THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY is the true heart of the Lone Star State. Just northwest of San Antonio, the region is known for its small-town quaintness, natural beauty and long stretches of country road.

Fields of blossoming bluebonnets abound in the spring, longhorn cattle roam the landscape and larger-than-life Lone Star flags fly over century-old farmhouses. Texans from the big cities and out-of-town visitors alike take weekend drives down two-lane roads going from town to town to shop for treasures in antique stores, explore award-winning wineries, dine on barbecue or handmade Mexican tortillas, and two-step the night away in a country-western honky-tonk.

More adventurous sightseers can float down the lazy Gua­da­lupe River on an inner tube or hike through state parks. Texans have made the Hill Country their backyard playground.

But one town in the region, Fredericksburg, claims a unique connection to the Pacific, especially Hawaii. It is the birthplace of Chester W. Nim­­itz, the five-star admiral who, from Navy headquarters at Pearl Harbor, led the Pacific fleet and allied forces to victory over Japan during World War II.

Born on Feb. 24, 1885, to a German family that helped settle the area, Nim­itz’s name is a familiar one to Oahu residents. One of the island’s most important thoroughfares is named for him. In addition, an elementary school, a beach and even a barbecue joint bear his name.

How the son of German pioneers in the heartland of the Lone Star State turned into Hawaii’s adopted son can be discovered by visiting his historic hometown.

Just an hour north of San Antonio or an hour west of Austin, Fredericksburg lies in the middle of Gillespie County, the proclaimed "Peach Capital of Texas." Seasonal roadside fruit stands dot most of the roads leading to town.

Fredericksburg’s picturesque Main Street and historic storefronts, most dating from the 1800s, take visitors back to the pioneer days. Many of the town’s shops and restaurants wave Old World German flags above their storefronts. "Willkomen" signs invite passers-by to stop in for a beer. Visitors are more likely to hear polka music than country tunes and be offered bratwurst and sauerkraut over Tex Mex.

Fredericksburg was founded in the mid-1800s by a group of German immigrants who moved to the area from nearby New Braunsfels, Texas. The founders named the town in honor of Prince Frederick of Prussia, who was part of a movement to help build a new Germany in Texas. Some of the town’s older residents still speak a German dialect spoken by the town’s original founders, but the language is slowly disappearing.

Fredericksburg has a multitude of attractions for history buffs, including a pre-Civil War military outpost, the Pioneer Museum Complex and the nearby Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, home to another famous son of the Texas Hill Country.

But the main draw to Fredericksburg is the impressive National Museum of the Pacific War, a 6-acre complex of buildings and sites that re-create the story of the Pacific war. The highly regarded World War II museum is housed in the Nim­itz Hotel, which was built by Charles Henry Nim­itz, the admiral’s grandfather and one of the first settlers in the area.

The museum, which rivals the USS Arizona Memorial in scope and size, is packed with Pacific War history and relics, a Japa­nese garden and the impressive Pacific Combat Zone, where battle scenes are re-enacted.

The museum traces the admiral’s life, including his family’s German heritage, his rise in the Navy and his leadership of the Pacific campaign.

The museum displays personal items such as his naval uniforms, his baby crib and the U.S. flag that was draped over his casket at his funeral in 1966. One display points out that Nim­itz was missing half of his ring finger on his left hand. According to several accounts, he was demonstrating how a diesel engine works when his hand was caught in the mechanism. Luckily, his Naval Academy graduation ring jammed the machine.

After exploring the Nim­itz collection, visitors walk through a memorial park to the Japa­nese Garden of Peace, which was a gift from Japan, and the George H.W. Bush Gallery, which houses the Japa­nese midget submarine HA-19 that took part in the Japa­nese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Japan launched several submarines in the battle, hoping to score torpedo hits from below. The HA-19 failed to enter the harbor and grounded itself on Wai­ma­nalo Beach on Oahu. Once captured and studied for intelligence, the sub was shipped to the mainland and shown around the country to help raise money for war bonds. In the mid-1940s the captured sub was paraded down Main Street in Fredericksburg; old photographs capture it in front of the Nim­itz Hotel. The submarine’s wartime legacy as an enemy vessel that attacked Pearl Harbor makes it a must-see for visitors from Hawaii.

The Bush gallery also houses several World War II aircraft, including a B-25 bomber, tanks, dioramas of major Pacific battles, and stories from both sides of the war. An amazing multimedia show puts visitors in the middle of the attack on Pearl Harbor. With flashing lights, sirens blaring and explosions echoing all around, viewers feel as if they’ve traveled back in time to that fateful December morning.

The museum also has a salvaged hatch from the USS Arizona on display. The museum houses an incredible collection of history and memorabilia balanced between education and entertainment.

The Combat Zone, which is just around the corner from the museum, offers guided tours leading visitors through different war zones in the Pacific including re-creations of a fortified Japa­nese beach on Tarawa, a PT boat on a South Pacific dock and a U.S. dive bomber in an aircraft carrier hangar. On several weekends a year, the Combat Zone hosts living history re-creators who stage an American attack on a Japa­nese-held beach. Actors dressed in period uniforms fire weapons and demonstrate military tactics. Our visit didn’t coincide with one of the live demonstrations, so try to plan your trip around one of these incredible shows. Show information can be found at the museum website.

After visiting the vast Pacific Museum, try to make one more stop at Nim­itz’s birth house. The house is just up the road from the museum. Marked by a Texas historic plaque, the tiny, four-room home now houses an eclectic toy store named Fitz and Hollerin. Store clerks point out the room where Nim­itz was born and photos of him around the property. The admiral’s room, no bigger than a queen-size bed, is now stuffed with plush toys and other curios. A dozen people then lived in the small house, and store owner Donna Nordstrom said, "Nim­itz probably has more toys now than he did growing up."

Upon his return to Hawaii from Japan after Japan’s formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri, Nim­itz was given a hero’s welcome. In October 1945, Oahu celebrated Navy Day, and Nim­itz led a parade from Pearl Harbor to Iolani Palace. At the palace a royal feathered cape was draped upon the admiral, and he was named "Alii aimoku," or supreme chief, by the Hawaiian Orders in Hawaii. The only other non-Hawaiian to receive this honor was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1934.

During the ceremony, Nim­itz gave part of his acceptance speech in Hawaiian.

On March 12, 1947, The Hono­lulu Advertiser reported that the supervising board of the Hawaiian Territories, in a unanimous decision, renamed the road from Hono­lulu to Pearl Harbor Road after Nim­itz, hailing the admiral as the hero of the Pacific War and "as a good friend of Hawaii." At the time, Hawaii’s main highways had been named only after King Kame­ha­meha, Prince Kuhio and territorial Gov. Wallace Rider Farrington.

Because of Fredericksburg’s connection to the Aloha State, it should be on every Hawaii visitor’s itinerary. So the next time you’re caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Nim­itz Highway, start planning your Texas getaway.