July 7, 2023 | By Brandi Addison
Heading into the second weekend of July, residents from all over Parker County brace themselves as their historic square transforms into a vibrant jubilee celebrating all things peach.
May 26, 2023 | By John O. Lumpkin
August 2, 2022 | By John Lumpkin
Better late than never. That sums up the Texas peach crop in 2022. After a slow start this summer, succulent freestones are hitting the shelves of family-owned fruit stands throughout the state in ample supplies that may last through September.
August 17, 2021 | By June Naylor
Dozens upon dozens of local families and individuals contributed recipes handed down through generations, and a team of 15 Gillespie Country Historical Society volunteers compiled the works—including numerous family stories, anecdotes, and nuggets of history—to round out a 200-page book.
July 8, 2021 | By Amanda Ogle
Stroll through Weatherford’s downtown square on the second weekend in July, and you’ll notice things are quite peachy.
June 7, 2021 | By John Lumpkin
May 22, 2021 | By Pam LeBlanc
Long before Fredericksburg became the wine capital of Texas, people knew the Hill Country town with German roots for its peaches.
July 3, 2020 | By Amanda Ogle
This year’s festival was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, but that doesn’t mean the city will stop celebrating its summer bounty. Instead of a one-day affair, Weatherford is hosting an entire week of smaller celebrations from July 11 to 18.
May 16, 2019 | By John Lumpkin
Matt Church is chef at the historic Hye Market in Hye, between Stonewall and Johnson City—in the heart of Texas Hill Country peach orchards.
May 15, 2019 | By
As summer begins, so will annual pilgrimages to roadside stands and farmers markets where popular varieties of Texas’ succulent freestone peaches arrive in successive waves through Labor Day. Those peaches set a national standard for sweet-ness, and—here’s the really good news—they are mostly reserved for Texans.
May 14, 2019 | By John Lumpkin
Nelda Vogel and the late George Vogel founded Vogel Orchards in Stonewall. Their son Jamey and his wife, Terri, now manage the orchards, along with the orchards’ roadside stand on U.S. 290. Nelda Vogel remains involved in the operation.
May 9, 2019 | By John Lumpkin
Breaking news from Texas Peach Country: This year’s harvest is poised to be plentiful.
“Oh yeah, there are lots of peaches out there—a lot more than I thought there would be,” says Gary Hutton of Hutton Farms west of Weatherford, referring to the hard freeze that occurred in early March of this year. “They pulled through.” he says. “I’ve got some as big as my thumb.”
May 9, 2019 | By John Lumpkin
Matt Church is chef at the historic Hye Market in Hye, between Stonewall and Johnson City—in the heart of Texas Hill Country peach orchards.
May 2, 2019 | By
Cabernet Grill’s peach crisp combines Vogel Orchard peaches with fragrant lavender
May 1, 2019 | By Laurel Miller
When is peach season this year? It’s always a bit fuzzy, so visit farm websites for opening dates and daily harvest updates before you hit the road. Generally,peaches are available May-September, with traditional freestone varieties appearing late June and early July, but offerings are subject to change.
March 29, 2019 | By Susan L. Ebert
As a child, one of the first things I did upon arriving at my Mamaw Grace and Papaw Dorsey’s rambling fieldstone farmhouse in Kentucky was to open the cellar door off the main dining room. Slowly, I crept down the wooden stairs, allowing my eyes to adjust to the dim light. A single shaft of sunlight from the cellar window illuminated the far stone wall—or what would have been the wall had it not been obscured from floor to rafters by glistening glass-encased riches in every color of the rainbow.
February 13, 2018 | By Amanda Ogle
For a small-town girl like me, big-city living can feel a bit stuffy. That’s why I call Weatherford home: It’s far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Dallas-Fort Worth to evoke that small-town feel, yet close enough for the occasional “big city” dinner.
May 1, 2017 | By
Homemade peach cobbler, peach ice cream, peach juleps, peach tea—you can find it all at the Parker County Peach Festival in Weatherford July 8. The one-day event draws some 35,000 people to the city, named in 1991 by the state legislature as the Peach Capital of Texas, for a taste of summer’s juiciest crop.
Published 10 times per year by the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Highways, the official travel magazine of Texas, encourages travel to and within the Lone Star State and tells the Texas story to readers around the world.
