photo: Nick Simonite
From left: Outdoor seating at Signor Vineyards; Jill Elliott at her shop, Blackchalk; a guest room at the Trueheart Hotel.
On a freezing afternoon late last winter, I drove west on I-10, leaving my home in San Antonio for a yearlong sabbatical in Fredericksburg. Though only seventy miles away, the town couldn’t feel more removed from my life back home. Fredericksburg may be little, especially by Texas standards population 12,135 but it boasts a big reputation. Known for its sweet summer peaches, a booming wine industry, and its German heritage, it will begin celebrating its 175th anniversary this May with a year’s worth of festivities. But even a weekend exploring its mix of historic and modern charms and reveling in its springtime wildflower show can feel like a reset.