Gruene
Home of Texas's oldest dance hall and the sweetest stretch of the Guadalupe
Quick Facts
Memorial Day through Labor Day for tubing; fall and spring for comfortable weather and live music without the summer crowds.
About Gruene
Gruene (pronounced "Green") is technically a historic district of New Braunfels, but it has a personality entirely its own. The centerpiece is Gruene Hall, built in 1878 and still hosting live music every weekend without a single structural change to the original building. The Guadalupe River runs cold and quick through the limestone canyon just below town, and tubing season runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Things to Do
Two-Step at Gruene Hall
The oldest continually operating dance hall in Texas has hosted everyone from Lyle Lovett to Willie Nelson to Garth Brooks (when he was still playing bars). It's an open-air barn with a concrete floor, long wooden bar, and a stage barely big enough for a five-piece band. No cover most weekends. This is the real Texas.
Float the Guadalupe
Gruene's tube rentals put you on the cool, spring-fed Guadalupe River for a lazy few hours. The canyon stretch around Gruene is one of the prettiest floats in the Hill Country — class II-ish rapids and tall cypress trees lining the banks.
Antique Shopping
The few blocks of old Gruene are dense with antique dealers, art galleries, and Texas-made goods shops. Gruene Antique Company is the anchor, but there are a dozen smaller dealers tucked into the old storefronts.
Guadalupe River State Park
A few miles upstream, the state park offers swimming, hiking, and camping along another gorgeous stretch of the Guadalupe.
Where to Eat
Gristmill River Restaurant
Perched on the limestone bluffs above the river in the ruins of a 19th-century cotton gin. The chicken-fried steak and the river view are both legendary.
Mozie's Bar & Grill
Cold beer, great burgers, and a back patio that catches the Hill Country breeze. Pre-game or post-float perfection.
🗺️ Getting There
30 miles northeast of San Antonio, 45 miles southwest of Austin. Exit I-35 at New Braunfels and follow signs to Gruene.
📅 Best Time to Visit
Memorial Day through Labor Day for tubing; fall and spring for comfortable weather and live music without the summer crowds.
🤠 Did You Know?
“Gruene was a ghost town by the 1970s after the cotton economy collapsed. Two businessmen bought the entire townsite for $30,000 in 1975 and turned it into what you see today.”