Grooving in Gruene with music, shopping, and Gardens of Texas

Gruene is one of my favorite Texas daytrips. On any given Saturday afternoon, you’ll find a band playing for tips in the old-timey dancehall…… Read More

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March 25, 2026

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A day trip to tiny Gruene, an hour south of Austin, has been one of my favorite excursions for as long as I’ve lived in Texas. On any given Saturday afternoon, you’ll find a band playing for tips in the old-timey dancehall. Gift and antique shops, restaurants and tasting rooms line the town’s two streets. Grab a riverside table on the decks at the Gristmill Restaurant (go early to beat the crowd), and you can watch tubers float the Guadalupe while you wolf down a chicken-fried steak.

HD Gruene Mercantile

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On a recent visit, I checked out brand-new H.D. Gruene Mercantile, “the oldest new shop in town” in the red-brick general store building.

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And what did I spot on the shelves? My new book, Gardens of Texas!

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Here…

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…there…

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…and everywhere. I was charmed by the store’s buy-in on my book, of course, but also by its fun selection of gifts, home goods, and clothing. I bought a ceramic good-luck horseshoe decorated with flowering red yuccas along with a few Gruene souvenirs.

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A mini Gruene Hall playhouse was popular with young kids.

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Amusingly, it even has a neon beer sign inside. I hope there are toy guitars and fiddles in there too — teach ’em early!

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Gruene Hall is even rendered in birdseed, for bird-loving shoppers.

Gruene Hall

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The real Gruene Hall stands right across the street under the water tower. Its white, flat facade with a mishmash of windows and doors under that iconic arching font opens into…

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…a long, spacious hall with neon beer signs and creaky wooden floors sanded smooth by years of two-stepping. Air conditioning has never made an appearance here — just screened windows and sweating bottles of beer to keep you cool on a warm March day. Have I ever been here during the furnace of a Texas summer? I don’t recall, so I suspect not.

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Sarah Schafer and the Hired Help were playing when we walked in and found a seat right in front of the stage.

Who can resist a Texas twang and yodel? Not me.