Guadalupe Paddling & River Town Trails

Four miles of the upper Guadalupe cut through 40-foot limestone bluffs inside this park, accessible via the 2.8-mile River Trail that hugs the canyon rim before dropping to the river itself. The Guadalupe is fed by springs and runs cold even in August — the park's swimming access points let hikers cool off mid-trail. White-tailed deer, wild turkey, and the rare golden-cheeked warbler inhabit the cedar-elm woodland along the bluffs.

The oldest continually operating restaurant in New Braunfels, open since 1938, serving Texas-German plates — wiener schnitzel, bratwurst, Reuben sandwiches — in a deep-cave building on San Antonio Street. The Shiner Bock has been on draft since before craft beer was a concept. Locals sit at the same tables their grandparents occupied.

The Comal is the shortest river in the United States at 2.5 miles, and it emerges from Comal Springs at a constant 72 degrees year-round. The tubing run from Landa Park to Lions Park takes about 90 minutes at float pace — bald cypress trees shade the entire course, and the limestone bottom stays visible throughout. Tube rental operations line the banks; no shuttle required for the Comal's simple point-to-point.

New Braunfels's craft brewery operates in a converted historic building in the downtown district, with a shaded biergarten and a tap list that leans into the German brewing tradition of Comal County — Czech pilsners, Hefeweizens, and seasonal lagers alongside a few American IPAs for good measure.

The birding capital of the Hill Country — over 290 species have been documented here, including the largest wild turkey roost in Texas. The park protects 2,600 acres of mixed live oak woodland along the South Llano River, with 3 miles of river frontage for swimming and wading. The river is spring-fed and runs gin-clear over sand and limestone gravel; the pecan and cypress bottomland is the most mature riparian forest in the western Hill Country.

Use the afternoon to explore a different trail, cool off at a swimming hole, or find a scenic spot to watch the sunset.

A no-frills Junction diner serving Tex-Mex plates and chicken-fried steak to ranchers and highway travelers since the 1970s. The enchiladas with chili gravy are made fresh daily and the pie case runs to three or four options depending on the day. The kind of place that exists specifically for people driving home through Kimble County.