

October may be one of the most fun times in Fredericksburg when Oktoberfest is celebrated. The largest of Fredericksburg’s festivals, it takes place the first weekend of October every year. Celebrating the town’s German roots, count on oompah music, dancing and plenty of German food and drink. There’s also a Knights of Columbus Bestfest celebration of craft beer and polka and the Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest with more than 50 Texas wineries participating plus area restaurants.

November and December finish out the year with Christmas Nights of Lights running from the week of Christmas through the Epiphany. And the annual Light the Night Christmas Parade down Main Street happens on the first Friday of December. The countdown in the Marketplatz completes the year and kicks off a fresh new one. 

Get details on all these events and many more on the Visit Fredericksburg website. 

Fredericksburg Texas Restaurants to Try

There are so many options from very casual to elegant, from burgers to bbq to, of course, German cuisine. Here are the ones I visited during my stay:

Alla Campagna celebrates family, in its decor (you can’t miss the wall of portraits evoking generations of images one would see in an Italian home), menu items inspired by Italy’s countryside perfect for sharing, and the fact that the restaurant is family-owned. John and Evelyn Washburne have a long history in Fredericksburg, going back to their youth. The couple owns seven popular restaurants in Fredericksburg under the Side Street Hospitality heading, including Otto’s German Bistro, Tubby’s Ice House, and La Bergerie.  Alla Campagna is their newest restaurant and we enjoyed their Roasted Garlic & Ricotta Meatballs, pizza and calzones, sandwiches, pasta, salad, and delicious desserts. Save room for the Almond Lemon Cake. Trust me. 

Scenes from dining at Alla Campagna restaurant. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Caliche Coffee, one of the Washburne’s casual spots is a go-to for breakfast. Try the Green Chile Chicken & Grits Bowl which one of my companions declared to be the best thing she’d had for breakfast, maybe ever. It’s easy to remember Caliche because it’s next to Alla Campagna.

Caliche Coffee is a convenient place to stop for coffee and breakfast on Main Street. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Fischer & Wieser provided the final dinner of our stay in Fredericksburg, Texas. It was a private dinner inside the cooking school of Fischer & Wieser, a family-owned business celebrating 50 years in the Texas Hill Country. They sell some 70 award-winning foodie products including jams, jellies, and sauces including their famous (and my favorite) Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. Although the Cooking School offers hands-on classes and cooking demonstrations, private dinners with wine pairings are available too (for 4+ people) and can be arranged in advance. We had a delicious meal that included Pumpkin Hatch Chile Soup, Tuscan Turkey Roulade and Sticky Cranberry Gingerbread. Stay tuned for some recipes we’ll be sharing from this dinner in an upcoming article on Real Food Traveler. Taking a class or having a private dinner would be a really memorable way to experience local food and wine and local business in Fredericksburg.  

Hungry for more? Here’s the Fischer & Wieser recipe for Seville Orange Green Beans.

While you’re there, stop in at Dietz Distilling, owned by Dietz Fischer, son of one of the owners of Fischer & Weiser. Together with his sister, Ellie, he is making small-batch, artisanal distilled spirits using old-world methods. Go for a tasting and dive straight into a cocktail to enjoy in the stylish space.

Any visit to Fredericksburg, TX needs to include a visit to Fischer & Wieser. While there, also visit Dietz Distilling, part of the business family. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Hill & Vine opened in 2021 in a house (making it feel homey). It’s owned by folks who know wine and Texas wine in particular. Their menu plays off of southern specialties with their own twist. Highlights among our group were the onion rings the size of bracelets, black-eyed pea hummus, sweet cornbread, smoked carnitas nachos and a variety of desserts. Don’t miss their Croissant Bread Pudding, individual crocks of Texas Sheet Cake and Roadside Fried Pies.

Scenes from Hill & Vine restaurant in Fredericksburg including their Croissant Bread Pudding and BBQ Pork Nachos. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Hill Country Herb Garden was revamped in 2021 including The Restaurant, a sophisticated, airy place that takes advantage of their on-site culinary garden for healthy meals. Hill Country’s herbologists use many of the 154 unique botanical species on the property to make pampering items for use in the spa and as amenities in the cutest cottages where you can spend the night. The Restaurant’s menu is health-minded with salads, avocado toast, soups, but also grilled cheese, a burger, and seafood. 

Hill Country Herb Garden includes cottage lodging, a spa with in-house-made products, and The Restaurant with a healthful emphasis. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Leroy’s Tex Mex BBQ and Biergarten was my personal favorite of all the places we ate (and that’s saying a lot). Located a short ways outside of the downtown area, the spot has a low-key, slightly shack-like vibe which just adds to its appeal. And that’s before you take a bite of food. Combining two of their favorite things and mine they serve BBQ and Tex Mex. Start with the Pick 3, a tray of corn chips and a cup each of guac, salsa and Roasted Poblano Queso Blanco. For taco lovers, you can order three “street tacos” of your choice that comes with a roasted jalapeno (it might be mild or it might knock your socks off) and borracho beans. Or, go for the big guys and get a couple of semi-soft-shelled tacos made from their scratch-made tortillas filled with brisket, pulled pork, jalapeno sausage, pork belly or chicken. I got the Limp Brisket and the Chicken Guajillo and both were great. But oh, man, that brisket was like the most tender, high-quality steak you’ve ever had. It was what the average brisket dreams of being. Save room, if at all possible, for the banana pudding. We saw couples, friends, business lunches and families there. It’s my Editor’s Pick gem of a restaurant in Fredericksburg. 

LeRoy’s Tex Mex BBQ and Biergarten was a casual dining highlight for me while visiting Fredericksburg during Christmas. Photo and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Hungry for more? Plan a girls’ getaway weekend in Fredericksburg.

Wineries in Fredericksburg, Texas

What Napa and Sonoma are to California’s wine region, Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country is to Texas’ wine scene. And it’s becoming among the top wine regions in the United States. Winemaking in Fredericksburg is nothing new – it goes back to the original settlers who made wine from the native Mustang Grape. Now, there are more than 50 wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms to explore, each putting their own, unique spin on their businesses. Two great ones to visit expose you to at least four winemakers. 

Pedernales Cellars represents three generations of the family business that began as Kuhlken Vineyards, named after Larry and Jeanine Kuhlken who grew their first vines near Fredericksburg in 1990. Children David and Julie joined the business which they renamed Pedernales after the Pedernales River which runs through the Texas Hill Country, and the Spanish word for “flint.” An Indian flint arrowhead and flint stone ax have been excavated on the winery’s site. 

Julie Kuhlken gave us a quick tour of the operation where we were fortunate to meet Joanna Wilczoch, Winemaker at Pedernales Cellars. Back in the Tasting Room, we got to enjoy, shall we say, the fruits of her labor with a variety of wines. Between their commitment to family legacy, sustainability, and quality products, a stop at Pedernales Cellars should be on your list. 

The Texas Wine Collective is a brilliant concept bringing together three Texas wineries: Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak Winery, and McPherson Cellars.  The latter brand is based in Lubbock, Texas and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the owner and winemaker, whose father is commonly viewed as the “father of Texas wine.” Although any day in their Tasting Room is a treat, whether you just sip wines or partake of a tasting with cheese or charcuterie, it’s the monthly Seasonal Food & Wine Pairing events that are really fun. Since we were visiting in December, the wines selected for us were paired, whimsically but strategically, with Little Debbie holiday treats and a little fruit cake. 

Wine is a focal point in Fredericksburg including Padernales Cellars and The Texas Wine Collective. Photos and graphic courtesy Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Fredericksburg’s Grape Harvest Season is a great time to visit. Running from mid-August through mid-September there are events built around grape-picking, grape stomping, food and wine pairing and October’s Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival at the Marktplatz on Main Street.

With so many wineries to visit, it’s a good idea to take advantage of shuttles that take people along the I-290 path. In the downtown area, there are plenty of wine tasting rooms along the Urban Wine Trail. They are all within walking distance of each other but another way to get around them is with Fredericksburg Tours. Although they have coaches, I was particularly happy that our tour was in an historic style trolley. Local historian, David Schafer, was our guide and took us around to see architectural and historical sites, providing stories and anecdotes that really made Fredericksburg’s past come alive.

Things to do in Fredericksburg, Texas at Christmastime and beyond

I’ve already mentioned two of the best ways to get to know Fredericksburg, through its wine and a history tour, but there are many other ways too.

Shopping along Main Street and throughout the downtown area draws people from all over Texas for the reputation of 150 or so shops, art galleries and boutiques, all independently owned (you won’t find any chains here). Don’t forget to go off the beaten track a bit because that’s where we found Black Chalk Home & Laundry and Carol Hicks Bolton Antiquities, among others, all in what’s labeled as the Warehouse District. Find fun, luxurious, useful and “just because” items.

Fredericksburg is a shopper’s dream destination including at Carol Hicks Bolton Antiquities and Black Chalk Home & Laundry. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for Real Food Traveler.

Immersing in history is easy in Fredericksburg and there are really unique ways to do it. Learn about how Fredericksburg was founded and how the German heritage came to be at the Pioneer Museum Complex in the heart of downtown. Historic buildings (general store, barn, blacksmith shop, and homes) tell the story of early life in Fredericksburg after German immigrants were lured with the promise of land, community and a new beginning. Take note of the Sunday House, an example of the small and simple houses German families would build in town for when they made the trek into town to shop for supplies. Families would enjoy some socializing with others on Saturday night, stay over, go to church in the morning, and then head back to the farm in the afternoon. The Pioneer Museum is especially pretty during the holiday season when it’s aglow with pretty lights. Its location right on Main Street is part of the Christmastime charm of the area.

The Pioneer Museum Complex, right on Main Street, lets you walk into history with buildings from different time periods in Fredericksburg’s history. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Also right along Main Street (although the entrance is on the next block), is the National Museum of the Pacific War. Its existence was prompted by the fact that General Chester Nimitz, who served as Commander-in-Chef of Allied Forces, was born and raised in Fredericksburg. Impactful for visitors of every age, it’s the premier museum about World War II’s Pacific Theater with dramatic and informative displays. The nearby National Museum of the Pacific War’s Pacific Combat Zone features additional displays and a Living History Battlefield where demonstrations and reenactments take place throughout the year. Tickets for the Museum are good for two days. With so much to see, take advantage of this perk, re-entering present day to take in some shopping, dining, and wine tasting, thanks to the Museum’s convenient location. 

The National Museum of the Pacific War is a fascinating place for all ages. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for Real Food Traveler.

Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site, a short drive from downtown Fredericksburg, lets visitors easily imagine what life was like for President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s grandparents and parents when they settled in the area. As part of that, tour the World War I era Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm, where park rangers tend to crops, take care of the animals and prepare meals all while in period clothing. Also on the property is the LBJ Ranch which includes the family cemetery, LBJ’s birthplace, his first school, his grandparents’ home, his ranch show barn and the “Texas White House,” where LBJ lived and ran the country a good amount of his presidency, even receiving dignitaries there. The home itself is currently closed for repairs but plan to visit when it’s re-opened for a slice of life during an important part of US history. 

The Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site, which includes the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm, is an engaging way to experience Fredericksburg history. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

Hungry for more? Try this recipe for old-fashioned Pfeffernusse cookies from Fredericksburg.

Communing with wildlife at Longneck Manor may just be the most surprising thing you’ll see in Fredericksburg (and in this list of Things to Do). Rick Barongi, the director of Longneck Manor describes it as a conservation park with quality interactive activities. Rhinos, giraffes and a sloth are lovingly and expertly taken care of serving as “ambassadors” to help raise funds and awareness for their counterparts in the wild. All of the animals at Longneck Manor were born in captivity. Besides being able to see the animals and interact with them (safely), there are also luxury villas for rent that give guests, including kids, up close observation and understanding of these beautiful animals. 

Not far outside of downtown Fredericksburg is another world, Longneck Manor which encourages animal conservation in important (and up-close) ways. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for Real Food Traveler.

Where to stay in Fredericksburg

There’s quite a variety of options depending on desired location and type of lodging. There are national hotel chains but also locally-owned motels and inns, vacation rentals, guesthouses and bed & breakfasts. I stayed at the Fredericksburg Inn & Suites which has a retro motel feel, with spacious suite-style rooms and a huge outdoor area with fireplace, picnic area, firepits, hot tub and two pools including one that’s heated for year-round swimming! There’s hot breakfast served daily that includes cereal, muffins, yogurt and – don’t miss this – waffles you can make in the shape of the state of Texas! Located within a short walk of all the activity of downtown, it’s a great place to call home away from home.

Fredericksburg Inn & Suites makes a conveniently-located place to call “home” while in Fredericksburg. Photos and graphic by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

I’ve presented loads of information for you here to entice you to visit Fredericksburg, Texas. And there’s even more beyond this. Whatever you choose to do while you’re there, take this insider’s tip and make your very first stop the Fredericksburg Visitors Center. There, you can grab lots of materials, talk to people who know the area thoroughly, and watch the nine-minute introductory movie. It provides an excellent overview of the history, things to do, and the vibe of the whole place. After one visit, whether it’s at Christmastime or anytime during the year, I think you’ll find, like me, that you can’t wait to return. 

2024 Total Eclipse Alert: Fredericksburg will be precisely in line with the Path of Totality on April 8. They are expecting record crowds and have already booked up many lodging opportunities. However, some of the outlying areas, including the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site are considering having camping spaces available because of the “Dark Skies” status.

To learn more about visiting Fredericksburg, Texas all year long, visit their tourism website, here. And, while you’re at it, check out their lovely Love FBGTX campaign which helps visitors and residents interact in their mission of having “a deep sense of responsibility to care for the town in the present and to work to ensure that it continues to be a special place for future generations.”

-Story, photos and video by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher & Managing Editor of Real Food Traveler

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Please note, I visited Fredericksburg, Texas during a hosted trip for travel writers to facilitate writing this article. However, as is always RFT’s policy, that doesn’t influence our opinions which remain our own, honest and true for the sake of our readers.