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Road Trip to Gruene
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Gristmill River Restaurant Outdoor Dining Area
Last weekend my husband and I took a road trip down to Gruene, Texas. Gruene is the historic district of New Braunfels. I'd never been there before, and I was really pleasantly surprised at how much there was to do and to see down there.
First off, it's a pleasant, one hour drive from Austin. It's about a half hour outside San Antonio. So it's well located. We programmed our GPS system to take us to the down town area, and we just parked and walked around. There was a lot to do and see.
We wanted to walk down by the beautiful river, and unfortunately around Gruene that is impossible, since all the land fronting the river is privately owned. However, you can dine or shop along the river, as there are several restaurants and a few shops that have a river view. And you can also take a ride down the river in a tube or a raft or a canoe. There were several outfitters who rent you what you need, in season. Since this was not the season, we made a note to come back when it's warm to give it a try.
We did walk around town and check out a few of the cool shops. Our favorites included a pottery shop called Buck Pottery. It's a charming workshop and gallery set in an 1870's era barn. When we walked in, one of the owners, Terry Buck, introduced himself. He and Dee Buck and a few other local artists hand craft the pieces in the gallery. Many of the pieces were intriguing and all were well crafted.
Another shop we enjoyed exploring was Gallerie at Gruene, which features fine art by local artists. There were some marvelous oil paintings and cute watercolors as well as some beautiful sculptures and interesting jewelry. It's a small shop, but worth visiting. It's also right next door to the Gruene Woodworks which has hand crafted furniture and some decorative pieces. My husband and I loved the beautiful hand made wooden lazy Susans... they were really stunning. There were also tables, rockers, even a bed.
There are also a variety of crafts and antique stores, none of which really impressed us, though it was still fun to wander through them. And there is also a winery which we'll try another time.
At any rate, after exploring some of the shops in Gruene, we were feeling hungry so we stopped at the Gristmill River Restaurant to have a bite to eat. Even on a rainy Sunday in the off season at 2 in the afternoon, we had to wait for a table, which should give you an idea of how good the food is. It's excellent. We ordered onion rings as an appetizer, and I can honestly say they are among the best onion rings I've ever had. They were huge and the batter was well spiced. I also ordered the tortilla soup, which was quite good, and my husband got one of their sandwiches, also yummy. The portions were quite large, so we had left-overs to take home.
The best part about eating at the Gristmill, though, is the outdoor seating area. We found it very relaxing to eat under the trees, overlooking the river. If you go here, ask to sit outdoors. It's wonderful.
Well, after our meal, we were so stuffed we decided to head on home. However, there is a lot more to do in Gruene that we will have to check out next time we head down there. I've already mentioned the winery and the tubing. There is also an enormous outlet mall on the highway right outside New Braunfels. Within New Braunfels there are parks that allow you to hike, bike, swim, fish, etc. There is also the Schlitterbahn Water Park which has 65 acres of water slides, tube shoots, wave pools, etc. Schlitterbahn also has a huge Christmas store, for those who are into Christmas tree ornaments and other holiday decorations. Finally, there are a number of annual festivals and events that are held in the area.
Given how much Rick and I enjoyed our trip, I will definitely be heading back to Gruene and I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a pleasant day trip from Austin or San Antonio.
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