100 Days Across the USA: What John Travolta and George Strait have in Common.

Gruene, Texas---John Travolta wore a winged costume and starred in a non-traditional depiction of an angel in the 1996 movie “Michael”. In one part he danced to the song Chain of Fools across a bar with an old wooden floor. This is Gruene Hall, Texas’s oldest continually run dancehall, in Gruene, Texas (pronounced “Green”) about 40 miles south of Austin. A day trip Sheila and I decided to take and figure out why people referred to it as a destination in Texas.

Arriving in Texas in the mid 1840s, German farmers became the first settlers of what is now known as Gruene, Texas. Ernst Gruene, a German immigrant, and his wife and two sons purchased this land and built the first house and planted cotton. It became the number one cash crop and the cotton business soon brought more families. As the town continued to prosper, the Gruene family built the core buildings of the town including the dance hall. Downfall came in 1922 when the original cotton gin burned and was replaced by a modern electric model in a nearby town. The economic disasters of the boll weevil to the cotton crops and the Depression were too much for the Gruene family businesses and they went under, except for Gruene Hall, which never closed.

This dance hall was built in 1948 and was where a young baby faced George Strait was first discovered. It was the birthplace to many great songwriters and musicians. Including Lyle Lovett, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Hal Ketchum to name a few.

It has hosted Bo Diddley, The Dixie Chicks, Jerry Lee Lewis, Garth Brooks and Willie Nelson on its stage.

We missed seeing the (Kevin) Bacon Brothers play there last week.

It was mid-afternoon on a Thursday and the dance floor was occupied by two-stepping couples dancing to the second band of the day! The place is old. I mean really, really old. License plates were used to patch up the wooden floor in spots around the perimeter. Looking up into the ceiling-less rafters, you could see layers, no…mounds of dust collected from the past hundred years I think. It all added to the character.

We were told that the “must visit” restaurant in town was Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar. Situated on a bluff overlooking the Guadalupe River, this in-door/out-door restaurant nestled under the shade of age old oak trees was originally a cotton gin powered by the river. Note: the signature Jack Daniels Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie WAS totally worth sharing an entrée.

The old county store sat vacant for years until the entire town was brought back to life in the 1970’s and stepping through the doors is a step back in time. A full salsa tasting station and a bunch of funny Texas themed items could be purchased. I just ate my way through the salsa, tried on some cowboy hats and took a few photos.

Shops occupied old houses and more outdoor country music was played under trees at another restaurant. The entire town could have been a movie set for sure. I tried to think of it has it had happened, a place where movie stars and music legends walked.

I do understand the charm of this destination. A little town with a big history.