It's just a 40-minute drive to New Braunfels, a town founded by German prince Solm in the mid-1800's which still bears its German roots to this day. The town offers a wide array of attractions, including water parks, tubing down the Guadalupe River, a historic downtown, and fine dining (especially German cuisine).

One of the main attractions in New Braunfels is the Hummel Museum. The museum contains the largest collection of Hummel artwork on public display in the World. The beautiful charcoals, pastels, and oils on view at the Hummel Museum were lovingly created by Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, a nun who lived in Germany during World War II. Sister Hummel entered the Convent in Siessen, Germany in 1931, and there created most of her drawings that are on display.

Just a 10-minute drive from New Braunfels, on the Guadalupe River, is Gruene, Texas.  Gruene (pronounced "Green") is a small Texas town founded in the mid-1800's when cotton was king and German families were in the majority. This small, quaint town is home to fabulous restaurants that overlook the Guadalupe River, a number of Bed and Breakfast hotels for romantic stays, and wonderful antique stores and pottery shops. Gruene also is the site of the oldest dance hall in Texas, Gruene Hall, which not only features top-name country music entertainment, but was used for filming the dance scene with John Travolta in the movie "Michael".  

These are some other pictures of the Gruene dance hall and General Store.