Daytripping in Fredericksburg, TX

I like bringing people to the small, cozy town which is within two hours of Austin, Texas. There lots of things to do in Fredericksburg, but it isn't as metropolitan when it comes to its vegan menu options.

Mom and I headed out to Fredericksburg on Friday while she was here. We had spent the day before picking up some essentials from the grocery store, including ingredients for Easter dinner. I was also a bit feverish from having gotten another cold the day before and needed to take some time to relax. We introduced mom to Daiya cheese that night by ordering our favorite "Nature's Choice" from Promise Pizza and bringing it (dog included) to the Arboretum for a nice evening picnic. I believe she called the pizza "amazing" and she had no qualms at all with the vegan cheese. One of our goals for mom's trip was to introduce her to all of the wonderful vegan things we eat and we were already off to a great start!

Our first stop on Friday was the Fredericksburg Herb Farm. You may remember my fondness for a restaurant in New Hampshire called Pickity Place. Well, I expected this Herb Farm to be a Texas equivalent and I think they got it pretty close. There are beautiful gardens filled with herbs and flowers, a lovely little gift shop with handmade curiosities and more, and even a restaurant which uses the herbs and veggies they grow on site. The difference was mainly in the style and the size. While Pickity Place had large grounds, two gift shops, and an abundance of raised beds, the Herb Farm had a lot of decor, a spa, and cottages within which to stay for your time there. So, kind of the same but different.

This is my favorite picture from the trip. Mom, checking out some bluebonnets up close. Yay!

The Herb Barn is just down the street from the "main area" on Main Street where all the shops are located. Some of my favorite shops are Dogologie (a dog boutique), a place I believe is called Itz Market which sells vintage style metal signs, and the Fredericksburg General Store where you can get all kinds of candy, gifts, and memorabilia. 

For vegan dining options, you have to take what you can get. We ordered personal pizzas at the West End Pizza Company (without cheese). I did find these restaurants online just now, though, so here are a few more options:

• Beat the Wheat, a gluten-free cafe.
• Navajo Grill, which has an eggplant entree.
• The Peach Tree, salads (just hold the cheese).

I thought I saw an ad for a juice bar that served smoothies in a newspaper while we were there, but I left the copy in the restaurant when we left. D'oh!

Fredericksburg is also one of Texas's "wine countries" so we couldn't leave without stopping at a vineyard. I brought mom to Becker Vineyards because it was both a vineyard and lavender farm. It was a pretty nice place but they were extremely busy. There was a wedding party having their rehearsal and a TON of people getting RATHER toasty. I could tell because I had three people try to reach THROUGH me while I was examining things I was considering buying, only saying "excuse me" when they realized their wayward limbs were about to collide with my person. It was a real turn off, I have to say, and I almost didn't buy the artichoke pasta that I thought was so very intriguing. 

After the long drive home, mom, Chris, and I went to Chuy's for dinner. We all got their veggie enchiladas with no cheese. Mom liked it a lot, even though her eyes bugged out of her head a little bit after her first bite! :)

More vegan travels to come! Thanks for reading!