I arrived at the San Antonio International Airport and stepped outside to meet my ride. The dry, hot air gave me an instant flashback to my days intermittently working in the West Texas oilfield. I’ve seen quite a bit of the Lone Star State and couldn’t wait to get to Fredericksburg. I’d heard so much about this cute historical German town in the Texas Hill Country.

After an hour’s drive, the shuttle driver and my host said, “We’re on Wine Road 290.” The county has over 75 wineries, vineyards, and wine-tasting rooms. I thought, “What a perfect getaway for Texans and travelers flying into the area.”

A unique stay in a whimsical hideaway

I wasn’t surprised to see the rolling hills as we drove toward the property I was staying at outside town. But I was astonished at how green this part of Texas was, especially since I was visiting at the end of the summer. I learned that Fredericksburg is home to the largest working wildflower farm, Wildseed Farms, and seeing the fields of flowers is a popular activity during the spring. People come from all over to admire the bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, and red poppies.

We pulled up to Blue Sage, where I was staying, and I was instantly excited to check in to my accommodations — No. 12. The dark blue treehouse-inspired cottages looked like they belonged in a fairy tale. As I toured the inside of mine, I was awed by the warm and inviting boho decor. The loft room, with a giant soak tub overlooking the woods, was grounding, and I knew I had found a comfy weekday retreat.

After resting and freshening up from the long travel day, I met with friends to enjoy cocktails at Chase’s Place Cocktails + Kitchen in Fredericksburg’s historic district. We sipped and savored a handcrafted cocktail and a few small bites in their relaxing lounge area before heading to Hill & Vine for dinner. Known for their Southern staples, trying Texas wine and their black-eyed pea hummus was delicious.

Hike at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

In 2023, over 300,000 people visited Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. It’s a popular place for hiking, camping, and bird-watching – many migratory birds fly through.

The iconic rock feature is one billion years old, and you can hike to the top of the pink granite dome along the Summit Trail. The climb is steep, but the views of Hill Country are worth the trek.

Planning tip: Be sure to make reservations to visit the park. October through May are the busiest times of the year to explore, and parking is limited.

After hiking, we drove back into town for lunch at Hill Country Herb Garden. Their menu is curated with wellness in mind and rotates seasonally. I had a beautiful kale and quinoa salad with steak, just what my body needed after the morning’s hike. After lunch, we toured the herb gardens, gift shop, and spa — they make custom scents. There are even 14 quaint little cottages on the property you can book for lodging.

Learn about Fredericksburg’s German heritage

Germans immigrated to the area in the mid-1800s after being enticed by promises of a new life. It wasn’t just Germans; Danish and Swiss settlers also made their way to Fredericksburg. You can learn more about the town’s history at the Vereins Kirche Museum and the Pioneer Museum.

You can do a self-guided tour of a historic homestead at the Pioneer Museum and see inside the buildings, including a traditional Sunday house. A Sunday house is where families that lived out of town and worked on farms and ranches would stay on the weekends so they could attend church.

After an exciting day of hiking and tours, we ended the evening with an Italian-inspired dinner at Alla Campagna. The savory Heritage Chicken Risotto and a Texas white wine were the perfect way to end the day. I couldn’t resist topping the day off with a few bites of homemade chocolate, vanilla, and pistachio gelato.

A morning of local retail therapy

The following day, we drove into town and had breakfast at Keidel Pharmacy inside the new Albert Hotel (the largest hotel on the main street, opening in January 2025). I was pleased to start the day with a piece of gluten-free cinnamon coffee cake and an almond milk London Fog latte.

Afterward, I spent a few hours window shopping and checking out all the cute local stores, such as Carol Hicks Bolton, Blackchalk Home + Laundry, Allens Boots, and Flying Cow Tallow.

For lunch, we grabbed a glass of rosé and a quick salad at Standard Public House before heading to the vineyards for wine tasting.

Discover Fredericksburg’s wine scene

While traveling, there is something glamorous and fun about visiting local wineries, hearing stories from the owners, and tasting wine. Our first stop was Meierstone Vineyards. Krystal Patel’s family has been making 100% Texas wine for seven generations, starting in the 1840s. I loved the white wine flight, and their 2023 Trebbiano was my favorite.

Next, we visited Airis’Ele Vineyards. Their team has over 40 years of experience in the wine business. I found their wine-tasting room welcoming, with big windows for Summer Tanager bird-watching. Their sweet Bienvenue was refreshing, especially on a hot day.

Don’t miss this family-run farmstand

Last, we headed to Das Peach Haus farmstand, which has been in business for over 50 years. The Fischer & Wieser family business sells local wines made from 100% Texas grapes, fruit jams, jellies, sauces, and other delectable artisanal goods.

Deanna Fischer, the Chief Experience Officer, shared that the company’s goal is to “Create flavorful experiences that make people happy.”

You can sample many of the farmstand’s specialty foods to select your favorites before purchasing. I appreciated that each jar provides examples of how to pair it with your next happy hour hors d’œuvre or cozy dinner at home. You can also take one of their cooking classes or have a hand-crafted cocktail at Dietz Distillery, which is next door.

It’s nice to see places like this still preserving family, food, and faith in the community.

The Texas Longhorns are three games away from a national championship, and for the quarterfinal matchup against Arizona State, the Horns will travel to a familiar field.

Texas will take on the Sun Devils at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, the same venue that hosted the SEC Championship loss to Georgia.

The new opponents have a similar story to Texas: a conference newcomer that dominated the veterans.

Arizona State joined Texas’ former conference, the Big 12, and had a breakthrough season. The Sun Devils defeated Iowa State in the conference championship to take the trophy home in their maiden season.

The Sun Devils are led by redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, a transfer from Michigan State. Leavitt has recorded 192 completions in 304 passing attempts for 24 touchdowns.

The defense is also led by a transfer player out of New Mexico State. Junior defensive back Myles Rowser has recorded 88 tackles and one sack.

Arizona State only dropped two games this season, both in conference play at Cincinnati and Texas Tech. The season record and championship clinch earned the Sun Devils the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff, awarding them with a bye week in the first round.

Texas, on the other hand, fell to Georgia in the championship game and dropped to the fifth seed, while the Bulldogs earned the second. But that wasn’t enough to stop the Longhorns from advancing.

The Horns had no issues defeating ACC champion Clemson in the first round at home.

Texas and Arizona State will face each other on New Year’s Day for a spot in the semifinals.

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The Texas Longhorns had a great weekend in the College Football Playoffs and the NFL. Multiple former players scored touchdowns, sacks and even made interesting kicking history.

Here are some of the top performances for former Longhorns in the NFL:

Jones tried his best for Denver against the Los Angeles Chargers having his third game of the season with ten tackles (seven solo). He even added his tenth pass deflection of the year, the first time he has had 10+ pass deflections in his five-year NFL career.

The Broncos however dropped to 9-6, losing 34-27.

The other Longhorn in the Broncos secondary also had a good game to a lesser extent. Locke got six tackles (two solo) which was third on the team. The Broncos next play the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 28th.

Now going to the winning side of Thursday Night Football, Dicker knocked down both of his field goal attempts, including a rare fair catch free kick from 57 yards out to cut the Chargers’ deficit to 21-13.

That kick was his second longest of the season, Dicker also knocked down a 37-yarder earlier in the second quarter as well and knocked both of his extra-pointers. The Chargers are now 9-6 this season.

Worthy has seen his production increase for the Chiefs in recent weeks. And on Sunday against the Houston Texans, Worthy had a career-high seven receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown came in the third quarter to give the Chiefs a 24-16 lead. Kansas City went on to hold on 27-19 to continue to a league-best 14-1 record.

That’s Worthy’s fifth touchdown of the season which ties him for first on Kansas City in receiving touchdowns with Noah Gray.

Tucker has struggled a tiny bit in recent weeks but he bounced back strongly in the 34-17 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tucker tried and succeeded with a 51-yarder late in the second quarter to extend the lead 17-7, and then he hit a 23-yarder to put the game to rest in the fourth and make it 34-17.

Tucker also knocked his four extra point attempts as the Ravens won a crucial game, and moved to 10-5.

The Falcons dominated on all cylinders with new QB Michael Penix against the New York Giants, and Bijan Robinson helped a lot with it.

He rushed for 94 yards on 22 attempts, scoring two touchdowns, one in the second and one in the third. Robinson is now at 11 touchdowns this season for the Falcons as they win 34-7 and improve to 8-7.

The Browns struggled, losing 24-6 to the Cincinnati Bengals. But Hicks led the team in tackles with nine (seven solo).

But the Browns move to 3-12 after losing their fourth straight.

On the other sideline, Ossai had his best game of the season, having a season-high in tackles with five (four solo) and also getting his fourth sack of the season.

Ossai capped off his dominant performance with his first forced fumble as well as the Bengals win their third straight, and go to 7-8.

Monday Night Football between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints will only have one former Longhorn with Saints linebacker Jaylan Ford, has only four tackles all season for them.

That game will start at 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN.

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Other Texas Longhorns News:

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