1. Gruene Hall
City: New Braunfels, TX
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (830) 606-1281
Address: 1281 Gruene Rd.
Insider Pick:
Description: North of San Antonio, on the north side of New Braunfels in a former ghost town called Gruene, a 46-star US flag hangs over a steamy dance hall. Advertisements from the 1930s decorate the walls, and the only air-conditioning is a breeze through the wide front door. Burlap bags, suspended from the ceiling, dampen the sounds of shuffling feet and country and western bands.Although it may sound like another Hollywood version of small-town life in Texas, this is Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in the Lone Star State. Since 1878 this joint has shook to the sounds of Texas music—from gutbucket country to folk to blues. Over the years the dance and music styles may have changed, but Gruene Hall, like a good pair of boots, is as dependable as ever. The place has rocked to all sorts of music performed by a variety of both locally and nationally known artists, including Guy Clark, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Joe Ely, Nanci Griffith, Jimmy Gilmore, John Hiatt, Tish Hinojosa, Townes Van Zandt, and many more.The dance hall is also home to one of Texas’s most unique events: Gospel Brunch with a Texas Twist in Gruene Hall. Like a New Orleans–style gospel brunch, this special event fills the historic hall with the sounds of gospel, served up with an expansive buffet. The brunch is scheduled for the second Sunday of the month throughout the year. During the holiday season, there are also special performances featuring traditional, cowboy, and Christmas gospel tunes. Dress is as casual or as nice as you’d like it to be.All ages are welcomed at the dance hall. Tickets for concerts and special events can be purchased by phone, online, or at the dance hall. Ticket prices vary by performer. Seating is at large tables for parties of 12.
2. The Bandit
City: New Braunfels, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (830) 609-4665, (888) 923-7846
Address: 6019 FM 725
Description: This Keith Foster Signature Course, located just north of San Antonio in the community of New Braunfels, is a lot of fun. The 18-hole, 6,928-yard, par 71 layout features elevation changes as well as beautiful greens.
4. Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort
City: New Braunfels, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (830) 608-8532
Address: 305 W. Austin St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Just up I-35 from San Antonio lies a leader in the world of water parks: Schlitterbahn. This family-oriented park offers water activities for kids of every age, from toddlers to teens.Schlitterbahn is the sister company of New Braunfels General Store International, a leader in the water feature industry. NBGS was founded in 1984 to manufacture and distribute coated-foam water park products that had been developed and used by Schlitterbahn Waterpark. Today NBGS has expanded to include themed play elements in use by water parks, amusement parks, municipal pools, indoor recreation centers, and even cruise lines.The trial-and-error process that honed the high-tech features for which NBGS is known today were worked out at Schlitterbahn, a park founded in a way that sounds like a scene straight out of the movies. In the 1970s during a vacation to Walt Disney World, Jeff Henry and his two siblings fell in love with water slides. The youngsters came home and worked with their parents to build four water slides at their riverfront resort in New Braunfels.Those four slides have grown into the most popular seasonal water park in the US. Today Schlitterbahn spans 65 acres and features rides and family activities across 5 themed areas. With 2 uphill water coasters, 9 tube chutes, 5 giant hot tubs, 17 water slides, a surfing ride, a family wave pool, 5 swimming pools, 7 children’s playgrounds, water and sand volleyball courts, 4 gift shops, 2 restaurants, and 20 refreshment centers all operated by nearly 1,600 seasonal employees, the park truly boasts Texas-size proportions and profits. Schlitterbahn plays upon local features, both cultural and topographical. Meaning “slippery road” in German, the name Schlitterbahn is a first hint at the German heritage that plays an important role in the community of New Braunfels and indeed in the park itself. The symbol of Schlitterbahn is a 60-foot-tall castle, a replica of the guard tower of Solms Castle in Braunfels, Germany. The park’s many sections carry on the theme, with names like Kinderlund, Slidenplatz, Das Lagune, and Surfenburg, home of the world’s first uphill water coaster. The park also utilizes its natural surroundings, including the Comal River, which serves as the starting and stopping points of a 45-minute tube ride and also supplies 72-degree spring water to the tube chutes.Schlitterbahn has held the record for many “firsts” in the water park world. The park is considered the home of the world’s first swim-up refreshment bar, first family wave pool with maximum 4-foot depth, first continuous wave surfing ride, and first professional competition on a man-made wave. It’s also the world’s largest tubing park, with more than 10,000 inner tubes from which to choose.The park introduces new and innovative attractions every year. In past years the venue added such thrill rides as the Torrent, a high-tech ride in the new Blastenhoff section of the park. The Torrent features a 20-foot-wide river in which waves surge at 10-second intervals, taking guests on a wild white-water ride. The waves break onto a 25,000-square-foot sloping beach.Schlitterbahn is open on weekends in the spring and daily in summer. High-season hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.