The Perpetual Tourist

If a fun day in San Antonio wasn’t enough to undo my bitterness toward Texas, my trip to the Gruene Historical District in New Braunfels certainly cemented my love of the area. My husband arranged this trip as my birthday present this year (thanks, Z!), and I’ve never had a better birthday. Not knowing exactly where we were going or what kind of traffic we’d encounter, we left early for our jaunt to Gruene. We wanted to arrive in time to secure good seats for a day of music at Gruene Hall, starting at noon, but when we got to town before 11am, we had plenty of time to explore.

The small German community was founded in 1845 and has seen little change since then. The town is situated on the banks of the Guadalupe River between Austin and San Antonio. Specialty shops selling handmade goods and gourmet foods line the main drag, which comes to an end at Gruene Hall, Texas’ oldest dance hall. The hall hosts music events almost daily, and many of the shows are free, as was the one we attended on Sunday.

I attend lots of concerts, and at every show, I can generally look forward to about 90 minutes of great music, but Gruene Hall’s schedule was a huge part of the reason we traveled all the way to Texas for this birthday concert. Two of our favorite artists, Rod Picott and Slaid Cleaves, were scheduled for back-to-back sets of 3+ hours each. All of Gruene Hall’s shows are this long — it must be hard on the artists, but it’s great for fans like me who can never get enough of the music!

The venue was constructed in 1878, and it has a great old-time feel to it. On days with nice weather, they remove the boards along the sides of the building so the place is more like a covered pavilion than a room. I can’t speak for what it’s like in the peak of summer, but on temperate days like Sunday, it’s a very comfortable space.

Gruene Hall serves beer, wine, soft drinks, and snacks, but no actual food, so between sets, it’s convenient to walk next door to The Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar. The restaurant was converted from an old cotton gin, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The food was tasty and the service was good, but again, the vegetarian selection was, well, non-existent. (I had cheese quesadillas for three meals in a row, and they were good, so I’m not complaining, but I don’t think a vegan would make it here.)

If you’re visiting New Braunfels, you have lots of bed and breakfasts to choose from. It seemed like the area had more B&B’s than residents — I wonder how they keep them staffed. We were staying in San Antonio with friends, but if we’d needed a room for the night, I probably would have chosen Gruene Mansion, based on what I saw of it and some praise from the locals. In fact, I had such a blast at Gruene Hall that I am looking forward to another opportunity to visit, probably when another of my favorites is playing an all-day show at the dance hall.

I’d recommend Gruene Hall to any music lover, and I’d recommend the Gruene community to anyone who loves anything at all — places like this simply make your heart smile.