Fredericksburg, TX

Tuesday, February 9

Today is our last day in Texas Hill Country, and Andi and I were excited to spend it in Fredericskburg, TX — a town we’ve read a lot about. Fredericksburg is known for its German heritage and wineries surrounding the town. We weren’t planning to visit any wineries on this trip, but we may partake in a German sausage or two!

Our first stop in Fredericksburg was for donuts at Hill Country Donuts on Main Street. There are donut shops everywhere in Texas! Every town, no matter the size, seems to have one. Most offer a variety of glazed donuts and kolaches. Kolaches are a Czech pastry with either meat or fruit-filling inside them. They aren’t unique to Texas, but they sure are popular here. We tried a kolaches last week, but Tory and Aden weren’t big fans of having a “hot dog” in their breakfast pastry.

This morning, Andi ordered a dozen donut holes for their breakfast, then we found a parking spot nearby at the end of a dead end road to do school in the RV.

Today we made plans to visit Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. We were smart enough to make a reservation this time! After we finished school in the RV, Andi and I decided to grab lunch to-go and grab a few groceries in town before our 12:30pm check-in time at Enchanted Rock.

Our first stop was Emma & Ollie’s to place a take-out order for lunch. Andi and Tory ordered burgers, Aden had his classic chicken fingers and I ordered a wilted butternut squash salad. For dessert, Andi bought a piece of key lime pie as a reward for hiking to the top of Enchanted Rock (Tory and Aden didn’t realize what was in store for them this afternoon!). Andi also stopped by Opa’s Smoked Meats and purchased sausages for a later meal.

Next, we drove about 20 miles outside Fredericksburg to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. I can see why having a reservation was important — there was a line of cars waiting to enter into the state park. Fortunately, it was all well orchestrated and we were admitted quickly.

Enchanted Rock is a giant pink granite dome offering beautiful sweeping views of Texas Hill Country. Neither Andi or I had done much research prior to booking our reservation to the park, naively assuming it was a good spot to go hiking. After we arrived, we discovered there is one major hiking trail — to the summit! I don’t know if either of us were mentally prepared for that today, but we were here now. Surprise, kids!

Fortunately, it was a beautiful day with clear skies and temperatures in the high 60’s — a perfect day to hike up a mountain. Despite the reservation system and the number of cars in the parking lot, it didn’t feel too busy on the trail.

The trail started as a path of gravel quickly ascending up the rock face. Andi and Aden were ready! They bee-lined up the first half of the hill, then found a resting spot on a rock to take in the view. Tory, on the other hand, was having a coming to life moment! I walked with her and we stopped for lots of breaks until we eventually met up with the boys.

We made it to the top! Honestly, it wasn’t as difficult as we imagined. “Don’t you feel accomplished?” Aden asked us. The view was pretty spectacular.

We spent some time lounging around the top of the mountain, admiring the views and enjoying a snack break, before we descended the mountain together. There were a lot more smiles and laughter coming from Tory and Aden on the way down.

After our time at Enchanted Rock, we drove back into Fredericksburg and checked into our campsite for the night at Fredericksburg RV Park. This was a nice, clean campground in close proximity to town. After Tory, Aden and Andi enjoyed their “hiking reward pie,” we hopped on our e-bikes and rode into town to explore.

Fredericksburg has a cute downtown area with lots of shops, bars and restaurants. We parked our bikes on one end and meandered along the sidewalks. Secretly, I could tell Andi, Tory and Aden were shopping for a birthday present for me. “See anything you like in here, Mom?” Aden kept asking me.

Coincidently, we did pass by a beauty shop selling massage guns. I mentioned to Andi that I’ve wanted one of these for a long time. We continued browsing through a few other stores on Main Street all selling similar versions of Texas t-shirts and hats before Andi turned to me and said, “Let’s go back and get the massage gun.” Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the beauty store, it was 5:06pm and then store was closed. It was like a sign that it was meant to be because there literally was a sign on the door that said, “For after hours orders please call ___.” Andi called the owner, she came back to the store a few minutes later, and we purchased the massage gun. Hooray! Happy (early) birthday to me.

Back at camp, Andi and Tory threw in a few loads of laundry while Aden showered up after a long day. “Why did you work my legs so hard today, Mom?” he wanted to know. We definitely had a full day hiking and biking in Fredericksburg.

Andi and I wrestled clean sheets back on our RV bed, and I folded & put away laundry. We grilled steak with green beans for dinner, and then took turns giving each other back massages with our new toy.

The weather is turning colder in Texas Hill Country tomorrow, so we’re heading south to Big Bend National Park. Stay tuned.