City of Boeblingen ()
Located 30 minutes from Stuttgart, roughly two-and-half hours from Bavaria or a short eight minutes from the Panzer Main Gate is Böblingen. With classic cars, quirky museums and nature parks, Böblingen has a way for everyone to have a great day.
Car enthusiasts will enjoy over 50,000 square meters of all things vehicle, including multiple floors of vehicles on display at MOTORWORLD Region Stuttgart. Not only are there vehicles on display for you to look at, but on the same lot, you can play pilot of a Boeing 737 or Cessna 172 on the SimINN Flight Simulator. While onsite, you can shop all things within car culture, plus related accessories. There are several pop art pieces for sale as well. Those looking to add to their vehicle collection can shop the many cars and trucks for sale onsite. When you inevitably get hungry, there is a coffee shop, brewery and several restaurants to satisfy your needs. If you cannot fit everything in one day, there are also two hotels onsite which contain themed rooms where you can relive your childhood (or childhood dreams) of sleeping in a car bed.
If museums are more your style, Böblingen has you covered. It is home to Germany’s largest (and perhaps only) Butcher Museum. In the middle of Old Town, on top of the Schlossberg and across five floors of exhibits, you can learn all about meat consumption, making sausage, butchers and the associated handicrafts in the form of ever-changing exhibits. There is onsite art, lectures and a documentary to watch. The German Peasants' War Museum commemorates one of the most memorable days in Böblingen’s history: The day in 1525 when the peasants were defeated by the Swabian League outside the city gates and the Peasants’ War was officially lost. Learn all about the War and the lifestyle of the “common man” of that era. The City Gallery contains a permanent exhibition of paintings and sculptures reflective of German art styles. Their temporary exhibit, “Böblinger Bilderbogen 1900 to 1950: The Past in Colour,” features the works of Reinhold Nagele (1884-1972) and Fritz Steisslinger (1891-1957) until April 23, 2023.
If nature is more your scene, just a short 30-minute drive away is Schönbuch Nature Park. The park contains over 400 kilometers of marked hiking trails. Bring some bratwurst and hamburgers and take advantage of one of their 40 barbeque areas and the kids can enjoy one (or more) of their 20 playgrounds. While there, see if you can spot wild deer, bats or one of the different species of birds. They have events year-round, so there is always something new to do at the park.
If you want a snack and a drink while being surrounded by great art, check out Tacuba Salsa Bar. While they don’t have draft beer (bottled only), you won’t miss it with their selection of wine and cocktails. One drink that I cannot wait to try is their combined pina colada and margarita. Bring Euro because this bar is cash only. There is so much art and so many decorations adorning the walls that you are bound to discover something new every time you visit and is always a great way to end a day in Böblingen.
