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New Braunfels Attractions

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Comal River  | McKinney Falls State Park  |

New Braunfels, Texas

New Braunfels, Texas is located about 25 miles from San Antonio and is part of Comal and Guadalupe counties in the North part of South Texas. New Braunfels is a quaint little town with a rich German American history. New Braunfels in German means brown rock. New Braunfels tourism is centered mostly on two Rivers; the Comal River and the Guadalupe River. New Braunfels is most popular in the summer because much of its attractions involve tubing, white water rafting, swimming, or a day at Schlitterbahn Water Park.

Attractions in New Braunfels

New Braunfels is recognized as one of the best small towns in Texas while still having the benefit of nearby big cities. Downtown New Braunfels is famous for its historic plaza. This quaint little plaza features fine dining, historic buildings, relaxing coffee shops, festivals, and cultural centers. Downtown New Braunfels also offers antique shopping, and theatre.

New Braunfels also has a historic ghost town called Gruene. Gruene contains many historic buildings and can be researched through the Sophienburg Museum and Archives. Sophienburg Museum is a dedicated to the history of New Braunfels and is located on the spot chosen to by one of New Braunfels founders to build a castle for his fiance.

Attractions near New Braunfels

If there is time while visiting New Braunfels, San Antonio is only 30 miles away. San Antonio is the second largest city in Texas but it does not have big city atmosphere that most big cities have. The relaxed San Antonio atmosphere can be mostly attributed to the River Walk. The San Antonio River Walk offers an outdoors retreat from the surrounding city. Another major city near New Braunfels is Austin, the capitol of Texas. Austin is only 45 miles from New Braunfels. Austin is also a very unique city in Texas. The combination of the college students from the University of Texas and the live music atmosphere contributes to the appeal of Austin.

State Parks:

Texas has almost 100 State parks, 6 of which are less than an hour from New Braunfels. These six nearby State Parks are: Guadalupe River State Park, McKinney Falls State Park, Palmetto State Park, Lockhart, Blanco, and Hill Country State Natural Area.

Guadalupe River State Park consists of about 1938 acres along the Guadalupe River. This area includes about 4 miles of river frontage. Guadalupe River State Park is most known for swimming, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing.

McKinney Falls State Park is a 744-acre park just outside of Austin and about 50 minutes north of New Braunfels. This park features several miles of trails, the ruins of a historic house, the famous Smith Rock Shelter, and of course the beautiful McKinney Falls.

Palmetto State Park is a 270-acre park located about 45 minutes from New Braunfels. Palmetto State Park features camp grounds, a picnic pavilion, hiking trails, fishing, birding, nature study, swimming, tubing, canoeing, and pedal boat rentals. Palmetto State Park sites include an oxbow lake, the San Marcos River, an artesian well, and several species of tropical plants including the Dwarf Palmetto.

Lockhart State Park located near Palmetto State Park about 45 minutes from New Braunfels is a 263-acre State Park. This park includes several miles of hiking trails, a beautiful waterfall on Clear Fork Creek, and a 9-hole golf course.

Blanco State Park is a 104-acre park along the Blanco River near New Braunfels. This park features great swimming areas around man made waterfalls and huge camp areas with electricity.

Hill Country State Natural Area is a 5300-acre park north west of New Braunfels. This park features around 40 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. The sites of Hill Country State Natural Area include hills, natural springs, oak groves, grasslands, and canyons.