Hello friends, my family and I recently took a trip to the Hill Country in Texas. For my birthday, we went to New Braunfels. We absolutely love the Texas hill country. Here are some tips for your next Texas road trip.
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Have you ever been to New Braunfels? It is a small town between San Antonio and Austin. From Houston, it is about a 3 hour drive. We love going to the hill country because it is so pretty. There are so many hills obviously and natural rock all around the towns. It really is a great change from all of the flat roads in Houston.
This a post is part of my Texas Travel series. Read about my Round Top Post & Stay at this cute boutique hotel.
Stay- Day One
We packed up the SUV a started our little Texas road trip to New Braunfels. It was a short trip, only 2 nights. For the first night we stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn. It was a nice hotel not to fancy but it was perfect for our short trip.
It had a pool and it was only 2 miles away from Gruene, TX. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to go to New Braunfels, was to visit Gruene.
When I was a teen, a group of friends and I went to schlitterbahn, floated the river, and went to Gruene, TX it was so much fun, but I hadn’t been back. Well we changed that. I love the cute, quaint, and tiny town of Gruene! Pronounced green.
Visiting the Historic town Gruene, TX
Gruene, TX is a tiny town next to New Braunfels. It is a town that was founded by a german man who was an entrepreneur of his time. He moved to Gruene from Germany and started the first cotton gin in the area.
In Gruene, TX there is so much to do and see. Once you arrive there is one main street with all the restaurants, shops, and even a dance hall.
Where do eat: Dining in Gruene
You can also find a wine bar there as well. For food, there a few places to choose from. If it is your first time visiting Gruene the I would recommend eating at The Gristmill. They serve country cooking and it is so good! The portions are HUGE!
My husband ordered the chicken fried steak with a side of potatoes, the kids share breaded chicken tenders and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Since I have a complex diet, no dairy or gluten, I chose grilled chicken with a roasted summer squash melody. It was delicious and I love that they were able to accommodate me. This is always a challenge when eating out but especially while traveling. It’s nice to be able to find places that can be accomodating.
At the Gristmill there is indoor seating as well as outdoor seating. The weather was perfect so we sat outdoors overlooking the river.
There are also other restaurants to eat at in Gruene, TX that include tex-mex, seafood, farm to table dining and a few others. Next time we are stopping at the 2 wine places located in Gruene. This is one of them below.
Other activities to do in Gruene
It is such a cute and quaint little town, after dinner grab your pair of dancing shoes or boots and head to Gruene Hall. Live music is played there. Since we had our kids with us we weren’t able to do that this time. Instead we stopped by the local tourist store to browse and then to the general store for candy and souvenirs. Be sure to plan a stop here, it simply is the cutest!
There is also a new outdoor bar/hang out area. It was really nice. You could also choose to hangout at the wine bar across the street from Gruene Hall.
They have a historic hotel called Gruene Mansion Inn that is open for stay as well. If you wanted to stay in the small town of Gruene, that is possible too.
Floating the Guadalupe River
Around the corner of the Gristmill is the Guadalupe river. It is so pretty! You can choose to rent tubes and float the river right there. They have places to park your car and direct access to the river.
We weren’t able to float the river this time. Even though the river is very shallow, I don’ think that would be possible with my 2 and 3 year olds. My 6 year old would have loved it but probably for just a short while. Update: We have now also floated the San Marcos river too.
It takes 2 and a half hours to float the whole river. This is the perfect because it makes for a whole afternoon of floating the river. There are many river outfitters along the Guadalupe river. These can and will supply you with river tubes and a lift from the location at the end of your float.
My kids wanted to go swimming at the pool back at the hotel so we ended up leaving to do that.
Love Texas travel? Check out this resort in Texas: Lively Beach
Stay- Day Two
For the second night we stayed at the Reservation on the Guadalupe inside of a tipi! Tipi camping in Texas is so much fun!This was the kids favorite! I highly recommend a stay here. We love sleeping under the stars.
Whether you are having a couples getaway, family retreat, or a girls getaway weekend this is a great option for you.
The tipis are more of a Glamping exprience than a camping one. I have been tent camping before, while it is fun, it can be rough for girly girls like me. This option was so much more fun for me.
Address: 12821 River Road New Braunfels, TX 78132
Tipi Camping In Texas
The tipis were HUGE y’all! On the ‘reservation’ are a total of 8 tipis. A game room with a tv and board games for the whole family. River access for swimming and floating the river.
Here’s what you will find Inside the Tipi
The tipi we booked was number 8 called the Rising Moon. Inside of our tipi was 3 full side beds (they may have been queen beds?) a large couch, a mini kitchenette with microwave and mini fridge and a tv with a dvd player, and a couple of board games.
There was also a sink with dishes and utensils provided plus a sponge and dish soap to wash all of the dishes too. A coffee pot for coffee grounds. Remember to bring your own coffee grounds and favorite creamer.
You will have electricity inside of you tipi as well.
You also have access to WIFI in your tipi. Which is so amazing! You can have your camping trip but still be connected to they outside world. Camping in Texas in a Tipi with WIFI! Say WHAT?!
There is also one ‘window’ that you can prop open from the inside and see the back side of the tipi grounds.
All of the tipis have a door that locks and you use a 4 digit code to get into your tipi.
Insider Tip
I would bring a mini nightlight if you don’t like sleeping in the dark, as I mentioned there is one window but you have to open it and their wasn’t a way to prop it open, plus it doesn’t have a screen so bugs and animals could get inside.
It will be PITCH BLACK inside once you turn off the light. The light is too bright to sleep with it on in my opinion, even the ones by the front door area. My husband and I didn’t mind this so much but the boys were a little scared. Luckily, they felt safe with mom and dad close by.
What is offered outside your tipi campsite?
On the outside front of your tipi, you have access to your own fire pit for bonfires and s’mores, a barbecue pit, picnic table, and chairs to lounge in.
We spent the evening making hot dogs and s’mores. The boys loved this part since the weather was cooler in the 50-60’s the heat from the fire felt so good.
Where to buy food
There is a general store a few miles away from the campsite called Lowes. If you are looking for a bigger grocery store, the closest one is an HEB in New Braunfels about 20 minutes away.
As I mentioned there is a mini fridge inside of the tipi but it will not hold too much food, so keep that in mind. It would be a good Idea to bring a cooler to keep other food and drink items in while you are there.
Here’s where you will find the Restrooms and Showers
Each tipi has it own individual bathroom but it isn’t inside of the tipi. You walk a very short distance to a group of 4 doors. The bathroom that is yours will be the same number as your tipi.
You use the same access code to enter into your bathroom. The bathrooms are nice too. They have cabinets and a sink and a full standing shower. Towels and wash towels are provided, we brought our own, but if you need them they are there.
They also provided a hairdryer and a space heater for the cooler months. I actually used the space heater because it was cool when I took a shower and I prefer to be warm.
What to pack for your Tipi camping adventure:
Similar to camping at a cabin, you will need to pack a few of the same things. The tipis had a few kitchen items including a few grilling utensils so these are not necessary to bring during your stay. If you want to though you most certainly can. Here is a great 6 piece travel grilling tool set and this backpack 11 piece set is really cool. Make sure to pack these items.
- Bug spray (a must when camping)
- a cooler
- Comfortable shoes
- Water shoes
- Sandals
- Swimsuits
- Sunscreen and Aloe Vera
- a hat to shade your face (no sun damage here)
- River tubes if you own them. These come in 3 different colors & we love them. (the campsite offers some to rent)
- A floating cooler for your drinks.
- Grilling skewers: we love these for marshmallows and for hot dogs.)
- Clothing and undergarments
- Flashlights
- Campfire wood and fire starter
- Food
- toiletries: shampoo and conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc
- Mini night light if needed (see above)
- Speaker to listen to music
- Books and word search
A short walk to River access
There is river access from the reservation. It is a little bit of a walk down a hill from the tipi campsite, but still really close. Down by the Guadalupe river they have dock that sits above the river with chairs. It’s a nice little hangout spot that can accommodate up to 6 people.
Underneath the dock is a swing bench and the river access. We went the first week of April, but this year for some reason it was cooler in April. Naturally the water was SO cold. It is cold year round but since it was also cooler it made it that much more cold.
When summer comes, in June as well as July and August, the Texas summer weather will have the river feeling so good a refreshing from the scorching heat. Floating the river is a Texas summer favorite and almost a rite of passage for new to Texas Texans.
Our family decided to get into the river and it was so cold in early April but we had a lot of fun. We only stayed in for a little while because the sun was setting and the darker it got the colder it became.
Recap and Review
We had a great time on our New Braunfels camping trip! There is so much to do and see. They are known for floating the Guadalupe and Comal rivers, as well as Schlitterbahn, and Historic Gruene Texas. If you are looking for a unique place to stay consider camping in a tipi on the river. Be sure to come back and visit The Fashionable Maven for more Texas travel content. Next up, Waco, TX to visit Magnolia and Plano, TX to visit the dinosaur park.
Have you been to New Braunfels Texas before? Do you travel to other cities in Texas? Which one is your favorite one?
XO,
Jenni
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