great takes on family travel in the U.S.

Last weekend, my husband and I slept in for the first morning in weeks. We woke up at the indulgent hour of 9am–yawned–stretched–looked out at the sunny warm day–and impulsively decided to go wine tasting in Dry Creek Valley! This is one of the many pleasures of living in the Bay Area. There are so many wonderful weekend destinations and fabulous day trips within an hour or two drive from home. Sometimes my head is dizzy with the possibilities!

As we are new transplants to California, from Texas, we had not yet been to Napa or Sonoma. We considered this to be our first “scouting” expedition. The car was soon packed with our map, bottles of water, and bag of fresh cherries for the road ( I love cherry season!) As we headed North up 101, the scenery transitioned from open bay and green mountains to dry rolling hills and groves of oak trees with the occasional vineyard coming into view.

We chose to drive to the small town of Sonoma and base our explorations out of there. I found the quaint upscale shops, cute restaurants, and lovely town square to be delightful—and also very familiar!

As I mentioned, I just moved to the Bay Area from Texas. Most of you may not know this–but, Texans have a wine country region of their own–the Hill Country is a precious gem, tucked into the rolling hills in the heart of central Texas. The topography of the Hill Country is quite similar to that of Sonoma and Napa counties. There are rolling hills and dry grasses with groves of oaks and wild flowers. My favorite place to visit wineries in the area is Fredericksburg. This is an old German settlement that has segued into a modern day tourist getaway.

If you ever have the good fortune to visit, you will quickly see why it is so popular. The main street is lined with cute boutiques and antique stores and peppered with great restaurants–from authentic German biergartens to upscale and cozy fine dining establishments. There are several museums, a beautiful public library, and a charming marketplatz (town square). If you have ever been to downtown Sonoma—it looks a lot like it!

Fredericksburg is also filled with small, locally owned bed and breakfasts. My husband and I used to love driving there on weekends. It is a very scenic drive and during the spring and summer you can stop at roadside farmstands–where there are crates full of locally grown tomatoes and ripe peaches–some places will cut up the juicy peaches right there and serve them to you over creamy vanilla ice cream!

Driving into Fredericksburg on Hwy 16, you can stop in at Gastehaus Schmidt on Main Street. This is the booking agent for over 100 B&Bs in the area, offering free rental services. You can “shop” for the perfect place to stay from placards along the walls. They have pictures of rooms along with amenity and pricing information. Find one you like and book it at the office–then head right over! You often get a pretty good deal as these are places that happen to be open for the night and want to be filled. However, if visiting near a holiday weekend, it is best to call ahead and make reservations.

Once you are settled into your lovely room, you can generally walk to the main part of town to shop and dine. You are also within a short driving distance of several wineries. Places like Torre di Pietra offer tastings and are usually set back on beautiful properties. Texas makes some surprisingly good wines and a wide array of varietals. Buy a bottle or two and bring it with you to dinner.

Fredericksburg, like Sonoma, is a wonderful weekend getaway. In addition to the restaurants, shopping, wineries, spas, and plethora of B&B’s–there is great hiking in nearby Enchanted Rock State Park and plenty of cold swimming holes and picnic spots. It is also a terrific base from which to explore many of the other small and charming towns in the Hill Country–like Bandera, Comfort, and Blanco.

So, if you are a vineyard enthusiast–feel ballasted by the fact that you don’t just have to venture all the way out to northern California to sample fine libations and the wine country lifestyle. Come to Texas!

Thanks to Mike Weston for the great vineyard picture!