Travel Planners

“ONLY A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING IS NOT INTERESTED IN HIS PAST,” SAID SIGMUND FREUD. 

New Braunfels cherishes its early Texas history and the German immigration heritage that makes it so unique…

The German influence is hard to miss in New Braunfels. The names alone will give you a clue: Places in the city like the Sophienburg Museum and the Wursthalle, center of the 10-day celebration of that German favorite – sausage, and in the surrounding countryside – Anhalt and Sangerhalle.

Find your family history – If your personal heritage is German and especially if it is Texas German, New Braunfels is a gold mine of history. The Sophienburg Archives & Museum of History houses artifacts and displays of early life in New Braunfels. The Sophienburg Archives preserves the written history of the area through hundreds of thousands of personal papers and public documents and a collection of millions of photographs of people and places in and around New Braunfels. Texas. Newspapers, books and periodicals dating from the 1850’s to the present are also available. For research into early German Texan history or German Texan genealogy a visit to the Sophienburg Archives is a must. Most German Texans find their roots here.

Take a trip back in time – The Heritage Village Museum includes the 1858 Breustedt-Dillen house (a registered national, state and city historic landmark), an early Texas farmhouse of fachwerk construction, which houses the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture—a collection of over seventy pieces of Texas Biedermeier furniture (circa 1845 – 1880) including prominent local German cabinetmakers Jahn, Stauzenberger, Scholl and Tietze. An 1850’s limestone and log structure summer kitchen and smokehouse along with a barn structure housing a Cabinet Shop complete with a collection of antique furniture maker’s tools completes the setting. The 1847 Reininger log cabin next door, a two room dog-trot structure, is furnished to showcase the lives of the first settlers to arrive in New Braunfels from Germany. Other structures on the grounds are: Solms School, an early 1900’s Comal County rural schoolhouse, and the Specht farmhouse.

Historic Old Town includes the 1870 Church Hill School, the 1853 Baetge House, the 1849 Greune three cabin log house/barn, the 1865 J.L. Forke Store, the 1845 Jahn House, and the 1955 Blank Haus and Seibold Haus as well many other historic structures. In town, the Lindheimer Home is one of the oldest structures in New Braunfels with tours available on request.

Recharge and rest – When you’ve tired of time travel and need a recharge, try these historical places for food and rest!

Faust Hotel – It was known as “The Honeymoon Hotel” during the Second World War because it was popular with soldiers stationed at nearby military bases who brought their brides to New Braunfels before shipping off to fight in the war. The Faust was renovated in the 1980s with extreme care taken to preserve the hotel’s original beauty. It is a Texas Historic Landmark and still retains the décor and panache of the 1930s with finely crafted furniture, a beautiful mirrored elevator, artwork from the period, an antique piano, and a vintage microbrewery for fun. (Oh, and they say there’s a friendly ghost, too!)

Prince Solms Inn – The Prince Solms Inn Bed & Breakfast has been in continuous operation since being built by German craftsmen in 1898! Originally named the Comal Hotel by the Eggeling family who built and operated it for more than 50 years, it is the oldest operational hotel in New Braunfels. The lumber in the inn is cypress, milled from giant trees cut from the banks of the Guadalupe River. Ceilings soar to 14 feet in height on the first floor, 13 feet in height on the second floor. The beautiful front entry doors are 10 feet high and contain exquisitely detailed etched glass. These doors came from a hotel in Galveston that was destroyed by hurricane in the 1900. The bronze fittings that hold the doors were purchased in Europe. The Prince Solms Inn is a registered Texas heritage landmark.

There are many choices for accommodations, however, in New Braunfels. From camping to B&Bs to hotels and motels, this favorite summer vacation destination for generations of Texans has lots of choices!

When you get hungry – It’s a must to stop by Naegelin’s Bakery, 150 years old this year, the oldest continuously operating bakery in the state of Texas. The fresh cookies, pastries, pies and cakes from the family-run bakery are of historic proportions and a timeless quality.
Friesenhaus – A German restaurant opened by recently immigrated Günter and Cornelia Dirks, their sons Peter (20) and Walter (18.) You’ll find sausages, “Pretzel” or a “mass bier,” Weisswurst, Pretzel and Leberkäse, Berliner Currywurst, Bouletten or Thüringer or Nürnberger sausages (just to name some of them), marinated herring, Matjes and Rollmops, homemade Sauerbraten or Rouladen with red cabbage and Spätzle, Wiener Schnitzel, pea soup or different kinds of Schnitzel and Friesenhaus’s own German bread, “Brötchen” (German rolls) cakes and tarts. There are wines from Germany’s best wine areas and 14 different German beers are available on draft all served in the right glasses.

Myron’s Prime Steak House – A casual but elegant dining experience in the old Palace Movie Theatre in historic downtown New Braunfels, Myron’s specializes in Chicago prime beef (The top 2% of all prime beef in the United States), this lovely, intimate restaurant provides a full bar as well as an extensive wine list featuring wines by the glass and by the bottle. Proprietor Bill Been has 26 years of restaurant experience and has worked in top metropolitan restaurants.

WALKING TOURS   

Self-Paced Walking Tour
Scenes from an earlier way of life in Historic Downtown New Braunfels. We invite you on this tour to get a taste of what life was like, spanning from 1845 to today’s usage of historic homes and buildings, full of history and character. 
 

New Braunfels Ghost Tour
New Braunfels is a town rich in history with some spooky and colorful tales. Join us for a spine-tingling, exciting and historic ghost walk through downtown New Braunfels. You will learn about ghosts, haunts and murderous pasts. You won’t find these stories in the history books. Tours begin at 8:00 p.m. and meet at 7:45 p.m. in front of Naegelin’s Bakery (129 South Seguin Street). 
 

Historic Outdoor Art Museum
The Historic Outdoor Art Museum (HOAM) was founded in January of 1996 and became a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization for the purpose of enhancing the New Braunfels downtown historic district and teaching local history through art to school age students, for locals and visitors alike. We are open to the public at no charge, 365 days of the year.