Settlers Crossing Bed & Breakfast

Peaches, pecans, beer gardens and vineyards. Welcome to eclectic Fredericksburg. Just two hours from Austin, this hospitable town, settled by German immigrants in the 1840s, is an anomaly in the land of longhorns. With more than 30 wineries spread across the surrounding Texas Hill Country, this area has been instrumental in the evolution of the Texas wine industry, which came to a halt with Prohibition and did not see a revival until the 1970s. Our lodging of choice here is Settler's Crossing Bed & Breakfast, a 35-acre property that is home to seven private, historic guest cottages and Brighty, the resident donkey — consider him a Lone Star version of a pink elephant if you return to the estate after one glass too many. Among the unique accommodations are the circa 1787 Von Heinrich Home (imported from Pennsylvania) and the 1865 Pioneer Log Cabin, which features a restored wine cellar and 40-foot long porch.