Spending a Day in Gruene

If you’ve lived in the Texas Hill Country for a little while odds are you’ve heard about the city of Gruene and Gruene Hall. But if you haven’t, here’s what you need to know about spending a day in Gruene.

A Very Short and Not Boring History Lesson

First of all, we don’t blame you for having trouble with how to pronounce Gruene. The Texas Hill Country is notorious for its difficult to pronounce German towns, and Gruene (pronounced green) is no exception.

The city of Gruene was founded around 1845 when German immigrants Ernest Gruene and his wife came to the new city of New Braunfels to settle, but acreage was scarce. They purchased property shortly down the river and the first house in the city of Gruene was built. Ernest’s second son, Henry, built his home there as well, and planted his surrounding land with cotton. Cotton being the big money maker during that time, Henry’s business grew bringing more families to the land.

The Town continued to prosper through the late 1800’s until Henry’s death in 1920. Their cotton gin burned down, but even the addition of an electric cotton gin couldn’t keep the town from going under when the Great Depression hit. Everything except Gruene Hall closed down.

Read the full history of Gruene

Things to Do

Gruene Hall

1281 Gruene Rd, New Braunfels, TX 78130

Gruene Hall was built in 1878 and is Texas’ oldest and most famous continually operating dance hall. They feature live music seven days a week. During the summer months you can attend “Two Ton Tuesdays” and watch the popular San Antonio band, Two Tons of Steel perform. Swing lessons are offered before every show, so don’t forget your dancing shoes!

Check out Gruene Hall’s live music schedule

Gruene Antique Company

1607 Hunter Rd, New Braunfels, TX 78130

The Gruene Antique company is located just across the street from Gruene Hall and offers 6,500 square feet of antiques, collectibles, decor, as well as so much more! The building was built in 1903 by Henry Green and was originally used as a place for tenant farmers to do business. The main room occupied by Green Antique company was where dry goods were for sale over 100 years ago. The east wing of the building still houses Henry Gruene’s original bank vault.

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Gristmill River Restaurant

1287 Gruene Rd, New Braunfels, TX 78130

What was originally the three story boiler room of the cotton gin built in 1878 is now the popular Gristmill River Restaurant. They opened their doors in 1977 serving up juicy steaks and hamburgers. Since then, Gristmill has become widely know for its upscale, casual dining and southern Texas Cuisine.

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See Everything Gruene Has to Offer