New Braunfels: The Texas Hill Country "winter" vacation destination

29/10/2018 04:00

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas, Oct. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Long known for its summer vacations, New Braunfels has developed the infrastructure and its German heritage festival and holiday traditions to grow into a winter vacation destination, too. New Braunfels, heart of the Texas Hill Country, provides some great value-added "theme" winter vacation opportunities like these:

Celebrating the harvest with beer and wine!

Kick off the holiday season with a German tradition and one of the biggest "Oktoberfest" celebrations in the U.S. – Wurstfest, the best ten days in sausage history! It's a unique annual celebration rich in German culture and full of Texas fun! It all happens at Wurstfest – November 2-11.

While you're there, check out the Texas Hill Country Craft Beer Trail, starting with the five breweries in New Braunfels! And, there are 53 unique and visually stunning wineries scattered throughout the Texas Hill Country. You can enjoy two of the top rated wineries in New Braunfels – Dry Comal Creek and La Cruz de Comal.

A nature trip – rivers and lakes and caves, oh my!

New Braunfels is best known for summer fun in the rivers – the Comal River and the Guadalupe River. When it's a little chilly for tubing, however, you can canoe, kayak, stand-up paddle and fish (for rainbow trout) along the Guadalupe River winding through the scenic Texas Hill Country. There's Canyon Lake, with its ‎8,230 surface acres for motor boating, sailing and fishing. There's also Texas Ski Ranch, a cable lake for water skiing, waterboarding and more.

If you like to hike and explore, there's the best show cave in Texas and the opportunity to experience what the original cavers did when they found the mile deep Natural Bridge Caverns. And just next door – the Wildlife Ranch for a Texas safari!

Take a look at The Gorge, cleared by a historic flood and revealing dinosaur prints and the history of a long ago sea. If birding is your interest, New Braunfels is in the southern flyway for migrating birds. Check out Texas Parks & Wildlife's Birds of the Guadalupe River.

All about the music!

The Texas Hill Country is home to a network of dance halls and honky tonks with regular live music events where you can hear popular artists of every musical genre and maybe discover some new up and coming artists! Don't miss these great musical opportunities:

Gruene Hall - Steve Earle & The Dukes: Copperhead Road 30th Anniversary Tour - December 16

Three-time Grammy Award recipient Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. His songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Carl Perkins, Waylon Jennings, Vince Gill and Joan Baez. Gruene Hall continues as the classic venue for Texas music – hosting popular performers of every musical genre and nurturing up and coming artists.

Anhalt Hall - Jeff Woolsey and the Dance Hall Kings - November 17

Anhalt Hall is a Texas dancehall owned and operated by the Germania Farmer Verein, an organization started by German settlers in Central Texas in 1875 to help protect their livestock. The hall has hosted stars like George Strait and was a set in the movie, All the Pretty Horses. It still holds monthly dances and Maifest and Oktoberfest harvest celebrations. Check out this November event for a classic Texas dance hall experience!

To find more live music events in New Braunfels and the surrounding Texas Hill Country, check Radio New Braunfels' Soundcheck!

All about Christmas!

German Christmas traditions permeate American culture. In New Braunfels there's a unique opportunity to enjoy events inspired by historical German celebrations as well as favorite American and Texas Hill Country festivities. Here are a few holiday events you don't want to miss:

Wassailfest – An evening stroll through the streets of Downtown New Braunfels sipping warm wassail and shopping for some unique holiday gifts. The holiday decorations, street entertainment and twinkling lights make this December 6^th event from 6-9 p.m. the perfect mood setter for the upcoming festivities.

Christkindlmarkt – Inspired by the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany, this open air November 30-December 1 Christmas market, complete with the symbolic Christkindl Angel, brings a cherished German and European tradition to New Braunfels. Enjoy German food, drink, music and shopping for unique ornaments, décor and handcrafted artisan gifts.

Christmas at the Caverns – Celebrates the holidays combining the sights and sounds of the season with the natural beauty and wonder of the biggest and best show cave in Texas. Features include a Christmas Campfire with Spelunker Claus, evening hayrides and caroling in the caverns where the sound of Christmas resonates 180 feet below the surface. Choirs from around Texas are featured in this holiday exploration of the spectacular Natural Bridge Cavern December 1-2, 8-9, 15-16 and 22-23.

Gruene Town Lighting – See Cowboy Kringle ride into the Gruene Historic District December 1 to light the village for the holidays. Live musical performances, festival food, and shopping at the more than 30 shops plus a show at the iconic Gruene Hall which is the centerpiece of Gruene shows off a Texas holiday celebration.

For a complete listing of Christmas events in New Braunfels see PlayInNewBraunfels!

As a bonus, New Braunfels, Texas, is also mid-way between two other popular Texas vacation destinations – Austin and San Antonio, which are each only an hour away. New Braunfels – full of lots of winter fun and the great added value of family friendly venues and family friendly prices. Come have fun in New Braunfels!

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