There are so many choices when you stay at the Maricopa Riverside Lodge. Right outside our back door is one of the best sources for family fun, the Guadalupe River.

Rafting On The Guadalupe
River Road on the Guadalupe River offers the best in river rafting in the Texas Hill Country. You have to check this adventure out for yourself.

Schlitterbahn, the famous water park in New Braunfels is twenty minutes away and has been voted the world's #1 water park by Travel Magazine! more

Canyon Lake Gorge

The Glen Rose limestone throughout Central Texas was laid down during the Cretaceous Era over millions of years. But within a few weeks following the Flood Event of 2002 the Power of Water carved a gorge into the landscape below the Canyon Lake Spillway. A true treasure was "unearthed"

Outlet Mall Shopping
It's a thirty-five minute trip to San Marcos, where you can enjoy the Tanger Outlet, featuring shopping in world renowned stores at a discount!

Gruene Texas
In nearby Gruene the flavor of old west comes to life. Be sure to visit the oldest roadhouse and dancehall in Texas there. more

Cascade Caverns - Boerne
Exit 543 I-10 The main chamber features a devastatingly beautiful waterfall that plunges 90 feet. 830-755-8080

Landa Park
Exceptionally scenic city park around crystal springs heading the Comal River. Towering trees, spring fed swimming pools, tubing, picnicking, boating, bicycling, hiking, and golf. The largest springs in the state (more than 8 million gallons an hour) from the state's shortest river - 2.5 miles. Miniature train ride winds through the park.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas
I-10 Exit 555, Rides, shows, water area. Fun for the whole family. 1-800-473-4378

Natural Bridge Caverns
Take a tour of the caverns, visit the Natural Bridge Caverns Mining Company and learn a lot about identifying gems and minerals while filling your pockets with treasure, or take the Adventure Tour through the South Cavern -- a physically demanding and thrilling excursion into one of the world’s premier caverns.


DETAILS

Gruene Texas   BACK TO TOP
The little town of Gruene (pronounced green) in south-central Texas. After several decades of prosperity around the turn of the century, a series of tragedies capped by the Great Depression in the 1930s turned the little community just north of New Braunfels into a ghost town.
Today, Gruene is alive, resurrected in the mid 1970s by a group of investors who transformed the empty buildings into historic treasures that attract tourists and history buffs from throughout the state and the nation.
Formerly a 19th-century cotton community, Gruene today is a neatly organized group of restored historic buildings located about four miles north of downtown New Braunfels. Established by merchant Henry D. Gruene in 1873, the town's commercial center is composed of 23 historic structures, including German immigrant residences and late 19th-century commercial buildings. Many of the structures have Official Texas Historical Markers.
The community originally was settled by immigrant farmers in the 1850s. Ernst Gruene was one of the earliest settlers, and his son, H.D. Gruene, built the town's first mercantile store in 1898 and a blacksmith shop soon after. While those endeavors were successful, cotton was the commodity that brought H.D. Gruene prosperity. He built a cotton gin powered by the Guadalupe River, and in 1904 he built a two-story brick bank across Hunter Road from his mercantile store. The bank was later converted into a store and post office.
In 1922, a series of disasters began when the mercantile store burned. The same year, the cotton gin also burned. In 1925, a boll weevil infestation destroyed the cotton crop, and a long drought followed. The final blow came in the 1930s in the form of the Great Depression. Soon after, Gruene's buildings sat vacant.
Almost four decades passed before Gruene came back to life through the efforts of local investors. In the late 1970s, Gruene's historic structures were rehabilitated. Businesses, shoppers and tourists returned.

Gruene Attractions
Today, tourists and history buffs enjoy experiencing Gruene's colorful history and culture. The ruins of the old cotton gin's brick boiler room have been converted into the popular Gristmill Restaurant, which serves a variety of lunch and dinner items in a historic setting surrounded by gardens and benches. Overlooking the restaurant is the original Gruene water tower, which is visible from miles around. The 1886 Gruene Mansion serves as a bed and breakfast inn and restaurant. Next to the popular Gristmill Restaurant, an old dance pavilion, Gruene Hall, still packs in music lovers. The cool sounds pour from the open-sided, wooden hall and fill the streets with a festive ambiance on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Antique stores, clothiers, craft shops, the old mercantile store and other unusual shops provide a setting where people can relax and enjoy a unique blend of history and culture.
Directions
Gruene is located west of Interstate 35 in New Braunfels. To reach Gruene's main street, take FM 306 west to Hunter Road, then turn left. For more information about Gruene, call 830/629-5077, or visit the community's web site. Gruene also has a tour map and brochure that can be found at various kiosks in the town.

Schlitterbahn...  BACK TO TOP
Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels, Texas
Welcome to the Schlitterbahn Website. Schlitterbahn is a water amusement park resort in New Braunfels, Texas. Summer fun doesn't get any bigger or better than Schlitterbahn! Whether you're looking for tubing, swimming, waterpark fun, amusement parks, boogie boarding, or the world famous Master Blaster uphill water coaster, Schlitterbahn is the place for you this year. Looking for a vacation spot? Schlitterbahn has its own resort accommodations so that you can stay where you play.
General e-mail inquiries: fun@schllitterbahn.com
Recorded phone information: 830.625.2351