A Trip to Gruene

Saturday we visited Gruene, Texas. Situated on the bank of the Guadalupe River, the water is a major attraction at Gruene.  Tubing on the Guadalupe can be relaxing or it can be exciting, depending on where you are floating.

Since we arrived at lunch time, our first stop was at the Gruene River Grill. We both had delicious salads.

Gruene was founded in 1872 when first-generation German Heinrich Gruene purchased 6,000 acres along the Guadalupe River and began raising cotton.  He later started a mercantile store.  The boll weevil blight in the 1920s and the depression in the 1930s doomed Gruene, which only revived in the 1970s and today is a major tourist destination.

This cool-looking solid plastic chair is located outside our restaurant.  I think it makes a better decoration than comfortable place to sit.

We saw this old Ford car parked on the street.  If you click to enlarge the photo, you will see the etching in the side window.  Really neat--though I don't know what it would do to your view out the side.

We spent some time exploring this antique store.  We saw lots of neat old things.

Look at these hand-painted chests.

Whenever I feel bad about having to go to the laundromat to clean our clothes, I need to be glad I don't have to use these tools to do the wash.

A number of the tourists came to Gruene on motorcycles. 

And, of course, anywhere you shop in this state, you see the emblem of the Lone Star state.