How close does a location have to be to your home to consider it a staycation? For me, it’s about an hour and a half, which means I had the best staycation in Fredericksburg, Texas this August! Fredericksburg is a part of the Texas Hill Country, and it's especially known for being Texas Wine Country. I don’t drink wine, but I do enjoy beer, cocktails, good food, and a relaxing vacation, and Fredericksburg gave me all of that plus more!
I spent three nights in Fredericksburg during the middle of the week (Tuesday to Friday) in early August 2026. According to Fredericksburg Texas Online, peak season is spring, middle of the summer (June and July), and fall. In addition, most of the busy times during peak season are on the weekends. While I loved the very quiet time of the weekdays during the slow season, I did run into certain restaurants being closed for maintenance and some bars opening at different times than posted because “it was slow”. Keep that information in mind when planning your trip!
Where to Stay
Fredericksburg is not home to many hotels. It’s the land of Airbnbs. However, during my Google search of “boutique hotels in Fredericksburg”, I found The Menagerie, which defines itself as a boutique hotel, but it’s really more of a boutique Airbnb complex. You book directly on their website, and you choose between different suites and bungalows. There is no front desk, no staff to interact with, and no housekeeping, but there will be other people staying around you, there’s a parking lot, and there’s a very nice pool area.
I got very lucky during my stay that I was the only one staying at The Menagerie. I only had a neighbor above me on the last night, and I never heard them because the white noise of the AC blocked out any noise I might have heard. It was fabulous to have a whole pool to myself! Communication with staff can be difficult. I had a problem at check-in, and while they have a phone number posted on their website, they don’t answer the phone. They communicate via text, and it can take 10-15 minutes to get a response to your initial text before helping. However, that issue was resolved within 30 minutes, and everything else was perfect for the stay! I hardly ever need assistance when I’m staying somewhere, so this communication issue would not stop me from booking again.
I stayed in the Belladonna suite during my stay. I had my eye on The Temptress, and I’d love to stay there next time! The Rapture Mansion would be amazing for a girls’ trip because each girl would have some space to spread out. The neighborhood around The Menagerie is very quiet and safe. The complex is technically walkable from Main Street, but you would be walking through a residential area with no sidewalks, so I stuck to driving my car and parking it on Main Street instead.
Check out this post on my website for a full review and more photos of The Menagerie! (coming soon!)
Steal My Itinerary
- Day One
- The Menagerie check-in
- Main Street shopping
- Drinks at The Saloon
- Dinner at Jack's Chophouse
- Day Two
- Enjoy the pool!
- Beers at Fredericksburg Brewing Company
- Fredericksburg's "best" pizza at Prometheus Pizza
- "Alana's Favorite Ice Cream" at Austin Street Creamery
- Day Three
- Lunch at Eaker BBQ
- All things peaches at Das Peach Haus
- Peach cocktails at Dietz Distillery
- Beers at Altstadt Brewery
- Cocktails on Main Street at Lost Luggage Lounge and Brooke's Bubble Bar
- Steak dinner at The Cabernet Grill
- Day Four
- Relaxing massage at Hill Country Herb Garden
Day One
After checking into my suite, I headed to Main Street for the afternoon and evening. Whenever I visit a new town, I always have to check for a local bookstore, and Fredericksburg’s bookstore, Easy Company Books, is right in the middle of Main Street. It doesn’t have a huge selection, and they need to learn the definition of “romance”, but I loved their big bookshelves dedicated to Texas history and Texas authors. I also found a great mystery book on their front table display, so it was a successful visit. I grabbed ice cream at Clear River Ice Cream, and I also perused a home goods store called Pottery Ranch, which classifies itself as The Coolest Store Ever. …it’s not, but I wouldn’t stop you from walking around if you were on that end of Main Street.
Before my dinner reservation, I stopped at The Saloon for drinks. The Saloon was my favorite bar that I visited during my stay! I was the only person there when I first walked in, and the bartender described The Saloon as a non-sticky and nicely dressed dive bar. She made me a fantastic French 76 (a French 75 with vodka instead of gin) and then an even better (and stronger!) peach margarita! During my time there, a group of locals came in with their dog, who I got to feed a treat to, and it was such a great vibe to be around that community. They also served hot dogs, which was a perfect pre-dinner snack, so I wasn’t totally drunk walking into dinner. I even got to decorate a postcard and hang it up on the wall! Me and my love for Pittsburgh sports will always be a part of The Saloon… well, at least until the wall gets full, and they start replacing them with new ones.
Dinner was at an Italian steakhouse called Jack’s Chophouse. Wow! What a great restaurant! The service, the food, and the ambiance were all incredible! It was great for a solo date, but I could also see it being an amazing spot for a date night. My drink, the Chappaquiddick, was sweet and delicious, my ribeye was cooked perfectly, and the crème brûlée had the best crust to crack open with a spoon. They also put a personalized reservation sign on my table, which I was obsessed with! I highly recommend Jack’s for one of your dinner options in Fredericksburg.
Day Two
Day two was my pool day. Since I had the entire place to myself, and I hadn’t had much pool time this summer, I dedicated a full day of my trip to hanging out by the pool. I read books, talked to my mom on the phone, and for the first time in a LONG time, I actually went swimming! It felt great to enjoy the sun, the warm temperatures, and the gorgeous pool. The pool is one of the main reasons I booked The Menagerie, and it was the perfect decision.
After freshening up, I headed back to Main Street for pre-dinner drinks. I told the bartender at The Saloon that I was a craft beer drinker, and she suggested that I check out Fredericksburg Brewing Company, which is the oldest brewery in Texas. (I did some research into that, and it’s technically the state’s oldest operating brewpub, but it’s tied in age with Saint Arnold Brewing Company in Houston, both opening in 1994… which doesn’t make them that old.) Either way, I stopped in for a pre-dinner beer! It was… fine. I am spoiled with a fantastic beer scene in Austin, and I also spend a lot of time in the Pittsburgh beer scene, so I have high standards when it comes to beer. They only had a few flavors on the menu, and the one I had wasn’t anything to write home about. While I didn’t eat their food, I did see it throughout the pub, and it looked pretty bland and basic. I can always get down with a plate of fries, no matter how basic, when I’m drinking, but I would suggest visiting somewhere else for your pre-dinner drink.
Around the corner from Main Street is Prometheus Pizza, which continuously came up as number one when I was searching for the best pizza in Fredericksburg. If this is the best pizza that Fredericksburg has, then I wouldn’t seek out pizza in Fredericksburg. It was good! But it was far from the best pizza I’ve ever had. I also asked my server for an appetizer recommendation and asked them to choose between the focaccia bread and the fried mozzarella. They chose the fried mozzarella, and it had the most perfect cheese pull! I would have rather had it broken up into smaller pieces instead of one large piece, and I didn’t like it swimming in marinara sauce. I would 100% order it again, and this time, I would ask for the sauce to be on the side.
I ended the day at Austin Street Creamery , and it was the best way to end the day! Austin Street Creamery is a walk-up window ice cream shop attached to the Whitetail Court Hotel, and I found out that if you stay at the hotel, you get as much ice cream as you want! This was the best ice cream that I had in Fredericksburg, and maybe the best ice cream that I’ve had in a while. I’m kicking myself for not getting a to-go container to have some to eat later!
Day Three
Day three was my planned “Fredericksburg Day”, but instead of bopping around to wineries, I bopped around to cocktail bars, distilleries, and breweries. I started my day with a BBQ lunch at Eaker BBQ. It was good! I would recommend going in there as vulnerable as possible and saying “I’ve never been here before - what do I do?” The staff expect you to know where to go to order what food and how to do it. It’s not that confusing, but I definitely held up the line because no one offered to help me, and I didn’t immediately ask for help. Skip the pulled pork and go for the brisket. The ribs were fine, but I think I would have preferred more brisket than to get the ribs again. The sides and the sweet tea were fantastic!
Next stop was Das Peach Haus. Now, I’m from Georgia, so anything peach-related outside of my home state is questionable. (And yes, I have seen the statistics about how Georgia has fallen way behind in the peach game and Fredericksburg actually does produce a legitimate crop of peaches each year. Whatever.) Das Peach Haus was kind of like Eaker BBQ - if you don’t walk in the door immediately asking for help, they will not offer it and they will stare at you with an odd expression. Das Peach Haus is basically a general store with peach-related products and a small wine bar. There was also a fudge shop that said they were open, but no one was inside, so… I was able to get a glass of peach wine (way too sweet) and enjoy the back patio. The outdoor area behind the store is GORGEOUS, and I would recommend spending all of your time out there!
Next door to Das Peach Haus is my favorite place (tied with The Saloon) that I visited in Fredericksburg, Dietz Distillery! It’s a part of Das Peach Haus in that they share the entire grounds, so you can get a good cocktail from the distillery while your friends are cracking the code on how to order wine, and then you can all enjoy the nice shaded area outside. Unfortunately, I dropped the ball on being the self-identified number one travel blogger, and I didn’t write down the name of my cocktail. Looking at their menu online, it’s totally different than the one they have in store! For your trip to Dietz, just walk in and ask for a recommendation, and enjoy all they have to offer! I also picked up a bottle of peach old-fashioned mixer for my husband that he’s now obsessed with, so there is truly something for everyone at Dietz. (And make sure you say hi to the distillery dog!)
My next stop was at Altstadt Brewery. I remember passing it on the road on the way into Fredericksburg and being blown away by the architecture on the outside! I was so excited to visit. …the excitement stopped there. When you walk in, it’s pretty inside, but also pretty boring compared to the outside. I only stayed in the bar area, and I didn’t see the specific dining room area, but the bar was mid at best. They had a handful of beers on tap with not much variation, and they were just okay. Unfortunately, I really can’t recommend the beer in Fredericksburg. While I was able to find very good cocktails for my non-wine drinkers, my craft-beer-only friends will be disappointed with their options for drinks in Texas Wine Country.
Before dinner, I headed back to Main Street to check out the two bars I had been most excited to visit: Lost Luggage Bar + Lounge and Brooke’s Bubble Bar! This is where we run into the casualness of the Fredericksburg slow season that I didn’t care for. My plan was to start my day at Brooke’s Bubble Bar because their posted hours had them opening at 12pm. When I arrived at 12:15pm, there was a piece of copy paper on the door that said “Employee Meeting | Open at 5pm”. There were no social media posts made about the time change, and it affected my day because I had dinner reservations at 5:45pm. Lost Luggage had a posted opening time of 4pm, so I showed up at 4:15pm to grab a drink before heading to Brooke’s then on to dinner. When I walked in at 4:15pm, I was told “we’re not open yet” and when questioning if I misread the hours for the wrong day, they explained that I was correct, but they wanted to go grocery shopping before work, so they’ll open when they’re ready. Huh.
Another staff member came in shortly after and started pouring drinks, and at the perfect time because other people started coming in around 4:30pm. The cocktail I had was fine, but the bartender was experimenting with shots and gave me a gummy bear shot that was INCREDIBLE! And I don’t even like shots. If I had not been driving or needing to get to a dinner reservation, I would have requested quite a few of those.
I popped into Brooke’s at 5:10pm to find a crowd already formed and a pair of mid-20s guys singing karaoke (even though there was no karaoke machine or screen to read lyrics from). The space is SO cute, and if pink was in my personal color scheme, I would have made sure my outfit matched the place! …but that’s where my excitement ended. They only have two drinks - Rosé and Prosecco. The patio was closed, so the crowd that was formed in the short time they were open were confined to a small bar space. I was able to sit at a table with some nice women on a girls’ trip from Houston, and I enjoyed my time there, but it was a letdown compared to the expectations that I had. If everything had been a little more organized with Brooke’s (opening on time, open patio, maybe a cocktail or two on the menu), I think I would have been able to enjoy my time a lot more!
My evening ended with my favorite meal of the trip (and my favorite meal that I’ve had in a while) at The Cabernet Grill! It’s located in Cotton Gin Village which includes several guest cabins, the restaurant, and a nice bar. (Another option for a place to stay during your visit.) Everything about my visit at The Cabernet Grill was exceptional - the service, the drinks, and the food! I saw they had Honey Butter Drop Biscuits listed on their menu with a petty shout-out to a food critic who didn’t review them well, so it was a must-order for me! The biscuits and my meal of a ribeye steak with green beans and mashed potatoes were phenomenal! I highly, highly recommend this restaurant and the meal that I had!
Day Four
On my way out of Fredericksburg, I wanted to stop and take advantage of a spa credit that The Menagerie had provided me as an add-on for staying three nights during the month of August. (See, it pays to visit during the quiet season!) The spa was at the Hill Country Herb Garden, similar to Cotton Gin Village in that it features several cottages, a restaurant, and a spa. Hill Country Herb Garden has a garden aesthetic while Cotton Gin Village has a mountain cabin aesthetic.
I used my credit to receive a discount on a massage, and I was pleasantly surprised by the entire visit! While I’ve received a few massages before from various places, this was the first time I was taken into a nice dressing room to change into a robe, taken into a private room for a massage, then handed a mimosa and shown where the relaxation room, cold plunge pool, and hot tubs were located and that they were all available for me to use alongside my booked service. WOW! I was kicking myself that I didn’t plan this earlier in my visit, so that I could have enjoyed it for much longer than an hour or two. While part of me wished I had brought my book in with me to read in the relaxation room, it was very nice to lay on one of the couches and close my eyes for a little while. The perfect sunny weather day only added to the experience with the sun shining through the trees of the garden to bathe the relaxation room in the best glow. I cannot recommend the spa at Hill Country Herb Garden enough, and it will be on my itinerary for any future trips to Fredericksburg that I take!
Cheers to Texas Wine Country!
I really enjoyed my solo staycation to Fredericksburg! Incorporating these suggestions into a quick two or three day trip will help you to see the best that this part of Texas has to offer! I don’t think there’s a bad time to visit, unless you’re wanting to stay away from serious Oktoberfest crowds or you’re wanting to taste peaches in season. Thankfully, my experience proves that Fredericksburg isn’t just for the wine drinkers - it’s also for the liquor drinkers! The beer-only drinkers or my sober friends might not have as many experiences to enjoy, but there is something for everyone in Fredericksburg. I hope my itinerary helps with planning your upcoming Fredericksburg trip or it inspires you to plan a fun vacation for your family, girlfriends, or yourself!
Please share your experiences in Fredericksburg in the comments, especially if they involve wineries or places I wasn’t able to visit! I’d love to visit again and try all new places, even if it includes visiting beautiful wineries where I will take a sip of wine, smile, and then start drinking from my hidden Diet Coke.
Happy travels, y’all!