FREDERICKSBURG

Great stops on Fredericksburg's Main Street

Taste salsas, sip beer, and browse in a little comfort and beauty in this welcoming town.

As you drive into Fredericksburg on U.S. 290, the very streets are greeting you. Starting from a center point on U.S. 290/Main Street, the street names spell these messages:

Sue Owen Whaley
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

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Der Kuchen Laden is a top-class kitchen store tucked in an old Fredericksburg building.

(driving east) ALL WELCOME

Adams, Llano, Lincoln, Washington, Elk, Columbus, Olive, Mesquite, Eagle

(driving west) COME BACK

Crockett, Orange, Milam, Edison, Bowie, Acorn, Cherry, Kay

And they?re not kidding. Seems like there?s a festival nearly every weekend here, usually centered on the Marktplatz, an open plaza whose location is mapped below. (Note: It also has public bathrooms.)

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The granddaddy is Oktoberfest; check the Chamber of Commerce calendar for what?s happening during your visit.

Whatever the day, the shops and restaurants along Main Street have a lot to offer. Sometimes what they have to offer is a lot of German-flavored kitsch, but there are some real gems as well. Here are a few favorites, all within walking distance (try parking a block off Main, on Austin, if traffic is heavy; and bear in mind some spots close early or don?t open on Sundays):

Granite & Iron Store: The furniture created here with wrought iron and handsome stone is probably too big to take home as a souvenir, but the shop is also stocked with upscale decorative items large and small. Lovely atmosphere for browsing.

Fredericksburg Brewing Co.: Surprisingly spacious inside, with a back room that?s kind of an indoor beer garten with TVs showing sports events, this is a friendly place to toss back a local beer and some bistro-type food. (For an extra layer of Texas experience, come on a fall Saturday during a University of Texas or Texas A&M football game, shown on the big projection screen, and watch people wearing orange or maroon holler.)

Der Kuchen Laden: A tiny and adorable kitchenware/cooking store that is stuffed to the gills with really top-notch cooking equipment and gadgets. Have a cup of chai, pick up a great gift for a culinary relative, ask for advice. Better, even, than similar stores in larger towns.

Rustin? Rob?s: The motherlode. Possibly hundreds of sauces, salsas, dips, jams and jellies are sold here – and more importantly, all are open for sampling. Wander from room to room, tasting peach-mango salsa, barbecue sauces, jalapeño peanut butter? all on wheat crackers, perhaps not best suited to all flavors but undeniably free. A great place to pick up a Texas gift or souvenir, and not a bad spot to park kids or other unwilling shoppers. They could be entertained for hours.

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