This Texas Hill Country Peach Farm Is the Ultimate Adult Theme Park
Das Peach Haus in Texas Hill Country has something for everyone.
Image: Courtesy Fischer & Wieser
Texas Hill Country, one of the state’s most popular destinations, is best known for wine tasting, shopping on Main Street in Fredericksburg, and picturesque views of rolling hills, but the region also takes pride in its peaches. The fruit has deep roots in Texas, thanks to German settlers who planted peach trees here starting in the 1840s. Summertime, mid-May through August, is peak season to get your hands on them.
And there's a special place where you can enjoy the juicy fruits of the harvest as well as the usual activities. Das Peach Haus in Fredericksburg is the ultimate theme park for adults looking to experience Texas peach season, local wines, liquors from a new on-site distillery, cooking classes, and even a bed and breakfast.
Take a hands-on chef-led cooking class, reserve a private four-course tasting, or host a special event on the farmstead at Fischer and Wieser's Cooking School.
Image: Courtesy Fischer & Wieser
What was once a small orchard planted in 1928 by German immigrant J.B. Wieser evolved into the first roadside peach stand in the region in 1969. Today, the business has transformed into a full-fledged farmstead and specialty food brand that ships preserves, glazes, sauces, and more around the world under the Fischer and Wieser name.
Current owner Mark Wieser has continued his father’s legacy with the help of Case Fischer, who became a business partner in the 1980s, along with Fischer’s wife and chief experience officer, Deanna, and their three grown children. Together, they are leading the farmstead into its next generation of success as a two-family operation.
Shop for locally made products, including Fischer and Wieser's award-winning preserves, at Das Peach Haus.
Image: Courtesy Fischer & Wieser
Driving up to the 68-acre farmstead, you’ll come across the food store, which sells all their homemade goodies. The building’s history is anything but ordinary. Originally located on the railroad tracks that ran through downtown Fredericksburg, Das Peach Haus was once the Lone Star Beer Warehouse in the early 1900s until Prohibition, then later became a wholesale grocery warehouse where Wieser’s mother worked as an accountant. With plans to expand the original log cabin peach stand, Wieser purchased and moved the building where it is today, south of the town.
The preserves have been the heart of the business for more than 50 years, using the farm’s peaches and local produce from the region. Take your time looking around the store to pick and sample Fischer and Wieser products, and others from local food brands like Fredericksburg Fudge, Mom’s, Four Star Provisions, Dr. Foo’s Kitchen, and Stick and Tine. Pro tip: Don’t leave without going home with the famous Mom’s Garlic Basil Spaghetti Sauce and Fischer and Wieser’s best-selling Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce.
Relax by the pond with a glass of wine and snacks.
Image: Courtesy Fischer & Wieser
Once you grab a few things, head outside for a picnic on the patio or by the pond among the towering pine trees, which were planted by J.B. in the 1940s as an ode to his home near Germany’s Black Forest.
Fischer’s youngest son, Simon, manages Fischer and Wieser’s wine operation. The collection can be sampled in Das Peach Haus’s tasting room, including Riesling, Sangiovese, Gewürztraminer, and blends made off-site using grapes from the Texas High Plains. You can buy a bottle to go or to enjoy there with a charcuterie or cheese spread, but if you’re saving room for a cocktail at the distillery, opt for a by-the-glass selection.
Case and Deanna Fischer's children, Dietz and Elle, run Dietz Distillery next door to the specialty food store.
Image: Courtesy Fischer & Wieser
Two of Case and Deanna Fischer’s children, Dietz and Elle, run Dietz Distillery, which opened in November 2021 next to the farmstead’s store. They make peach and pear brandy from fruit grown on the grounds, as well as vodka and gin. Sample the liquors before purchasing a bottle to take home, or order a delicious French 75. You may also have a friendly encounter with the family dog, Maja.
The day wouldn’t be complete without eating freshly picked peaches from the farm. Take a stroll through the orchard where some of the first peaches in the region were grown, and grab some from Tha Stand, a symbol of remembrance of where it all began that also carries Fischer and Wieser peach products, peach cider, and wine.
Enjoy peach season in Fredericksburg all summer long.
Image: Courtesy Fischer & Wieser
A class at the on-site Culinary Adventure Cooking School is a nice complement to a day of sipping wine and relaxing along the pond. Chefs will show you a step-by-step demo for making a four-course meal, while allowing you to ask questions about techniques and recipes, then eat the meal paired with a Fischer and Wieser wine. Regular classes can accommodate up to two dozen people, but if you want a more hands-on approach, an interactive cooking class is available for two to 10 people for the same four-course meal.
But that’s not all. The Fredericksburg farmhouse where the Fischers raised their children has been turned into a bed and breakfast that can sleep up to 12, featuring a living and dining area, five bedrooms, four baths, a porch with a firepit, and Hill Country views. If you want to stay close to the action on Main Street, the families also own an 1894 Pullman antique train car converted into one-bedroom lodging, perfect for a romantic getaway. When you visit Das Peach Haus, you’ll find it hard to leave, so make sure to plan ahead and book a stay.
