The B&B we stayed in last time was booked, so we chose to stay at the Gruene Mansion Inn right next to Gruene Hall. Since Melodie was with us, we rented the Bluebonnet Lodge, which was a 1-bedroom with a loft. (Mel refused to let me take even one picture of her so you won't see her here!)
We had a porch with a "view" of the Guadalupe River obscured by trees. Amazingly, it was cool enough to sit out there most days, although there were a few mosquitos.
We arrived around 2:30 from Dallas and were allowed to check in right away. We explored our lodge and got settled, then Ben and I went over to Gruene Hall so he could get a beer after the long drive. They had a guy singing and playing guitar.
That night, we realized we could hear the music from Gruene Hall from our room which kept us awake. The B&B is in a great location, but this was a bit of a drawback. Luckily, the Hall doesn't stay open too late!
We then walked down to the Winery on the Gruene where I did a wine tasting. I got 4 glasses of my choosing for $3—can’t beat that. We got caught in a downpour and had to wait it out on the porch.
We then went over to a bar called Mozie’s because I saw they had a pineapple upside down cake martini that I wanted.
We then went and got Mel and had dinner at the Gristmill where we had eaten in 2010. I got a burger and Ben got fried catfish and it was all good. We went back to the Mansion and watched the World Cup semi-final and the Texas Rangers game, then went to bed.
The next day Mel woke up not feeling great so Ben and I decided to float the Comal river today and save Schlitterbahn for the next day so she could go with us. We all 3 had our breakfast at the Mansion.
Ben and I drove to Landa Falls Park where we rented our tubes ($15 for tubes with bottoms) and started our float.
This was only our second time tubing and we still didn’t really have the hang of it but we managed. The weather was perfect, alternating between sun and clouds and with a nice breeze. The Comal is generally a calm float, however, there are a few places with drop offs/rapids and there is also a big tube chute (you can exit before if you don’t want to go down it). We went down the tube chute and while I stayed in my tube, I did lose a contact lens and Ben lost his hat. It’s a pretty big splash! Overall, it was a great day and only cost us $30 for the tube rental.
We got back to the Mansion around 2:00 and picked up Mel for lunch at Gruene River Grill.
We spent the rest of the day walking around and going in all the shops. We stopped and had a drink at a little place called the Grapevine.
We also walked down to where you could see the Guadalupe River so that I could take pictures. It was very high and closed to tubers.
Later we stopped and had $4 happy hour margaritas and chips and salsa at Cantina Del Rio.
Since we had such a late lunch, we decided on the Gruene Door for dinner since I saw on their menu they had small plates and I also wanted to go get a martini next door at Gruene Tinis. For dinner I had two “small” plates—I was expecting tapas but these were more like full appetizer portions and Ben had to help me finish it. He got the shrimp and grits which he said was really good.
We then went next door and I got my Snickers “martini” and it was delicious.
On Thursday our plan was to get up and eat as soon as breakfast started and get to Schlitterbahn before it opened. But we didn’t get out the door and to the park until around 11:00. Mel still didn't feel well and decided not to go but she joined us for breakfast.
At Schlitterbahn, we spent the day riding some rides and getting a drink at one of the pool bars. We spent about 5 hours at the park. You really do need a day at each side of the park to see it all.
Since we had not eaten since breakfast, we picked up Mel for an early dinner at Cantina Del Rio where I had the fish tacos and they were delicious.
That night, Ben and I went to Oma Gruene’s Secret Garden which was a little outdoor bar with live music right next door to the Mansion. Tonight was the night Charlie Daniels was playing at Gruene Hall and it was very crowded. We were so tired we fell asleep before they were done playing!
Friday morning we packed up and had our last breakfast before hitting the road. I spent some time on the porch for the last time.
I walked around and took a few pictures of the grounds.
We had a great time here and I would come back and not change a thing. The whole trip was all about relaxing and having fun and that’s exactly what we did.
