This is a German stop in the middle of Texas.

A town of 8,600 people, located 63 miles northwest of San Antonio, it has German timberworked walls, mansard roofs, lacy storefronts, waitresses in dirndls, and a number of German celebrations and traditions—Schuetzenfests (marksmanship tournaments), Oktoberfest, Kristkindl, and Kinderfests. The delicious German bread and pastries made here are widely known.

The town was settled through the efforts of the Adelsverein, or Association of Noblemen, who brought more than 7,000 Germans to Texas, mostly between 1845 and 1847. The settlement area that they had arranged with Republic of Texas promoters was still ruled by the Comanches, so land at New Braunfels, 50 miles south of Austin, and Fredericksburg was settled instead. To quiet her children one evening, a pioneer mother told of the Easter rabbit who lit fires on the town’s hillside to boil Easter eggs. In reality, they were Comanche fires. The Easter Fire tradition is observed today with hillside fires that glow each Easter eve during a pageant that retells the story.

Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet during World War II, was born in Fredericksburg of German parents in 1885. His grandmother opened the Nimitz Hotel, a handsome wood structure of columns, balconies, and a high-shingled tower with the American flag on top. The hotel now houses the Admiral Nimitz Museum, which chronicles the life and naval career of the admiral and the war’s Pacific operations. The Plaza of Presidents recognizes 10 US Presidents from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George Bush, who served in the military during World War II. And the George Bush Gallery of the Pacific War helps define the experience of those who lived through the campaigns in that war.

The Garden of Peace, a gift from the Japanese people, is located behind the museum. Found here are replicas of Admiral Togo’s office and teahouse. East of the museum is the 4-acre History Walk of the Pacific that displays war machinery used in Pacific battles.

Fredericksburg has a dulcimer factory, toy museum, herb farm, and Vereins Kirche Museum, which is a reconstructed “coffeemill church” that was used as a public building for meetings and worship, which now holds archives, photos, and archeological items.

The Enchanted State Park features a massive, solid granite dome of about 640 acres that is 500 feet high. Native American legend pegs it as the site of human sacrifices.

The park is popular for picnicking, hiking, and rock climbing.

At the Pioneer Museum Complex, an eight-room furnished pioneer home and store, built in 1849, shares space with a Victorian-style home, barn, and blacksmith shop, smokehouse, log cabin, wagon shed, one-room schoolhouse, and fire station. Fredericksburg can be reached by car by US-87, or by bus. The nearest airports are in San Antonio and Austin.