Texas Romantic Getaway: Gruene
Recommended for: shopping, river rafting, music

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A 46-star U.S. flag hangs over a steamy dance hall, where the only air conditioning is a breeze through the wide front door. Advertisements from the 1930s decorate the walls. Burlap bags, suspended from the ceiling, dampen the sounds of shuffling feet and country-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 the 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.

This dance hall is located in Gruene, north of New Braunfels off Interstate 35. Like Waxahachie and Refugio, the pronunciation of Gruene is one of those things that sets a real Texan apart. To sound like a local, just say “Green” when referring to this weekend destination.

Tucked under tall live oaks near the banks of the Guadalupe River, today Gruene is a “shop-’til-you-drop” kind of town, filled with antique stores and boutiques, al fresco restaurants, and historic buildings. The hamlet is quiet on weekdays, but on Friday afternoons the streets fill with shoppers, river rafters and tubers, and city folks looking for a small town weekend escape.

Gruene’s days have not always been so prosperous. The town was founded in the 1870s by H.D. Gruene at a time when cotton was king. With its swinging dance hall and busy cotton gin, prosperity reigned until the boll weevil arrived in Texas with the Great Depression right on its heels. Gruene’s foreman hanged himself from the water tower, and H.D.’s plans for the town withered like the cotton in the fields. The community became a ghost town.

One hundred years after its founding, investors began restoring Gruene’s historic buildings and, little by little, businesses began moving into the once-deserted structures. Gruene was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today all the downtown structures are filled with thriving establishments that range from restaurants to a potter to a general store. The commercial area of Gruene is a T-shape formed by Gruene and Hunter Roads.

The Gruene General Store (1610 Hunter Rd., 830-629-6021) brings back memories of small town life during Gruene’s heyday as a cotton center. This was the first mercantile store, built in 1878 to serve the families that worked on the cotton farms. It also served as a stagecoach stop and a post office. Today instead of farm implements and dry goods, however, this general store sells cookbooks, fudge, and Texas-themed clothing and sodas from an old-fashioned fountain.

As the population of Gruene rose, so did the need for merchandise, and in 1904 the general store moved to a new brick building. This was once the biggest store in Comal County, selling everything from lamp oil to caskets. Today the Gruene Antique Company (1607 Hunter Rd., 830-629-7781) fills this huge building with the wares of numerous vendors. Nearby, Lone Star Country Goods (1613 Hunter Rd., 830-609-1613) sells cowboy kitsch, with everything from lamps to dinnerware.

For one-of-a-kind items, visit Buck Pottery (1296 Gruene Rd., 830-629-7975). Here Dee and Terry Buck are usually hard at work on their stoneware pottery, blending and kneading several types of clay and then, with the aid of a potter’s wheel, shaping it into creations that range from plates to pitchers. During the firing at 2,400 degrees for 16 to 18 hours, the pottery receives a coat of wood ash created by two cords of wood consumed during the process. The final result: one-of-a-kind pottery, glazed by the wood ash that collects and melts on each piece.

You’ll also find handmade items at Bushwhacker’s (1633 Hunter Rd., 830-620-4534). Handmade swings, coffee tables, and other furniture are crafted from cypress and mesquite at this shop.

In the summer, cool off after all that shopping with a relaxing float down the Guadalupe River. The Rockin’ R River Rides (1405 Gruene Rd., 800-55-FLOAT or 830-629-9999) and Gruene River Company (1404 Gruene Rd., 830-625-2800) take visitors of all abilities—from families to daredevils--to one of the drop-off points on the Guadalupe. From there, you can drift beneath the tall cypress trees for hours.

Short and Sweet

Getting There:
From San Antonio, take I-35 north about 30 miles. Take exit 191 and head left for 1-1/2 miles, then turn left at the light. Continue one mile to Gruene.

Gruene Hall:
Texas’s oldest dance hall opens at 11 a.m. most days (noon on Sundays). On weekdays, there’s usually no cover charge for evening performances. Weekend cover charges vary with performer. For information, call (830) 606-1281, or see www.gruenehall.com.

Festivals:
Ever since we all watched Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze molding clay in Ghost, pottery making brings up sensual images for many of us. If that’s the case, you might go into overload at the Texas Clay Festival, held every October on the grounds of Buck Pottery. Admission is free to the event which features 20 potters from around the state demonstrating their craft.

Although there’s always plenty going on in town, Gruene really springs to life during Market Days, the third weekend of every month from February through November. This arts-and-crafts festival attracts more than 100 vendors from across the state and shoppers from central and south Texas who come to look for everything from handmade furniture to hot sauces. Admission to the festival is free.

Dining:
Located on the banks of the Guadalupe River, the Grist Mill Restaurant (1287 Gruene Rd., 830-625-0684) is housed in the ruins of a 100-year-old cotton gin. In the early days, an explosion blew a hole in the side of the building that today serves fried chicken, chicken-fried steak, and other Texas favorites. You can eat inside or outside on the deck overlooking the Guadalupe River

Love Nests:
Guests at the Gruene Mansion Inn (1275 Gruene Rd., 830-629-2641; www.gruenemansioninn.com) stay in restored 1870 cottages on a bluff overlooking the Guadalupe River. A two-night rental is required on weekends.

For more information:
Call the Gruene Information Center at (830) 629-5077, or the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce at (800) 572-2626, or see www.nbcham.org.

Photo courtesy Gruene Hall