Summertime Gladness

4 fab ways to celebrate the sunny summer months in Fredericksburg

Go mid-week for a more relaxed pace.

Photo by Trish Rawls

When that sweet summer feeling hits, there’s nothing like a mini-getaway to Fredericksburg. There’s a reason this gem of a place has been called Texas’ top small town — and it’s not only because of its impressive wine scene.

Here are four ways to enjoy longer, sunnier days in this summer-perfect destination.

1. Embrace the great outdoors (with wine, of course)
Forgive the obvious, but it must be said: Fredericksburg can fill your glass with award-winning vino, from Cabs to Pinots and everything in between. You’re in the heart of Texas Wine Country here, with more than 50 wineries, vineyards, and tasting rooms close at hand, all boasting amazing views.

But let it be known that the area’s native mustang grapes aren’t the only fruit in town. Summer is prime peach season. From mid-May through mid-August, hit up farmers markets, orchards, and dozens of roadside stands filled with bushels of plump peaches. You’ll also find homemade peach jams, jellies, cobblers, ice cream, and more that embrace this peachy perfection.

Don’t sleep on Fredericksburg’s magical nights outside, either. Close by is some of the best stargazing around with two International Dark Sky Parks: Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.

2. Love the indoors, too
With more than 1,500 places to stay, from charming B&Bs to rustic-luxe lodges and dream-house settings, you may be tempted to post up for awhile at your home away from home.

Soak up rays and put in some pool time at these vacation rentals. Or unplug from it all and catch the best kind of cabin fever with rustic-elegant cabins along with historic ranch-style properties that feature modern amenities. For walkable, downtown lodging with easy accessibility to shops and restaurants, check in at a boutique hotel or inn.

3. Indulge in some retail therapy
Shopping is a big draw for Fredericksburg, and rightfully so. Main Street is the main attraction here, with more than 150 browsable shops and boutiques along with cafes, restaurants, and more. Plus, you’ll find a lot of indie goodies, as no franchises or chains are allowed in the National Historic District that runs along this main drag.

The Warehouse District is also a must for its unique home goods stores with decor, antiques, and gifts. But no shopping day would be complete without art — named among the top Western art towns, Fredericksburg has more than a dozen galleries where you can find your next piece (or three).

Herein lies the benefit of the road-trip getaway: With no bags to check or 50-pound weight limits to cramp your style, you can come home with it all.

4. Do it for the perks
Because it’s summer, maybe you take your weekend getaway during the week.

You’ll get a midweek boost across every category in town, with better rates on that home away from home along with a more relaxed pace for shopping and better availability for parks, museums, restaurants, and wineries.

Start planning your any-day-of-the-week escape by heading over to VisitFredericksburgTX.com.

Go mid-week for a more relaxed pace.

Photo by Trish Rawls

Go mid-week for a more relaxed pace.

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Your Expert Guide

Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman

Kay Wood

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Bishop Arts is a huge attraction, but Realtor Kay Wood wants people to know that Oak Cliff is a lot more than just Bishop Arts.

"Oak Cliff has a really rich and complex history," the Briggs Freeman agent says. "I think it's one of the most underestimated neighborhoods in Dallas."

Wood has lived in Oak Cliff with her high school sweetheart-husband since 2008, but she's been helping people buy and sell homes there for the past 15 years, currently with her business partner Brian Davis.

"The neighborhoods here are close to everything but still relatively affordable compared to other areas of DFW," she says. "I love all the historic homes with their architectural interest and variety, the strong sense of community engagement, and how there's so much to explore. Whether you're looking for the best new restaurant, the most authentic taco, film festivals, the zoo, the best public high school in Texas, parks, nature preserves — I could go on all day!"

Wood offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in "the Cliff." Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
The list is long: Nova ("you have to get the hummus," Wood says), Encina (pro tip: don't skip the blue cornbread), Cibo Divino for pizza and wine on the patio, coffee from Peaberry ("my husband swears their Vietnamese coffee is the best in town"), oysters at Boulevardier, the Perfect Picnic at Eno's Pizza Tavern, tio's elotes next to El Si Hay, the pistachio ice cream at Joy Macarons, and the spicy lobster ramen at Ten Ramen.

Wood advises picking up a great bottle of wine from Neighborhood Cellars and some steaks from Cooper's Meat Market. And, of course, there are tons of taco options in the neighborhood: "We can't get enough of Maskaras, Trompo, and Taco y Vino," she says.

Where to play
Marvel at the best skyline views in town while playing a round at Stevens Park Golf Course, take a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Preserve, bike along the Trinity River, or play disc golf at Founders Park.

The Kessler Theater is "such a great and intimate venue" for concerts, while the Texas Theater adds a touch of history to movie-watching. Escape to The Wild Detectives for books, music, and poetry, or head to the Dallas Zoo for a wild day out — "our whole family loves to feed the giraffes," Wood says.

What to see
Oak Cliff is home to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial at Kiest Park and the La Reunion Monument at Stevens Park Golf Course that honors some of Dallas' earliest settlers.

On Jefferson Boulevard, you can pop into the Oak Cliff Cultural Center for regular art shows, and "my daughters love to walk down the street and look at all the quinceañera dresses in the shop windows," she says.

Where to live
A few years ago, Wood helped her buyers purchase 626 Rainbow Dr., a rare, two-acre midcentury modern estate that's wrapped on three sides by a babbling creek.

"When you're there, it's really hard to believe you're less than four miles from downtown Dallas," she says. The buyers hired local architect Eddie Maestri to update some aspects of the house while carefully preserving its midcentury style. There was an original barn that had been previously converted to a studio, but the buyers reinvented it as a guest house and added a pool and outdoor kitchen.

"It's hard to say what a 'typical' Oak Cliff house would be, because we have some of the very best examples of almost every architectural style in town," Wood says.

"In Winnetka Heights, you'll find Craftsman architecture (four squares, bungalows, Sears catalog, etc). Kessler Park has Tudors and Colonials and Texas eclectics from notable local architects like Charles Dilbeck and David R Williams. Stevens Park has all of these, as well as Spanish Revival and Dutch colonials. Wynnewood, North Kiestwood, and Wynnewood Hills have some of the best midcentury moderns in Dallas, as well as wonderful ranches. East Kessler has cutting-edge contemporaries that take advantage of the rare-to-DFW hilly terrain. You could teach a pretty comprehensive architectural history of Dallas without ever leaving Oak Cliff."

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Kay Wood lives, works, and plays in Oak Cliff. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kwood@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-908-5442.