The Texas Hill Country and Fredericksburg

Total Miles Traveled: 20,355

After having dinner with our friend Bryan at Perla’s on South Congress in Austin, we headed out the next day to check out Lake Travis (above) and had lunch at Iguana Grill.  We could see this place getting busy, especially with the bands that play there on weekends. There are lots of beautiful houses out there on Lake Travis.  We saw several water skiers and jet skis so we can imagine it’s a great weekend destination.

The Texas Hill Country and the Texas Wine Trail

The Texas Hill Country is a name given to the area west of Austin and San Antonio, characterized by rolling hills and a more laid back, small town, country way of living (or at least that was our impression).

One of the attractions in the area is wine.  Yes, wine.  You probably didn’t know this, but there are 24 wineries in the central Texas region, producing all kinds of varietals.   Here’s a look at the Windrose winery a few miles out of Fredericksburg.

So, what was our impression of Texas wines?  Well, we only tried four places (Windrose, Becker, Torre di Pietra, and Grape Creek), but we still STRONGLY prefer California wines, probably because we’re used to them and prefer their taste.  While the reds didn’t suit our taste, the whites are not half bad.   Maybe some white varietals do better in that climate?  Maybe it was just really hot and the cold whites cooled us down?  We don’t know for sure.

If we were to pick one winery that we liked the best, it would probably be Grape Creek Vineyards.  They’re the oldest winery in the area, having been there for over 20 years, and their whites tasted the best in our opinion.

The River Road Ranch Resort, Fredericksburg, Texas

One of the best surprises in the Texas Hill Country was the River Road Ranch Resort – the B&B we stayed in for a night.  We found out about the place through Tripadvisor and we’re glad we booked with them (if you want to book, try contacting them directly to save on 3rd party booking fees).

The proprietors have transformed their land in to what looks like an old western town, complete with gas station, general store, feed store, and grain silo.  There are antiques abound and the whole place looks like you’re on a movie set or on some ride at Disneyland.  Very well done!

Here’s our room for the night – the “Feed Mill” on the right.

And here’s what it looks like on the inside – old fashioned, but with modern amenities like a flat screen TV, sound system, A/C, microwaves, a two person hot tub!, etc.

Lisa liked this sign in the kitchen -so we  had to take a picture… the only thing is, I’m not rich. Doh.

Here’s an old school ice box which is now storage for cleaning supplies and an old telephone attached to the wall.

Here are some shots from the owner’s workshop.  He loves antiques and restoring old cars and other things.

There’s a lot of clutter everywhere, but it all just “works” to create the atmosphere.  Some of the stuff is actually usable though – here’s the wood shop:

We wouldn’t be in Texas if you didn’t see a Texas longhorn cow roaming around:

In fact, the owners have rescued a lot of animals which are all domesticated and roam the grounds freely.  So, it’s sort of a petting zoo in addition to B&B – would be great for kids to visit.  Here’s Lisa feeding the “mama llama”.

Here’s the dog named “Boots” who followed us around everywhere on the ranch.  She was the runt of the litter who was rescued by the owners.

Here’s the baby llama named Mae:

A few lambs…

… and donkeys that came up to the cart, nudging me for food…

A horse named “Patches”:

Tony made some friends while riding around in the cart …

Fredericksburg

Downtown Fredericksburg is lined with restaurants and antique and art shops – great for those who are looking for rustic or kitcsh home furnishings.

We stopped at Rathskeller for lunch – it’s a restaurant in the basement of an old converted hospital.

Outside of town, there were peach stands alongside the road everywhere.  If you’re here in summer, you have to pick up some fresh peaches – delicious.

So, that was our trip to the Texas Hill Country.  We returned back to Houston for a few more days, and then we’re off to San Diego to visit Lisa’s folks.

Here’s the link to see all the photos from the trip:

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony-chen/sets/72157624410816586/show/