Hey Guys!
This post continues our time in San Antonio.
Read Day 1 here & Day 2 here – Read Day 4 here & Day 5 here
On our third day, we had planned to visit Fredericksburg.
Fredericksburg is approximately 1 hr 15 mins from San Antonio.
Click here for 12 things to do in Fredericksburg
I didn’t know anything about this place but one of my hubby’s co workers had recommended we visit.
The area is mostly known for their wineries but we had no interest in that so I did some research to see what else there was to do there.
Fredericksburg is home to 11,000 people and is steeped in German heritage…some of the people that live there, still speak German. The town just turned 175 yrs old.
Tip– Click here for 10 places you can still experience old Texas
After arriving, we drove the historical part of town….there are tons of old buildings that now house shops and restaurants.
The place was a lot busier than I thought it would be!
I had read about this drive where you could see all kinds of wildflowers called the Willow City Loop.
The Loop is a historic 13-mile scenic drive through the picturesque rugged Texas Hill Country landscape. The iconic loop is the quintessential display for Texas wildflower exhibition, especially known for the blankets of beloved Texas bluebonnet and ever popular Indian paintbrush.
I had read that the flowers peaked at the end of March, first of April…we were doing the drive on April 10th and I was really hoping it wouldn’t be too late to see the flowers.
On our way there, we passed the beautiful Zion Lutheran Church.
The loop drive was approx. 30 mins from Fredericksburg.
Once we arrived, we were a bit concerned because we kept seeing signs that said private property…however, the road is public but the land owners don’t want you stopping along the road.
On the drive, we passed a fence that was lined with cowboy boots.
Parts of the drive were pretty but sadly, we didn’t see any flowers! I was really disappointed.
I wouldn’t recommend doing this drive if the flowers aren’t blooming.
Some shots along the drive.
After finishing the drive, we headed back to Fredericksburg.
We passed this cool looking resort called Blue Skies Retro Resort.
After arriving back to Fredericksburg, we headed to the Holy Ghost Lutheran Church.
The church was built in the late 1800’s for around $11k.
The tower houses an original bell from the first church that was located here before this one was built…it’s dated back to 1846.
I spotted the date on one of the stones on the outside of the church.
As we were walking towards the door to see if it was unlocked, a couple was walking towards the church and asked if we wanted to see the inside…of course, I said yes…I love visiting old churches!
The inside was simple but beautiful nonetheless.
The stained glass windows were gorgeous!
After leaving here, we headed to find something to eat.
My hubby really wanted to eat at the Alamo Springs Cafe after reading about their burgers but it was 25 mins from Fredericksburg and we weren’t up to driving that far. He totally regrets his decision!
We spotted a restaurant near the church called the Hitchin Post Steakhouse so decided to eat there.
I ordered the grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and fried okra and the hubby ordered a steak with potatoes and poblano corn.
We both thought the food was very good.
See menu here & click here for the 27 best restaurants in Fredericksburg
After lunch, we decided to head back to the historic main street and walk through some of the shops.
We spotted a bakery and just had to take a peak inside ….of course after seeing their yummy baked goods, we just had to make a purchase. 😉
After our purchase, we continued our walk through the town…it was really neat.
We then headed to see another church called St Mary’s Catholic Church.
The church was built in 1862. It replaced a log house style church that had been built in 1848.
Sadly, the church was locked so we didn’t get to go inside.
Sitting beside the church, was another church. It was unlocked so we went inside.
It was very simple on the inside.
After leaving here, we headed to a place called Wildseed Farms.
Wildseed Farms is the nation’s largest working wild flower farm that sits on over 200 acres.
The farm has walking trails, gardens, a vineyard, gifts, home decor, plants, pottery, a restaurant and more.
I just really wanted to see all of the flowers blooming but once again, I was disappointed.
There were a few flowers blooming but nothing like I had imagined.
The place was neat but I was bored after spending a few mins here lol
We walked the grounds for around 30 mins, then left.
After leaving, we pulled off on the side of the road to take a picture of the farm’s field of bluebonnets.
The bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas.
After leaving here, we stopped off at the Das Peach House...
The Peach Haus is a one of a kind store located in an early 1900’s brewery and situated on an immaculate property containing ponds, over 1000 peach trees, B&B’s, and towering pine trees.
Das Peach Haus is the home of the Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. They also serve homemade peach pie.
The store was full of all kinds of jams, jellies & sauces.
We walked around for a few mins and my hubby decided to order a slice of peach pie.
We then headed outside to find a chair near the the pond.
After my hubby enjoyed his peach pie by the pond, we left and decided to head back to San Antonio.
I will say, I wasn’t impressed with our time in Fredericksburg but everyone is different.
I really wished I would have gone with my gut and visited the nearby Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and the Old Tunnel State Park that’s home to 2-3 million bats.
Read reviews about Enchanted Rock here & Old Tunnel State Park here
After arriving back to San Antonio, we decided to visit some of the Missions.
There are 5 missions you can visit in San Antonio…Concepción, San José, San Juan and Espada and the most famous mission of all, the Alamo.
The first Mission we arrived to was the Mission Concepcion.
Dedicated in 1755, the church at Mission Concepción remains true to its original design, look and feel. In fact, the church stands as the oldest unrestored stone church in the United States.
We arrived around 6 pm so the mission had already closed so we couldn’t go inside but the outside was incredible!
After taking way too many pics, we headed to the next mission...Mission San Jose.
With a stone-walled perimeter, the mission is the largest of those in the National Park. The mission was more than a church, it also served as a defensive village for Spanish and Native American residents. The walls were for protection from frequent Comanche and Apache raids. Much of the mission was restored in the 1930’s.
We didn’t get to see too much of this mission because the gate was locked.
So, we headed to the next mission...Mission San Juan.
This mission has an acequia (irrigation ditch) watering system that is over 300 years old. It provided residents with drinking water, and was a source of irrigation for their gardens.
The chapel and bell tower are still in use.
We then headed to the next mission…Mission Espada. However, the gate was closed so we couldn’t get to it so we headed to the riverwalk to find something for dinner.
We ended up at Cafe Ole.
Their large patio offered beautiful views of the riverwalk.
I ordered the enchiladas and the hubby ordered tacos.
The food was really good.
See their menu here
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel and called it a night.
Thanks for reading!
Stay tuned for Day 4!