Dancehall Dreamers.....Gruene-style

For my last tourist stop before heading north on I-35 to Dallas (home), I stopped in the town of Gruene (pronounced "Green"). It is located on the north side of New Braunfels, TX. It is home to the oldest, continually operating dancehall in the state of Texas. Gruene Hall has been instrumental in starting the careers of Lyle Lovett, George Strait, Hal Ketchum and others. Also appearing at Gruene Hall have been The Dixie Chicks, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Garth Brooks and Willie Nelson. And Nolan Ryan held his 50th birthday party there! Gruene Hall was also featured in the John Travolta movie "Michael" - the dance scene was filmed there.

In my head, I thought it would be much bigger, considering George Strait got his start there, but I guess if he was a nobody at the time, it wouldn't need to be big! Anyway, when I went in (it's a bar and open all day as well, so you can go there anytime - the music acts play at night) I was surprised at how small it is! It's just a wood barn-type building with a small stage and then long wood tables (with lots of graffiti carved in them) with benches to sit on. There's an open space up near the stage for dancing and then 2 old pool tables along the side. It was very primitive, but that's the whole point - that's what gives it charm!

Here are my pics from Gruene Hall:

This is the front bar part:

Wow - personalized neon lights (there are a LOT of them in Texas - very cool):

Here's that 'Texas pride' thing again......

Here's the stage:

Here's a view of the stage, looking down one of the big long tables with graffiti:

Here's a shot from stage-right, looking to the back bar:

A view from the back door:

They even still have the old-school cigarette machines with the little knobs that you pull out to 'vend' your own cigarettes! And it's personalized for "Gruene Hall" - in that black strip on the front of it!

This is a signed picture of George Strait - his first album cover:

This next one is the back cover of this first album - the picture was taken in Gruene Hall...

...and here is my picture of the exact spot George Strait was standing in that picture!

After I had all of that excitement in the dancehall, I was hungry.....so I ate at the Gristmill Restaurant (Mayce and my friend Erin both recommended it). It overlooks the Guadalupe River and it kind of felt like a treehouse! It's 3 floors high, I think, and it's kind of like a maze in there. They have wood-burning fireplaces going, so it smells amazing and it's all wood floors. It was such a cool atmosphere!

Here's a view from the 2nd floor balcony, looking down onto the first floor by the entrance:

After lunch, I decided to go shopping in all the cool gift shops and antique stores on the main drag...then it was time to hit the road and get back to Maggie in Big D. What a great trip!