Traveling To New Braunfels?
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 many 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 dedicated to the history of New Braunfels and is located on the spot chosen by one of New Braunfels founders to build a castle for his fiance.
Schlitterbahn Water Park
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort is located about 30 minutes from San Antonio in New Braunfels, Texas. Schlitterbahn Water Park was built as the world’s largest tubing park with over 65 acres of water coasters, water slides, wave pools, and children’s playgrounds in three separate water parks. It has been surpassed as the largest water park but only by a few acres. The three water parks that make up Schlitterbahn’s New Braunfels are Blastenhoff, Surfenburg, and Schlitterbahn West. Schlitterbahn was voted “The World’s Best Water Park” 11 years in a row.
Schlitterbahn West is the largest of the three parks that make up Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resorts. This section contains offers a huge area for the kids with kiddie parks, pools, and play areas. Schlitterbahn West also has a relaxation area with lazy rivers, pools, hot tubs, and river expeditions. Finally, Schlitterbahn West has a great selection of thrill rides including tube chutes, speed slides, and downhill racers.
The Blastenhoff section of Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resorts is mostly adult attractions but there is also a small kiddie pool with a pirate ship for the kids to play on. Blastenhoff features a huge wave pool, several high-speed tubing attractions, and for an extra fee, guests can fly high over Blastenhoff on the sky coaster.
The Surfenburg section of Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort is a slower-paced park, although it does have a couple of thrill rides. This section is a great place for the whole family to enjoy together. You may also try your luck with the simulated surfing experience in this area.
An interesting fact about the Schlitterbahn Water Park Resort is its water source. All of the water for the many rides, slides, and chutes in this water park is fed by the neighboring spring-fed Comal River. The water from the Comal River is pumped in, cleaned, used, then released back into the river.
Attractions near New Braunfels
If there is the 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 a 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 outdoor retreat from the surrounding city. Another major city near New Braunfels is Austin, the capital of Texas. Austin is only 45 miles from New Braunfels. Austin is also a very unique city in Texas. The combination of 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
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
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
Palmetto State Park is a 270-acre park located about 45 minutes from New Braunfels. Palmetto State Park features campgrounds, 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
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
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
Hill Country State Natural Area is a 5300-acre park northwest 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.