Austin & Fredericksburg
 

Do we want to spend 2 nights in Austin or 1 night in Austin and 1 night in Fredericksburg before going to San Antonio?

With only 2 nights spend it in Austin. You can make a visit to Fredericksburg a stop by visit on your way to SA.

But personally I would not even bother with the side trip as it's not really on the way. If it's a quaint little Hill Country town you want to visit then consider stopping by Gruene - it's directly between Austin and SA off I35.

What's your trip timing? If you don't have a day to leisurely get over to F'burg on your way to SA, I agree with Gruene/New Braunfels instead.

If it were during spring with the blue bonnets in bloom I would vote for the drive in hill country to Fredericksburg.

I would drive to Driftwood for bbq at Salt Lick BBQ, then down to Wimberly and then to Gruene on the way to SA. Wimberly is close and very charming with little shops and cafes. If you like cowboy boots you'll find a shop carrying over 300 pair of vintage boots.

I vote for 2 days in Austin and then drive straight through to San Antonio. If you want to stop somewhere along the way, I agree with Gruene. It's small enough to just stretch your legs for a while and peek into a couple of storefronts. You could have lunch at the Grist Mill and see if anyone is playing at Gruene Hall. I wouldn't bother with Fredericksburg.

What time of year are you going?

Stopped in F'burg on my way to San Angelo. Did not spend the night. The Museum of the Pacific War is there. The indoor part is the old Nimitz Hotel. Admiral Nimitz was born there.
Where else can you see a Japanese submarine sunk in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?
There are a couple of good German restaurants in town.

Why are you considering going there?

I named the 3 best things in F'burg. If you find that you have a drop off fee on the rental car, you can ride the Amtrak Texas Eagle from Austin to San Antonio for $13/pp.
The problem is that it is scheduled to arrive in San Antonio about 10 PM (often late).

To me the best thing in F'burg area is Enchanted Rock.

I love all of the wineries in the Fredericksburg area! It's the second largest wine area in the country behind Napa/Sonoma!