Unforgettable Girls Trip Itinerary for Fredericksburg and Austin Adventures
- Shoshana Weed
- Nov 15
- 11 min read
Hi friends! I recently got back from a really fun girls' trip to Fredericksburg and Austin, Texas, for my sister's birthday! This is actually not the first time I've been to Fredericksburg or Austin. On a recent trip to Big Bend with friends, we stopped in Fredericksburg on the way back to Austin and made stops at two wineries. It was so much fun and I knew I had to come back to explore it more! If you want to learn all about my Big Bend National Park trip find it here!
Fredericksburg is a small town in Central Texas, and it's known as "Texas Wine Country" and for its German heritage. There are over 75 wineries in Fredericksburg, Texas. Personally, I was shocked that a place like this even existed in Texas. When I think of vineyards, I often think of California, Washington, or Oregon, but Texas had never crossed my mind until my friends introduced it to me. There are also options to get outside and enjoy the views. When I go on a trip, I'm always searching for a way to get outside. It really is such a charming town and the perfect place for a girls' weekend or romantic getaway.
To extend the trip even more, we decided to add on Austin, Texas, for a few days for some more fun adventures and because my sister hadn't been before. You could easily just make this a weekend trip in Fredericksburg, or if you're up for a longer girls' trip, I recommend doing what we did and adding on Austin, Texas, to change it up a little. From Fredericksburg, it's about a 1 1/2 hour drive to Austin.
How to Get to Fredericksburg
The closest major airports to Fredericksburg are in San Antonio or Austin, and they are both a little over an hour away. San Antonio is a little closer of the two. We drove from Dallas, Texas, and it was about a 4 1/2 hour drive. If you're in Houston, it's about a 4-hour drive.
When is the best time to visit Fredericksburg
The time of year to visit will depend on what you want to do, but if you're coming here for wine tasting, you really can't go wrong any time of the year if you don't mind being indoors. However, the best experience, in my opinion, is sipping wine on an outdoor patio, and in that case, Spring or Fall will be the best time to visit, especially if you want to get some outdoor adventures in too, like we did.
The weather in Fredericksburg is a mild climate with hot summers and cool winters. Fredericksburg, like most of Texas, has very hot and humid summers. The best times to visit are in the spring or fall when the temperatures are pleasant. Spring, from March to May, will have average highs in the 70s and 80s, making it a great temperature for outdoor adventures or for sitting outside sipping wine. Fall in Fredericksburg will have average highs ranging from the 80s to the 60s, also making it great weather for outdoor activities.
Where is the best place to stay in Fredericksburg
Hotel options in Fredericksburg are limited, and for that reason, I think Airbnb is the best option when going on a girls' trip. However, if you're going for a romantic getaway, I recommend staying at a bed and breakfast. There are lots of B&Bs in Fredericksburg. This was a girls' trip for us, so we stayed at an Airbnb, and it worked out great for our party of four girls.
If you're not looking for an Airbnb here are my top choices below in Fredericksburg.
Contigo Ranch in Gillespie Texas. This is also a wedding venue but you can stay here too. They have a mix of historic cabins and modern cottages and are situated on a beautiful property with stunning views. This place is far from downtown though, about 20 minutes. Stay here if you want to be off the beaten bath and have stunning views.
The Albert Hotel in Downtown Fredericksburg. This is a great hotel with a pool right in downtown Fredericksburg and they even have bunk rooms that fit up to 8 people and also a spa. Stay here if you want a boutique hotel vibe in downtown with luxuries.
Whiteail Court Hotel is a new boutique hotel located in the center of downtown Fredericksburg that features eight luxurious cottages. It's an adults only hotel with a courtyard, barn and free ice cream. Stay here for a more private setting but still within walking distance to downtown Fredericksburg.
Where are the Best places to Stay in Austin Texas
Hotel Van Zandt is located in the historic Rainey street district which makes it the perfect spot for your girls trip if you want to hit up Rainey street!They also have bikes available to use and are very close to the Lady bird hike and bike trail. We stayed here and had so much fun biking around Lady Bird Lake.
South Congress hotel is a very hip boutique hotel located in South Congress. This is a really great spot for a girls' trip because you'll be staying right in the heart of "SoCo," as it's lovingly referred to. South Congress, or "SoCo," is known for its lively, vibrant neighborhood of unique shops, delicious restaurants, and live music.
Hotel San Jose is a stunning urban bungalow style hotel also located in South Congress. They have a beautiful courtyard lounge and pool area. Stay for the vibes!
Where are the best places to eat in Fredericksburg
There's no shortage of great restaurants in Fredericksburg. Here are my top Recommendations below.
Vaudeville We all had great food and drinks here and loved the vibe!
Cabernet Grill Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to go here but it was recommended by a local so you know it's got to be good!
Granite House Lounge We tried to go here for brunch not realizing they only have lunch and dinner. If we hadn't been looking for breakfast food we definitely would've stayed here.
Altstadt Brewery This is the perfect spot when you've had your fill of wine or when you want a really good burger. We went here after hiking all day at Emerald State park and it was the perfect finish!
Did someone say Coffee hour
Kaffee Haus
Caliche Coffee and Roasters
Best things to do and see in Fredericksburg
As I mentioned Fredericksburg is known as "Texas wine country" and so you're going to want to visit some fantastic wineries and "sip your way through Fredericksburg" as I like to say.
My favorite wineries that we went to were Rhinory and Covington Cellars.
Rhinory - Sip wine and save rhinos is their motto! We all loved this winery. We sat outside, sipped wine, and got to watch their beloved rhino (yes, they have an actual rhino on site)!
Covington Cellars - We all loved the views here! The winery is stunning, and their outdoor area is the place to be. They are unique in that most of their wines are from Washington grapes.
Here is a list of wineries we wanted to visit but didn't have enough time
Grape Greek Vineyards - For French and Italian wines
Safari Winery - For the animals!
Heath Sparkling Wines - For bubbly!
Signor Vineyards - For Picturesque views
Take a Wine Tour
If getting a bus or a limo and having someone drive your party around sounds fun, then you will probably want to hire a driver to shuttle you around a few wineries. There are lots of different companies to pick from, so find the one that works best for your group. Some (like ours) also offer lunch.
Hike Enchanted Rock State park
I highly recommend visiting Enchanted Rock State Park and hiking around. It's about a 20-minute drive from downtown Fredericksburg and well worth it! You will need to purchase a pass to get in. We all really enjoyed spending most of the afternoon at Enchanted Rock state Park.
You can hike, bike, camp, and rock climb at Enchanted Rock State Park. But for the sake of time, we only hiked around for the day.
The most popular hike is the "Summit Trail." With this trail, you will be walking up Enchanted Rock. It's 0.8 miles to the top of Enchanted Rock. This was the favorite hike from the group, but I think it's still well worth it to hike around some more since this will be a short hike.
The second hike I recommend is the "Loop Trail" and adding on "Echo Canyon Trail." It's a 4.6-mile trail RT and will take you around the base of the rock, but you'll still get some great views.
Check out the boutique Shops in downtown Fredericksburg
If you're up for a little boutique shopping, spend some time walking on historic Main Street in Fredericksburg, popping into local boutiques and art galleries. If you're up for it, pop in for a wine tasting at one of the tasting rooms on Main Street.
Best things to do in Austin on a Girls Trip
If you do end up spending some time in Austin too like we did here's a list of my favorite things to do for a girls trip!
Bike, run or walk the Lady Bird Hike and Bike trail
Explore Rainey street
Watch the largest North American bat colony fly out from under the South Congress Bridge at sunset.
Spend the afternoon at the Spa.
Listen to Live music at Elephant Room
Explore the trendy boutique shops on South Congress street and check out some unique coffee spots too.
"Hike" Mount Bonnell for panoramic views of the city.
Enjoy delicious food and cocktails at Corrinne and Zanzibar.
Now that we've laid out how to get to Fredericksburg and Austin, the best things to do and see, and the best places to grab some food and coffee, let's dig into an unforgettable girls' trip weekend itinerary in Fredericksburg & Austin.
Day 1 - Wine tasting at Rhinory, dinner at Vaudeville & night out at Crossroads.
Kick off your weekend in Fredericksburg by starting with a wine tasting at Rhinory. This was hands down our favorite winery and was a highlight of our trip! The onsite rhino made it a really fun experience.
We drove from the McKinney area in Texas, and it took us about 4 1/2 hours to get to Fredericksburg. We arrived in the late afternoon just in time to check into our Airbnb, but first, we decided to stop at Rhinory for a fun wine tasting. There are so many wineries to choose from so pick the one that works best for your group.
After wine tasting, it's time to check into your Airbnb or wherever you're staying to shower and get ready for dinner. I recommend dinner at Vaudeville for the vibes. After dinner, head to Crossroads Saloon for live music and dancing. No girls' trip is complete without some live music and dancing involved.
Day 2 - Spend the day sipping wine through Fredericksburg
Today is a really fun day because it's time to sip your way through Fredericksburg's wineries. If you want someone to drive you around and set up your wine tastings, then I recommend taking a wine tour like we did. We shared a limo with another group of four girls, and we all had so much fun together. We went to three wineries, and we were picked up from our Airbnb at 11 am and we ended around 4 pm.
If you don't want to do a wine tour but would prefer not to drive, you can take the 290 Wine Shuttle that begins and ends at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center. It departs every 15 minutes and stops at 13 renowned wineries along the 290 E Wine Trail. Note that this shuttle only runs on the weekends.
We did the wine tour with lunch provided which worked out great for us since the tour was several hours long. We were picked up at 11 am and dropped off around 4 pm.
After the wine tour it's time to head back to your Airbnb or hotel and get ready for dinner. I recommend dinner at Cabernet Grill tonight. While we didn't get to try this restaurant we heard great things about it from a local.
Day 3 - Hiking at Enchanted Rock State Park & Altstadt Brewery
Today is a really fun day that begins at Enchanted Rock State Park. You can reserve tickets online up to one month in advance. Read all about it here. We got a later start at the park so we could sleep in and have breakfast and coffee before hand. We walked from our Airbnb to Caliche Coffee and Roasters for breakfast and coffee every morning. It was a short jaunt for us.
We got to the park around 11:30 am, and even though we were visiting in October, it was still very hot. Make sure to apply sunscreen and bring lots of water, although they do have a few water fill stations, which is nice. I recommend going on at least two hikes while at the park. You definitely don't want to miss the most popular hike, which is "The Summit Trail," where you actually get to hike up Enchanted Rock. This is a short hike, so I recommend adding on another one too. My second suggestion is the "Loop Trail" and adding on "Echo Canyon Trail". If you end up doing both of these hikes, it will take up most of the afternoon.
After hiking all afternoon around Enchanted Rock State Park you'll have worked up an appetite and I have the perfect stop for you! Head to Altstadt Brewery for a burger and a beer! It definitely hit the spot for us and it was a nice break from all the wine!
If you're lucky enough to have a hot tub where you're staying I recommend ending the night in it with all your girlfriends while you reminisce about your fun adventures in Fredericksburg because tomorrow it's time to head to Austin.
Day 4 - Brunch, Drive to Austin and Bike the Lady Bird hike and Bike trail, Rainey Street.
Start your morning with brunch and then make the 1 1/2 hour drive to Austin. Check into your hotel and get settled. If you choose to stay at the Hotel Van Zandt like we did then you will be availbale to use their bikes. If you are staying somewhere that doesn't have bikes for use, you can rent them at Barton Springs Bike Rental or Austin Bike Tour and Rentals. They're both located near the trail making it easy access to get to.
The Lady Bird Hike and Bike Trail is a 10-mile low-grade trail and is wide enough to accommodate pedestrians and runners too. So you will be sharing the trail with them. It winds along downtown and also passes by two spring-fed pools: Barton Springs Pool and Deep Eddy Pool, where you can take a dip if you're feeling up to it.
While the trail is 10 miles long, there are many stopping points along the way so you can bike to as far as you are comfortable. You will also come across Zilker Park which is a nice area to kick back and relax.
After you're fun biking outing it's time to shower and get ready for cocktails and apps at Zanzibar which is a trendy rooftop bar in downtown Austin. I mean check out this really cook Cactus Margarita I got!
After that end the evening at the iconic Rainey Street and pop in and out of the cute little bungalows that are now converted into bars.
Day 5 - Relaxation day Brunch, Shopping on South Congress and the Spa.
Today is basically your final full day in Austin, and what better way to spend it than to have a full-on relaxation day! Start your morning on trendy South Congress Street at Cafe No Se for an absolutely delicious breakfast, and then stroll South Congress Street, popping into boutiques and making a stop at Jo's Coffee.
After you've eaten and shopped it's time for ultimate relaxation by hitting the spa with your girlfriends. I recommend Milk + Honey or Viva Day Spa. And I recommend getting a few treatments. Afterwards spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the hotel pool.
Dinner tonight is a really good one at Corinne. We went here for my sister's birthday dinner and the food was phenomenal! If you're visiting from late March to early Fall, at sunset make your way to South Congress Bridge to watch the Mexican Free tailed bats ascend from under the bridge.
Spend the rest of the evening listening to live jazz music at the underground Elephant room.
Day 6 - Time to head home and one last stop at Mount Bonnell.
If you flew to Austin, then it's time to head back home today; however, if you have a later flight or if you drove here, I recommend getting some steps in with a short hike up Mount Bonnell. It's not really a "hike" but more of a walk up 102 steps and rewards you with a panoramic view of the city at the top!
Afterwards grab a drink at La La land for the drive home!
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