We are talking blocks and blocks of specialty shopping. Victorian shops and tea rooms. All Texas style shops. Christmas stores. Birdhouses. Craft malls. T-shirts. Gourmet stores. Furniture. Art galleries. Dress Stores. Wine shops. Jewlery. Outdoor and fishing. Quilts, quilts, quilts. Rugs. Herb shops. Peaches. Native…Read More

We are talking blocks and blocks of specialty shopping. Victorian shops and tea rooms. All Texas style shops. Christmas stores. Birdhouses. Craft malls. T-shirts. Gourmet stores. Furniture. Art galleries. Dress Stores. Wine shops. Jewlery. Outdoor and fishing. Quilts, quilts, quilts. Rugs. Herb shops. Peaches. Native American wares. Needlepoint and yarns. Nautical shop. Folk Art. Candles. Bears. Simple Country Pleasures. Mix in a number of wonderful little restaurants and tea shops, more than a handful of bed and breakfasts and you'll understand why Fredericksburg, an hour from anywhere, is always booming!Close

I just wanted to gve people the heads up here about the antiques market. There are about 20 antique shops, mostly on Main street and they are worth exploring. Don't expect major bargains as this is a tourist town and they have to make a…Read More

I just wanted to gve people the heads up here about the antiques market. There are about 20 antique shops, mostly on Main street and they are worth exploring. Don't expect major bargains as this is a tourist town and they have to make a living with the overhead that comes with tourism, but some careful searching might lead to some unique finds in collectablesClose

We have been looking for a place to retire and my brother told us to look at the Texas Hill Country. We decided to check out Fredericksburg because of all the wonderful information on their Chamber of Commerce's website (http://www.fredericksburg-texas.com/index.asp). We were enchanted with the…Read More

We have been looking for a place to retire and my brother told us to look at the Texas Hill Country. We decided to check out Fredericksburg because of all the wonderful information on their Chamber of Commerce's website (http://www.fredericksburg-texas.com/index.asp).

We were enchanted with the area and find living would be very affordable there. Since we wanted to get a feel for the place, we went once for 3 days and then again for 5 days a month later. The people are "down home friendly" and it feels very safe. Where else do innkeepers routinely leave doors unlocked or keys under the mat?

It's an easy and scenic hour's drive from San Antonio or Austin (the way we came). There are lots of places that have guesthouses, many of them old log cabins. In many of the guesthouse-type lodgings, you may never see the host. That's fine with us. We're not really into B&Bs, but these kind appeal to us.

The only thing I found lacking was "full" use of the internet there. The Visitors Bureau on Austin Street has two computers with free internet access. That's good. But there is no way you can print something if necessary. They directed me to two different establishments where we could do that. One place wasn't open. The other place was open, but somehow lost their connection. We waited 20 minutes and they weren't able to get it back. They directed us to the public library. We signed up to use a computer (no charge), but weren't able to download a document that we needed to read and respond to. At least we could have printed something there for a few cents per page (had we been able to download it). We had to wait until we were back in Austin until we could access the document.

Other than that minor occurrence, we know why people keep going back to Fredericksburg. We will too.

Fredericksburg has a festival or activity every month and sometimes nearly every weekend. The chamber of commerce carries everything you need to plan a day or a week. Listings of stores, bed and breakfasts, festivals, newspaper, and other brochures. You can find more information from their…Read More

Fredericksburg has a festival or activity every month and sometimes nearly every weekend. The chamber of commerce carries everything you need to plan a day or a week. Listings of stores, bed and breakfasts, festivals, newspaper, and other brochures. You can find more information from their great chamber of commerce. Call 830-997-8588 or visit them at www.fredericksburg-texas.com.Close