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A First Glimpse of Texas

Sans Doggies and Yellow Roses

By Joyce Dalton

Decades after I began roaming the globe, I still hadn’t seen our second largest state, unless we count the interior of the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. My earliest images were limited to a fifth grade social studies teacher’s attempts to interest us in the Battle of the Alamo and the annexation of Texas, enlivened by such once popular tunes as “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and “Get Along, Little Doggies.” The latter I always attributed, perhaps wrongly, to Texas which I visualized as an impossibly vast land populated exclusively by cowboys and cattle. While later years brought more realistic expectations, I was totally unprepared for the first stop on a three-town tour when I finally set tourist feet in the state.

NEW BRAUNFELS

Less than an hour after landing in San Antonio, we settled in at a nicely furnished condo overlooking a swiftly flowing river (not the legendary Rio Grande, but the Comal, a new name for my geographic vocabulary). In fact, the town itself, New Braunfels, was a further addition to what I had always considered a pretty impressive list of the world’s towns and villages. The limits of my knowledge about Texas became more evident by the hour.

Nary a cowboy, cactus or sage brush could be found in this neat and very green town of about 37,000 people. Founded in 1845 on 1,265 acres purchased by a German prince, Carl Solms-Braunfels, the settlement grew as wagon trains of German immigrants arrived. Sometimes referred to as the “City of a Prince,” New Braunfels soon attracted artisans, craftsmen, educators, religious leaders and businessmen. During the 1960s and ‘70s, the town began to recognize the tourism potential in its cultural heritage and in the many natural and man-made attractions.

Breakfast in the Park

The best way to start the day, we discovered, was picking up coffee and a Texas-sized mouth-watering sweet roll from Naegelin’s, the oldest bakery in the state, then enjoying it under an ancient oak, beside the lake or in a pretty gazebo in 196-acre Landa Park. Comal Springs, source of its namesake river, surges from countless prehistoric underground limestone formations beneath the park. Early on, I learned that “oldest,” “biggest” and similar superlatives are oft-heard words in these parts and sure enough, Comal Springs is indeed, the state’s largest. Other pleasant park pastimes include boating, inner-tube floats, a one and one-half mile mini-railroad, nature trails, an arboretum, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and an 18-hole golf course.

The Ultimate Waterpark

Boasting the world’s longest tube chute (three miles; see above note re superlatives), Schlitterbahn proclaims itself the world’s only waterpark “resort,” due to the two hotels incorporated into the park’s 65 acres. Each of the six themed areas is a family-fun attraction in its own right. Try, if you dare, the Master Blaster, an uphill water coaster; plunge head-first over watery moguls on a speed sled; if you prefer feet-first, let water plummet you down steep slides or challenge the waves for some surfing. More gentle souls can opt for hot tubs, wave pools, lazy floats, a water fun house dubbed Han’s Hideout, a Kinderlund filled with fairytale adventures for kids, and swim-up refreshment bars to suit all ages.

Floating Down the River, Action-Style

For “toobing,” rafting or canoeing on the Cormal or Guadalupe rivers, check out the many options at Rockin ‘R’ River Rides. Choose from tubes with or without bottoms, rafts for three to six people, single person inflatable or ocean kayaks, and inflatable canoes for two. The company, in business for more than 20 years, owns 5,000 inner tubes and 300 rafts. With four locations, it’s (you guessed it!) the largest in Texas. The 24-mile rafting run begins at Canyon Lake and passes through both easy-flowing waters and rapids. Rafters can choose to exit at several points along the route where the company will pick you up. Floaters, who can be as young as six, drift along in tubes designed for 18-wheeler tires. Rockin ‘R’ River Rides has organized team building workshops on the Guadalupe River emphasizing such elements as whitewater rescue, boat walk, boat spin and boat flip. Glowing letters from  various companies attest to the success of these group efforts.

Wildlife out the Window

To say that the Soechting family loves animals is as much understatement as stating that kids like ice cream. The Soechtings grew up on ranches so cattle and goats were familiar critters. Giraffes, rhinos and zebras came later --- in 1984, to be exact, when they opened Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch on land that had been in the family for more than 100 years. Today, three generations of the family run a first class drive-through safari park where more than 50 species from every continent except Antarctica roam on terrain much like their natural habitats. The park is divided into the Maasai Savannah, the Kenyan Preserve, the Kilamanjaro Overlook, the Tatonka Range and the Walk-a-Bout. In the latter area, we easily could have spent an hour watching a two-week-old ringtail lemur and a five-day-old black and white ruffed lemur. As we drove around, zebras, emus and ostriches tried to stick their heads into the car, mouths open for a bit of alfalfa from the cup each visitor is given. Another old western tune, “Home on the Range,” hails the land where “the deer and the antelope play.” Certainly, both seem to be enjoying life here where such antelope species as gemsbok, addax, blackbuck, blesbok, eland, greater kudu, red lechwe, dama gazelle, schmitar-horned oryx and nilgai  play to their hearts content, along with an impressive variety of deer including axis, barasingha, and Formosan and Japanese sika.  We stopped at Faru Majumba, Swahili for “rhino large house,” to admire Bertha, Goliath and Rowdy, a lively young male. Mud puddles are part of their specially designed environment so they can enjoy a good roll now and then, providing a protective coating for their sensitive skin.  The Southern White Rhinoceros is but one of the endangered species (lemurs, Addax antelope and schmitar-horned oryx are others) that Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch seeks to perpetuate by providing homes that replicate their natural surroundings. Twiga Makazi, or “giraffe dwelling,” houses seven beautiful long-necks, five of which were born on the premises. In addition to their sizeable back yard, the giraffes’ winter home is a 21-feet-tall thermostat- controlled facility which maintains the proper climate. The Soechtings’ most recent project is an “eye to eye encounter” with the giraffes via a tall platform which visitors climb so the two species can practice some cross-cultural communication. 

In a Cavern, in a Cavern

If old tunes keep swirling ‘round your head, as they did mine, continue a short distance southeast on Rt. 3009 from the Wildlife Ranch to Natural Bridge Caverns. These particular natural wonders weren’t discovered while “excavating for a mine” as the song “My Darlin’ Clementine” put it, but in 1960 by four cavers, students at a San Antonio university. Texas’ largest (of course!) underground attraction, designated both a State Historical Site and a Registered National Natural Landmark, offers a 75-minute guided tour through the North Cavern, covering ¾ mile. With 95% of the formations still “alive,” meaning dripping, flowing and changing, the caverns are continually, however slowly (formations grow an average of one cubic inch every 100 years), changing. The tour passes through the aptly named Bear Pit where explorers found the 8,000-year-old jawbone of a black bear; the Castle of the White Giants, a vast room containing such features as a 50 ft.-high column called the Watchtower and the most massive stalagmite in the cavern, the Mount of the Landlord, with smaller formations alongside resembling castles; Sherwood Forest, 180 ft. below the surface and filled with tall, slender stalagmites, and the Hall of the Mountain King which is the size of a football field and is home to Fried Egg Stalagmites, where slowly dripping water deposits calcite in the center, forming a dark yellow crystal surrounded by an outer white ring. The truly adventurous can make reservations for a three to four hour tour of the South Cavern. The group (maximum 10) can choose to enter through a walk-in tunnel or be lowered via a wrench-operated rope down a 160 ft. long, 22-inch wide shaft. Following the first explorers’ original trail, visitors make their way along a rough path covered with mud and loose rocks. Expect climbs and a rappel while decked out in a jumpsuit, harness, helmet, headlamp, rappelling gear and a pack for essentials, all provided by Natural Bridge Caverns.

New Braunfels Miscellaneous

Just under 50 historic buildings, dating from 1850 to 1929, are listed on a suggested walking or driving tour around town. Museum fanciers can choose from themes devoted to railroads, handmade furniture, hands-on exhibits for children, and old firefighting equipment. Shopping ops abound, ranging from antiques to fossils to a farmers’ market. Two adjoining stores can be especially recommended --- Accents, which features home furnishings and decorative accessories, often with a western theme, and The Collection, devoted to fine clothing and accessories for women in both western and classic designs. Each November, the town hosts a Wurstfest where folks chow down on German sausages and early May brings the annual Fiesta Mexicana. One of the state’s oldest and largest county fairs takes place in September, while beginning in November, visitors and locals alike enjoy 17 holiday events in 52 days during Festtage.

GRUENE

Situated on the banks of the Guadalupe River and just minutes from the center of New Braunfels, the entire town of Gruene (pronounced Green) is on the National Register of Historic Places. Like New Braunfels, it owes its origins to German settlers, particularly the Gruene family, cotton farmers who within a few years of arrival, opened a mercantile store and built a cotton gin. However, between boll weevils, the movement of locals to cities and the stock market crash of 1929, Gruene was on the way to ghost town status. Revitalization came in the mid-1970s when Pat Molak and Mary Jane Nalley became business partners and set about acquiring and restoring a number of old buildings, then opening them for business. Gradually, Gruene became the kind of unique, true-to-its-time place that tourists adore.

Gruene Hall

Built in 1878, Texas’ oldest dance hall (Gruene claims its share of superlatives, too) is a 6,000 sq. ft. wooden structure that keeps its renovations well hidden. The tin roof, rafters, wooden ventilation flaps and vast open dance floor surrounded by 1930s and ‘40s advertisements touting beers and such local establishments as the “Odorless Dry Cleaners” clue visitors in pretty quickly that this is a place for jeans, cowboy boots and a good time. A century ago, Gruene Hall hosted weekly dances for the region’s tenant farmers. Since Molak and Nalley came to town, the dance floor’s stage has held the likes of George Strait, Lyle Lovett, Arlo Guthrie, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks and the Dixie Chicks. More than a few stars of country music have gotten their start here as the autographed covering the walls of the front rooms attest. The hall and its adjoining beer garden have provided the set for music videos, commercials and movies, including the dance scene in the John Travolta film, “Michael,” and sections of a BBC documentary called “A Texas Saturday Night.” >From my point of view, the BBC had it right --- a Saturday night (Thursday, Friday or Sunday, as well, plus seven nights per week in summer) at Gruene Hall is just what I expected Texas to be.

The Gristmill River Restaurant

Once upon a time, the waters of the Guadalupe powered a cotton gin situated on the river’s banks. Although a fire destroyed the wooden structure in the 1920s, the three-story brick boiler room remained and today, forms part of the Gristmill River Restaurant. The multi-level eatery’s decks and patios offer great river views while indoor dining areas feature stone fireplaces and a cheery, casual ambience. A wood-burning stove warms the bar lounge on chilly evenings and year-round, tasty Texas specialties, including thick steaks, catfish, grilled chicken, pecan pie and fudge pie, await hungry tourists. Molak and Nalley’s vision turned a boiler room into an architecturally interesting spot for lunch, dinner or a signature margarita.

Gruene Mansion Inn

Verandahs stretch across the front, a towering cupola rises at one end, green shutters frame windows reaching almost from floor to ceiling and gingerbread adorns the white columns of this Victorian B&B dating to 1872. The original structure was a four-room, one-story home. Now, it’s a 30-room inn with two guest rooms in the main house and the rest in six buildings spread among the property’s trees and plants. Accommodation choices include the Carriage House, the Honeymoon Hayloft, the River Tree Loft and the Corn Crib, each distinct in architecture, furnishings and décor. The Corn Crib, for example, sports flowered wallpaper, beamed ceilings, a small living room, kitchenette, bath with claw foot tub and a queen-sized bed upstairs. Who would guess it was once a barn? Though Victorian on the exterior, the main house’s interior is German faekwerk with brick walls three layers thick. Reception, the breakfast room and the Paul Tadlock Fine Art Gallery are situated here. According to proprietor Cecil Eager, guests can opt to have their breakfast table set up in the Gallery, surrounded by paintings and sculpture.

Ambling around Town

For most visitors, a stroll around Gruene means lots of shop stops, as much to appreciate the authentically restored buildings (in most cases, thanks to Molak and Nalley) as to admire the crafts and gift items within. Built in the 1870s by one of the original settlers, H. D. Gruene, the General Store recreates the past with an old-time soda fountain and candy counter. Some 30 years later, the same Mr. Gruene constructed a two-story brick building which served as bank, post office and dry goods store; today, this houses the Gruene Antique Company, where more than two dozen dealers display collectibles, furniture and decorative items. For country, cowboy and western accessories, check out Lone Star Country Goods, located in a house dating to 1875 and purchased from the first owner by (who else?) H. D. Gruene for his son and daughter-in-law. In need of a unique vase or bowl? Don’t miss Buck Pottery where artisan Dee Buck creates interesting and useful objects of Texas clay, glazed and fired in wood and gas fueled kilns. Wood and soda ash melt on the pottery, lending a natural glaze finish. Interested visitors can observe Buck shaping objects on the studio’s wheel. What do lumberyards and fine wines have in common? In Gruene, the answer is The Grapevine, where you can enjoy complimentary wine tastings and look over an impressive array of wines, champagne, specialty beers and wine accessories. The shop occupies an early 20^th century building which once served as a storage barn for the local lumberyard. Every third weekend February - November, more than 100 artists set up crafts booths for Old Gruene Market Days. A special Christmas Market features with Cowboy Kringle along with the crafts. In October, the town hosts a Texas Clay Festival where some 50 crafts people demonstrate and exhibit ceramics and every second Sunday, except during January, Gruene Hall holds a Gospel Brunch (with a Texas twist) where visitors light into seasoned roast beef, oven roasted turkey breast with gravy and cranberry dressing, smoked Polish wedding sausage, pepper bacon, buttermilk biscuits and much more while listening to some of the best gospel singers around. There’s plenty more, but you get the notion that Gruene, Texas is a pretty special destination.

LAREDO

Among the scores of golden, western oldies, “The Streets of Laredo” has to be one of the most familiar. A three-hour drive from New Braunfels, including a detour for a quick glimpse of The Alamo in San Antonio, brought us exactly to those very streets. If my first glimpse of Texas wasn’t exactly the Wild West of old movies, Laredo, hard by the Rio Grande and the Mexican border, certainly was. True, I didn’t see any gun fights or even many saloons or cowboy hats, but the frontier ambience was there, along with unmistakable Spanish and pioneering influences.

Along the Streets of Laredo

Armed with a readily available walking tour brochure, it’s easy to take in the town’s historic district, starting with San Agustin Plaza, the center of Spanish colonial Laredo. In 1886, the plaza was the scene of a shoot-out between the Botas (Boots) and the Guaraches (Sandels), rival political groups. Even more intriguing is the fact that Laredo was the capital of the short-lived (January to November 1840) Republic of the Rio Grande, a bit of history most of us never learned about in school. The Republic of the Rio Grande Museum, situated on the Plaza, offers an introductory lesson. La Posada Hotel, dating to the early 20^th century, stands next to the museum. On the east side of the Plaza, the Gothic Revival San Agustin Church, built in 1872, claims nice stained glass windows. For a rather unusual visit, also on the Plaza, check out the Washington’s Birthday Celebration Museum, housing costumes and other memorabilia from Laredo’s 16-day festival held each February in honor of America’s first president. In addition to a Colonial Ball, the celebration features a jalapeno eating contest and a Princess Pocahontas, encompassing several cultural elements in one period of merry-making.  A number of grand 19^th century stone and brick homes line the Plaza. A second focus of historic interest centers around Jarvis Plaza. Sites here include the Federal Building and Post Office, constructed at the turn of the 20^th century in Classical Revival style; the Hamilton Hotel, an Art Deco structure with Spanish Colonial Revival elements, and the Southern Hotel, built in 1889 with Late Victorian touches and originally part of the Hamilton. Neither property now functions as a hotel, but the Hamilton houses a restaurant known for the artistic presentation of its dishes. For the foot-weary, the tour of Laredo’s historic district could be taken by trolley.

Spices, Herbs and Perhaps, Lunch

No sooner have you entered La India than your senses of sight and smell seem overwhelmed. Brightly colored packets of more than 300 herbs, 60 spices and seasonings, and large bars of a rich Mexican cacao used in a delicious hot chocolate drink line all the walls and counters. It was in this same small house that the Rodriguez family business began back in 1924 as a grocery selling sundries and Mexican chocolate. Today, the third generation of the family markets its products in major Texas cities and recently, has expanded distribution throughout the U.S. and abroad, particularly in areas with significant Hispanic populations. One room of the house serves as La India Tasting Room where lunch is served amid old family pictures Monday through Friday between 11:00 and 4:00; reservations are essential.

A Little Night Music

With all those Texas-inspired melodies running through visitors’ heads, what would be more fitting than an evening at the Laredo Entertainment Center? This $37 million, 178,000 sq. ft. facility frequently hosts some of the biggest names in U.S. and Mexican music. During my stay, it was Mariachi Vargas, the top Mexican mariachi group, according to aficionados. After seeing these performers first hand, I’d say this is one bit of Texas hyperbole that’s right on target.

South of the Border

“South of the border, down Mexico way,” runs the old tune. And from Laredo, going south of the border is as simple as walking or driving across one of two bridges to Nuevo Laredo. U.S. citizens may travel within a 26-mile area of Mexico for up to 72 hours without a permit, though carrying proof of U.S. citizenship (passport, birth certificate or driver’s license) is wise. Unless shopping is the only goal, visitors can take in Juarez Plaza, site of some of Nuevo Laredo’s early public buildings; Plaza Hidalgo, which remembers a famed hero of Mexican independence; the Old Federal Palace with balconies, facades and other architectural touches reminiscent of the Mexican state of Guanajuato; Plaza Mexico, known for its vast library; the Municipal Palace, housing various government offices; Benito Juarez Circle noted for a 39 ft. monument dedicated to former President Juarez; the Cathedral del Espiritu Santo, an Art Noveau structure with white marble statues of the 12 apostles within, and the Esteban Baca Calderon Court, an open courtyard where dances and concerts are held. Most of these sights also can be viewed by horse-drawn carriage. On Washington’s birthday, Nuevo Laredo dignitaries join those of their sister city for an abrazo (embrace) on International Bridge #2.

For shoppers, Mercado Maclovio Herrera, just three blocks from International Bridge #1, houses some 200 shops selling everything from piñatas, pottery, colorful tiles, and silver jewelry to cigars, liquor and candy. Food and margaritas are never far away; neither are strolling musicians.

It’s not without reason that Laredo tourism folk hit on such slogans as “The Color of Cultures” and “Los Dos Laredos.”

If you go ….

Suggested accommodations:

Gruene Mansion Inn. (Description in text.) Tel: 830/629-2641. www.gruenemansioninn.com. Rates run $119 to $$219, excluding tax.

T Bar M Ranch. New Braunfels. Tel: 830/625-7738 or 800/292-5469. www.tbarm.com. Set on 160 acres, T Bar M started life as a camp and tennis ranch. Today, guests are housed in several buildings offering one-, two- and three-bedroom units, many featuring such amenities as washer/dryers, wood-burning fireplaces, beamed ceilings, balconies, hand-made Texas furnishings and Ralph Lauren bedspreads. Activities include five swimming pools, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a sports complex, and hiking, jogging or biking around the property. The resort has an on-site restaurant, bar and eight meeting and conference rooms. Rates run $85 to $195, excluding tax. Additionally, the property offers a variety of special packages such as a Wimbledon weekend which includes 10 hours of tennis instruction with a video analysis, meals and accommodations; a number of themed all-inclusives, and a Challenge Course for corporate groups.

Holiday Inn Laredo Civic Center. Tel: 956/727-5800 or 800/HOLIDAY. www.holiday-inn.com. This centrally located property has 203 guest rooms and suites furnished in southwestern décor and provisioned with coffee makers, hair dryers and irons and ironing boards. The Terraza Verde Restaurant features American and international dishes, while the Covey Lounge boasts live entertainment and complimentary hors d’oeuvres on weekends. Other facilities include an outdoor pool with Jacuzzi, an exercise room, a business center, six meeting rooms accommodating five to 400 people, and complimentary shuttle service to the airport, International Bridge #2, and the Mall del Norte. Room rates range from $78 to $375.

La Posada Hotel & Suites. Laredo. Tel: 956/722-1701 or 800/444-2099. www.laposadahotel.com. This Spanish-colonial hotel, built in the early 20^th century, fronts San Agustin Plaza. The convention and meeting center was originally a convent and the property’s Tack Room Bar & Grill occupies Laredo’s early telephone exchange and a private home. Some of its 208 guest rooms, including 57 suites, have courtyard patios or balconies overlooking the Rio Grande. In addition to the Tack Room, diners can choose El Café, offering Mexican and American food, the swim-up Bougainvillea Bar for drinks and snacks, and the elegant Tesoro Club featuring live entertainment, Continental cuisine, and a Sunday champagne brunch. There are a total of 14 meeting and banquet facilities. Rates vary with the season and range from $89 to $458 (the latter accommodating four people in the presidential suite).

Texas Tourism Official Site: www.TravelTex.com

Additional contact information for New Braunfels and Gruene:

Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce. Tel: 800/572-2626. www.nbjumpin.com

Gruene. Tel: 830/629-5077. www.gruene.net

New Braunfels Downtown Association. Tel: 830/626-0382. www.newbraunfelsdowntown.com

Accents. Tel: 830/629-2414.

The Collection. Tel: 830/625-6826.

Naegelin’s Bakery. Tel: 830/625-5722. www.naegelins.com

Natural Bridge Caverns. Tel: 210/651-6101. www.naturalbridgecaverns.com

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. Tel: 830/438-7400. www.nbwildliferanchtx.com

Rockin “R” River Rides. Tel: 800/55-FLOAT. www.rockinr.com

Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort. Tel: 830/625-2351. www.schlitterbahn.com

Gruene Hall. Tel: 830/606-1281, www.gruenehall.com

Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar. Tel: 830/625-0684. www.gristmillrestaurant.com

Old Gruene Market Days. Tel: 830/629-6441. www.GrueneMarketDays.com

Buck Pottery. Tel: 830/629-7975

The Grapevine. Tel: 830/606-0093

Additional contact information for Laredo:

City of Laredo Convention & Visitors Bureau. Tel: 800/361-3360. www.visitlaredo.com

Webb County Heritage Foundation. Tel: 956/727-0977. www.webbheritage.org

La India Packing Company & The Tasting Room Café. Tel: 956/723-3772. www.laindiaherbsandspices.com

Republic of the Rio Grand Museum. Tel: 956/727-0977

Washington’s Birthday Celebration Museum. Tel: 956/723-8197. www.wbcmuseum.com

Mariachi Vargas image by Texas A&M International University of Laredo, courtesy of Laredo Convention & Visitors Bureau.

All other images by Joyce Dalton

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