Fredericksburg, Texas

German settlers brought unique culture to Texas Hill Country.

- PETER CORBETT

In the early 1850s, Texas settlers built a wagon road linking San Antonio to Fredericksburg on a route west of the ancient Pinta Trail.

Now an interstate covers much of the 70 miles between the two towns, bringing weekend visitors to Fredericksburg, a hospitality hub of what’s known as Texas Hill Country.

Texans from all over the Lone Star State— most notably Houston, Dallas and nearby Austin—converge on Fredericksburg to visit the area’s wineries, museums, shops, dance halls and to sample local cuisine. That includes Texas barbecue, spicy Tex-Mex dishes and German schnitzels, gulasch and sauerbraten, a sweet and sour marinated roast beef.

And Gillespie County peaches, sold at roadside stands, are a summer treat.

Most wine grapes are grown in the dryer terrain of Lubbock, but the wineries have clustered in Hill Country, which has long been a tourist destination, said Sean Doerre, Fredericksburg tourism bureau spokesman.

“We’ve gone from four to five wineries 15 to 20 years ago to more than 50 now,” he said. “It’s a booming, booming business.”