Texas Towns to Discover: Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg is a small town in central Texas located in the Gillespie county right in the heart of Texas Hill Country at about sixty three miles from San Antonio and sixty seven miles from Austin, and according to the city's site (http://www.fredericksburg-texas.com/cwt/external/wcpages/index.aspx) it has a population of about eight thousand nine hundred and eleven people and as you enter the town you will be greeted by a sign that says "Wilkommen" which means welcome in German.

Historically the town was founded in 1846 by Baron Otfried Hans Von Meusebach whom was the commissioner general of the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, but then the Baron renounced his noble title and was known as John O. Meusebach.

The town is actually renowned for its peaches and other crops such as grapes and since it is a wide and great area for grapes it is only normal that it became a big wine industry with nine wineries which are located not too far away from the town's downtown, and in some wineries you can take advantage of a taste testing.

But this town has more to offer for tourists and the locals with over one hundred and fifty galleries, boutiques, antique emporiums, or an herb, lavender or wildflower and wildseeds farm to go check out as well as the national museum of the Pacific War and the famous Enchanted Rock.

The Enchanted Rock is a very big granite pluton of a pink color, just about fifteen miles from Fredericksburg, and the Rock covers an area of approximately of six hundred and forty acres and it is tall about four hundred and twenty five feet according to the city's website (http://www.fredericksburg-texas.com/cwt/external/wcpages/index.aspx), and you can find different types of wildlife such as bats, ringtails, foxes and squirrels as well as different birds and lizards. According to the Native American legends the tribes used to think that the Enchanted Rock had magical and spiritual powers and when they were trying to hide from the Anglo settlers the Native Americans would hide on the top two tiers of the rock and since they were unable to be seen from the ground below, they believed the rock made them invisible.

Another event not to miss is comes on third Sunday of every month and the trade days which is located in front of the Wildseeds farms and you can shop over three hundred and fifty vendors and it is just fun to walk around to check it out.