Dinner for two without drinks, around $40. Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar: Housed in the ruins of a 19th-century cotton gin, the restaurant features treetop views, chicken-fried steak and margaritas. Uwe’s Bakery and Deli: Taste the region’s German and Czech heritage via authentic, made-from-scratch pastries like pudding pretzel, peach streusel, or sausage, cheese and jalapeño klobasneks. ![]() Gruene Coffee Haus: The go-to espresso stop in Gruene features a roastery and interesting blends like blueberry or Texas pecan drip coffee. In the case of the Guadalupe, New Braunfels has instituted a “ can ban” outlawing disposable containers and beer cans, plastic baggies, Styrofoam and glass on the river.Īirbnb rentals within striking distance of Gruene start at about $200 per night for a one-bedroom. Each river has its own rules that visitors should know or risk getting fined. We rented our tubes ($25 each) from Rockin’ R River Rides, in New Braunfels. ![]() When the darkest shade of blue finally faded from the sky behind the Gruene water tower, I felt myself still floating, peacefully still just drifting through the day. Under the spell of their perfectly tuned consonance, accentuated by banjo, dobro and accordion, we were transported to another time, and another way of living, where appreciation for the music is shown with yips and yahoos, boot stomps on the floor, or a wave of a Stetson hat. On this night, The Wilder Blue & John Baumann performed a blend of classics and originals that recalled Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, or the Doobie Brothers. It’s got an outlaw vibe about it, thanks to both its notoriety for staying open throughout Prohibition and the cast of characters that have graced its stage over the generations: Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt and Jerry Jeff Walker to name a few. Then, as the sun set through the cypress branches, we sauntered next door to Gruene Hall, a whitewashed building recalling a small town church, which declares itself the oldest continuously operating dance hall in Texas. For that reason, and the distinct possibility of imbibing alcohol on the river, some companies offer packages that include round-trip door-to-door shuttle service from New Braunfels, San Antonio or Austin. The whole float is only about a mile and a half, but you don’t want to fret about logistics. For most float operators like Rockin’ R, a ride back to your car is included in the rental price, making it especially attractive to go with an outfitter rather than with your own tube. A young Rockin’ R employee helped us out and shuttled us back to the starting point and our parked car in a van. With the sun lowering in the sky we spotted the sign telling us we’d reached the pullout. Something about the Guadalupe spurred a sense of camaraderie and neighborliness, as these different strokes of people all found themselves in the same slow-moving flow, unworried about time. “Wait, why aren’t we out here doing this every weekend?” my friend, a recent transplant from Chicago, kept asking as she relished her first Texas float.įour hours in, and we’d made friends with all kinds of people, from a group of high school girls to a grizzled Santa Claus-like figure lying down in the rocks in the shallows as if in a chaise longue. ![]() Occasionally, the navigable part of the river narrowed, sending us down rapids that made it impossible not to squeal like a child as we spun and bounced our tubes through the chute, arms in the air. Just five minutes into our float, and we were completely absorbed by nature. Without looking too hard we spotted white-tailed deer behind the trees, bright red cardinals flitting about and even a gray fox skulking by. Bald cypress trees lined the banks, their canopy creating shaded bumper lanes along the sides of the route. For our adventure, we picked the Guadalupe, a versatile river that appeals to young and old, has a few rapid spots and lends itself to a fantastic, authentic Texas evening post-float.Īfter renting a tube from an outfit called Rockin’ R River Rides in New Braunfels, we found ourselves on a Friday afternoon in the presence of occasional groups of friends and families passing by - and just as many Guadalupe spiny soft-shell turtles, one of about 25 turtle species native to the state. The Comal is more family-oriented thanks to its proximity to the Schlitterbahn water park. The San Marcos, which runs through the campus of Texas State University, can tend spring break-y, with packs of young people tying their tubes together, and delegating one tube to hold a massive cooler.
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