We’re pretty comprehensive when researching a state and choosing where to visit, but every now and then a little surprise pops up on the drive. Apparently, Texas is a large state, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that a city or two missed our radar.
But on the way from San Antonio up to Abilene, we found ourselves driving past German biergartens and Willkommen signs, and knew we had to pull over!
Fredericksburg is an adorable tourist town, and wonderful for a quick break to stretch our legs.
We wandered through candy shops and bakeries (indulging in a delicious pecan pie slice with a scoop of local buttered pecan ice cream – you can never have enough pecans in the South), and stopped in for some German beer.
I was surprised at the German influence throughout Texas – we also passed through New Braunfels. But I’ve now learned that there was a surprisingly large influx of German immigrants into Texas during the 1800s.
Industry, TX was the first German established town in Texas, settled and expanded by Friedrich Dierck Ernst. Ernst wrote a letter to a friend back in Germany, which was then published in a German newspaper. His description of Texas (along with his support of new immigrants) was so influential in attracting Germans to Texas that he became known as the “Father of Immigrants”.
Our little stopover included:
Pecan Pie at Clear River Pecan Company
Lone Star Candy Bar – home to the LARGEST GUMMY BEAR EVER. 27 pounds!
A longhorn presides over the bar at the Auslander.
And Cory’s outfit does nothing to support the claim above his head!
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No picture of the giant gummi bear??
Ha! Nope, I should have snapped one.