This 25-acre Texas burg is one of HGTV’s ‘most charming’ small towns in the country
A town of only 25 acres and a population of 20 made HGTV’s list of the “Top 50 most charming small towns in the U.S.”
Gruene (pronounced like the color green) is a one-street town located in the Hill Country. Most people know it for its historical music hall, Gruene Hall, which has famously hosted Willie Nelson, George Strait and The Chicks.
HGTV compiled a list of small towns, one from each state, that are worth visiting, highlighting “quaint shops and restaurants, fascinating histories, fun experiences and natural beauty.”
No other Texas towns made an appearance. However, Oklahoma’s small town mention, Medicine Park, is closer to Fort Worth than Gruene is, at about 2 hours and 45 minutes away. Gruene is about a four-hour drive from Fort Worth.
[MORE: 10 driving destinations within two hours of Fort Worth]
If you want to make a visit, here’s what you should know.
All about Gruene, Texas
The tiny Texas town of Gruene is a district located within New Braunfels, a rapidly growing suburb of the Hill Country. And if you want a taste of big Texas cities, San Antonio and Austin are within an hour away.
You can spend a whole day in Gruene, with small business shops, Texan-influenced restaurants and of course, live entertainment at the music hall.
The city’s original buildings, which were built from 1800 to the early 1900s, were almost lost to developers until an architecture student from UT saw the town and led an effort to preserve the area’s historic significance in the 1970s. Now, Gruene is on the National Register of Historic Places.
“The original buildings in Gruene, Texas, built circa 1800 to 1900s, almost fell to developers until an architecture student from the University of Texas at Austin saved the day.” According to HGTV, “His efforts helped land the town on the National Register of Historic Places.”
As you walk around you feel as though you are in a tiny western film because the shops have held their architectural integrity from the 1900s. Restaurants like the Gristmill and Gruene River Grill line the bright teal Guadalupe River.
You can start your day by eating at a barbecue or Tex-Mex eatery and then walk along Gruene Road to visit the shops.
Shops include an old general store straight from the boondocking days, a cowboy hat shop, beauty and bath house with custom products, and the Rusty Rooster, where you can make $2 charm bracelets. To end the day, you can enjoy live music with your pets at Grapevine Gruene which serves “frozes” and a selection of Texas wines.
According to WeatherSpark, the best time to visit the Texas Hill Country is May through September since that is when the weather is the warmest.