First thing you need to know about Gruene is how to pronounce it: Green. The second thing you need to know about Gruene is that it's fun.

No matter what your definition of fun is, you are going to find it in Gruene, that little historic district near New Braunfels.

Do you have fun shopping? Gruene has many distinctive shops, like H.D. Gruene's Antique Company or the Gruene General Store. Roam around. In the shops too numerous to mention, you'll discover handmade pottery, outdoor clothing, books, CDs and several walls full of T-shirts, antiques, boutique apparel, candles, sculptures, paintings, handcrafted jewelry, fossils, unusual socks, furniture, toys, Fickle Pickles, pecans, and one wall chock full of candy.

Always wanted to have fun in the Old West? Check out the Smiling Eyes Photo Gallery where you can get Western-themed portraits made.

Want to have fun in the sun? Jump into the adjacent Guadalupe River and float downstream in a canoe, kayak, raft or tube. You'll find several liveries nearby that will rent you watercraft if you don't have your own and will provide shuttle service. The Guad, as it's known around here, is one of the top river recreation destinations in all of Texas.

And, hey, speaking of river fun, the Guad is the southern-most trout stream in the country.

Have fun eating a meal at the Gristmill, a rustic old cotton gin overlooking the river. Since 1977, it serves up some of the best food in the Hill Country. Other restaurants in town offer Mexican food, burgers, homemade soups, and fruit smoothies.

Is wine your fun thing? The Grapevine offers a variety of wines. Taste several without charge. They do beer, too.

Perhaps your idea of fun is listening to fine music. Then Gruene Hall, the oldest honky-tonk in Texas is just the place. The down home venue, built in 1878, features top musicians like Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jerry Jeff Walker, Charlie Robison, Karen Abrahams, Pat Green, Bret Graham.

Looking for the fun of a night's stay in an elegant bed and breakfast? Stay a night or two at the Gruene Mansion Inn, formerly H.D. Gruene's home, carriage house, and corn crib.

Who was this H.D. Gruene?

Henry D. Gruene was the son of one of the first German immigrants to come to New Braunfels and raised cotton on the land around his home. The cotton fields attracted others to the area and Henry began building houses, including the town's first store, now the Gruene General Store. He also built that cotton gin.

The Depression and boll weevils caused the family business to go under, the village nearly disappeared, but the dance hall kept on serving beer and booking musicians.

Then, in 1975, along came Pat Molak.

"I was literally looking for a dance hall," Pat recalls. "I made an offer on another one and thank God they didn't take it. A buddy of mine told me about this old one in New Braunfels. The dance hall was just sitting there and being run as a bar with storage in the back. It was a good joint."

He made repairs and returned the storage area to a dance hall. A friend bought the Gruene Mansion and turned it into a bed and breakfast. With the help of his friend Mary Jane Nalley, Pat worked to preserve the authentic, turn-of-the-century look and feel of Gruene by purchasing and repairing several of the town's most notable structures and transforming them into thriving businesses.

Gruene was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and many of the buildings that were rescued by Molak and Nalley have been awarded a Texas medallion from the Texas Historical Commission.

Soon the Gristmill was theirs, then several other properties. Before long, Gruene was recognized by the Texas travel industry as a premiere attraction for visitors. Why?

"The river is a big attraction," Pat notes, adding that an aggressive Chamber of Commerce also helped. "And we're literally a mile off Interstate 35, about halfway between Austin and San Antonio, right on the edge of the Hill Country. We've been lucky enough to have good folks help us and we've had good neighbors. And then there's our music. After 40 years, that dance hall is great. Musicians love that joint."

Gruene Hall is literally the heart of Gruene, Pat says. It helps that they can book nationally-known musicians so the line-up changes all the time.

Even though the area surrounding Gruene has grown adding shops, restaurants and other businesses in recent years, even though the village gets very crowded some times, the historic district hasn't changed much at all.

"You can still feel Gruene," Pat says. "It still has the same vibe sitting on a bench at the antique store. You're a mile off the freeway but you're stepping back in time. It's still kind of fun."

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