Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Small Town Loving

"Gruene, Texas is the place to be!"
(sung to the tune of the Green Acres theme song)


* this song is amazingly appropriate for our visit to Gruene *

My husband and I are sort of in love with Gruene, Texas. The first time we visited Gruene (pronounced like the color green) was last year in the spring. Little did we know at that time, we would visit the small town again within the next year. Our first trip to Gruene began the little love affair that we now have with the small German-settled Texas town that's located between Austin and New Braunfels.

* our favorite coffee shop in Gruene *

This trip to Gruene was very spur of the moment, and it worked out perfectly to stay the night so we could enjoy the town for the evening. Our first stop while driving through town was the Gruene Coffee Haus. Last year there was a really sweet young woman working at the counter who had a conversation with us like we were quick friends, and she left such a good impression on us (amazing what a little customer service can do) that we made sure to stop by again this time. We enjoyed our drinks, used their free wi-fi to access Hotwire and book another discounted hotel room, and then we walked into town so I could take some pictures! Not much has changed in the year since we visited last, and that's very refreshing going from the city to the small town.

* I still need to buy some Fickle Pickles *

After I captured some pictures around town, we noticed big groups of people heading into the famous Gruene Hall (Texas' oldest dance hall), and we decided we could not pass it up this time. Check out this list of very impressive musicians that have played at Gruene Hall. Upon entering the dance hall, we ordered ourselves a couple of beers and found some open seats in the back of the building. The band playing for the evening was a local Austin band called Stonehoney, and we listened to their music for a few songs. My husband and I enjoyed the live music, felt sort of like we were in a scene from Sweet Home Alabama (city kids returning to small town living), and enjoyed every second spent together around a bunch of happy and fun-loving people. With that being said, we're looking forward to our next visit to Gruene Hall.

* Stonehoney playing at Gruene hall *

* Enjoying some brews and tunes *

After leaving Gruene Hall, we walked to Adobe Verde for dinner and, not surprisingly, more live music! Last year a really great musician, Mark Monaco, played while we ate dinner on the covered porch. This time there was a small band playing in the outdoor dining area. While eating dinner, we looked around at the families enjoying their evening out and had such a great feeling of being at peace with the moment. Needless to day, I am sure we'll visit again.

* music at Adobe Verde *

After our short but sweet time spent in Gruene, we hope to visit again. It's really one of our favorite places, even though we have visited few, in Texas. It sort of feels like home, and that's a good thing.

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Have you ever visited a place that immediately felt like 'home' to you?

6 comments:

  1. Sounds like a lovely trip! Last minute trips are so fun, I love doing stuff like that with my husband.

    Love your blog!

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  2. That sounds wonderful! I cannot wait to go on a few trips this summer. Your posts are making me anxious for that time. hehe Glad you had such a wonderful time!

    ~Natalie

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  3. fun! glad you told me how to pronounce it, because i was failing at that.

    my husband and i loved dallas. and collin (husband) always felt like London felt like home. hence, why we are here for a year.

    and HEY thanks for visiting my blog and for following!! xx

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  4. I have never even heard of this town, but it looks SO adorable. I love small towns like this. They have such a great way of life. I will definitely have to plan to visit there one day!!

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  5. Hey, saw your comment and wanted to answer you! P.S. The town in your post looks awesome!

    I do find it hard to move, just because it is hard to make friends and moving in general is a pain in the butt. We figured while we don't have kids though, now is the perfect time to see the country without any responsibilities tying us down. Traveling therapy also pays really well, and they set us up with housing which we don't pay for so we are trying to save a lot of money for when we eventually want to settle in one area and buy a home, etc.

    We are trying to find spots in the US where friends live, we just haven't gotten that far yet! We are probably going to california for the next job, so I am looking forward to that!!

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