It has been a few years since I wrote this feature for Texas Lifestyle magazine, but with the 80th anniversary of D-Day just around the corner (June 6, 2024) it seems like as good a time as any to resurface it. I became a fan of this little Fredericksburg gem on my first visit years ago, and in 2018, I had the opportunity to share it with my 96-year-old dad, a WW2 veteran himself. Next time you are in the Hill Country, take a break from wine tasting and spend a few hours in this amazing historical treasure right in our own backyard. (Originally published in Texas Lifestyle magazine Spring 2018)

Fredericksburg Museum and Hotel Bring 1940s Era to Life

Think of Fredericksburg, Texas, and it’s likely that wineries, shopping and restaurants come to mind. But this popular Hill Country destination also is home to a world-class World War II museum that’s been sharing the story of the Pacific Theater battles for more than 50 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War began as a single museum housed in the old Nimitz Steamboat Hotel on Fredericksburg’s main drag. When founded in 1964, the Admiral Nimitz Museum was to be a memorial to Fredericksburg’s own Chester Nimitz, who served as fleet admiral of Allied Forces in the Pacific Ocean area. Since then, it has grown into a state-of-the-art museum complex, comprising three facilities and multiple outdoor venues on a six-acre campus. Today it remains the only institution in the continental United States dedicated exclusively to telling the story of the Pacific Theater battles of World War II.

The complex was built to its current capacity in 2009. Joining the original Nimitz museum is the George H.W. Bush Gallery and the Pacific Combat Zone museum. Three outdoor areas – the Plaza of the Presidents, Memorial Courtyard and Japanese Garden of Peace – round out the complex, all within walking distance of each other and with plenty of street-side parking.

The spring is the perfect time of year to experience this Texas gem, whether you are traveling with a veteran, or you are a history buff looking for a unique destination. With so much to take in, you’ll want to plan plenty of time for your visit. “It’s possible to see it all in three hours or so if you just want the ‘cliff notes’ version,” says Brandon Vinyard, the museum’s director of marketing and public relations, “but for the person who wants to read every sign, it could take two full days.”

A good jumping off spot is the George H.W. Bush Gallery, the newest addition to the Nimitz complex. Traveling with veterans? World War II veterans get free admission, and all other vets can tour for only $10. Tickets are good for two days for the entire complex.

If you think “history museum” equals “boring”, think again. Interactive displays guide visitors chronologically through the war, with engaging presentations that capture the story in vivid reality. At one stop along the meandering corridors, you might hear actual recorded aircraft or naval radio transmissions. At another, you’ll see artifacts from battle. Even authentic tanks and airplanes have been restored to their original condition.

Just a short walk from the Bush Gallery is the Pacific Combat Zone, a two-acre indoor/outdoor museum. Here, you can walk alongside a restored PT boat and imagine powering through the Pacific Ocean on these fast, flat vessels. Or go below deck of an aircraft carrier, and try out simulators to test your skills at landing a plane on deck or launching a torpedo.

Outside, the milder spring temperatures are the perfect backdrop for the museum’s Living History Reenactments, scheduled monthly starting in February. These all-volunteer shows are “where history comes to life,” says Vinyard, who expects sell-out crowds for the spring break and Memorial Day shows. The hour-long shows include a full battle reenactment complete with tanks, weapons, equipment and even a restored P-51 buzzing the battlefield.

End your day at the Hangar Hotel, located just a short drive away at the Gillespie County Airport. Designed to replicate a World War II-era hangar, this 50-room property evokes 1940s nostalgia, from the vintage luggage and bomber-jacket leather club chairs in the lobby, to the black rotary phones on the guest room nightstands. Though it looks like an original Quonset hut hangar, the hotel actually was built in 1995 by an aviation enthusiast who thought a World War II-themed hotel would make a perfect home base for Pacific War Museum visitors and visiting aviators.

After  long day touring the museum, sit a spell in one of the wooden rockers on the hotel’s front porch where you can watch vintage and modern aircraft in action. Next door at the Airport Diner, guests can snag an old-fashioned barstool and savor home cooking like Bomber Burgers and milkshakes, or breakfast served all day. The hotel hosts one of three USO-style hangar dances Memorial Day weekend in its Pacific Showroom, complete with South Pacific murals, tiki bar, and live swing band. Proceeds go to the Fort Hood USO.

As with the museum’s Living History Reenactments, the Memorial Day dances are perennial sell outs. “We’ve been doing the hangar dances for at least 10 years now,” says Senior Marketing Manager Kelly Criddle, who encourages guests to dress in 1940s costumes or military uniforms.

With 2019 marking the 75^th anniversary of D-Day, this spring is a great time to beat next year’s larger crowds. A Memorial Day step back in time may be just the way to brush up on your history, get a little nostalgic and honor the greatest generation.