Historic Gruene TX

Gruene (pronounced "green") TX was originally established in the mid-1840's by German farmers. Ernst Gruene and family built the first homes and started planting cotton. More families arrived, a mercantile store was built in 1878, a cotton gin was built on the nearby Guadalupe River, and a dance hall/saloon (Gruene Hall) became the center of social activities.
  All went well until the 1920's when fires, the Depression, and the cotton boll weevil brought an end to the tiny settlement.  All businesses except the Hall went under.
  In 1975 when the Gruene estate was sold, all remaining buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. New shops were added and the old buildings turned into a town again, welcoming visitors to see the old town. Most interesting is Gruene Hall which has never closed...they continued to have music and entertainment daily, and to this day have a band scheduled for every evening. It is billed as the oldest,
continually operating dance hall in Texas. Walls are lined with signed photos of artists like Lyle Lovett, George Strait, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Garth Brooks, and Willie Nelson.
   The movie "Michael" with John Travolta, had it's dance scenes filmed there, and Nolan Ryan celebrated his 50th birthday  at Gruene Hall. And now we can say we've been there!