The video above is a solid tour through the New Braunfels live music scene and the surrounding Texas Hill Country, covering 14 different spots where you can catch live performances. David Bridwell takes you from iconic dance halls and downtown saloons to campground stages along the Guadalupe River and tiny roadside honky tonks out in the cotton fields. If you're planning a trip to this part of Texas and want to know where the music is, this is a good place to start.
What Are the Best Live Music Venues in New Braunfels?
Based on what's covered in the video, here's a rundown of the venues and events featured, with a sense of what each one is about:
- Wurstfest — An annual 10-day festival at Landa Park celebrating German culture with multiple stages, food, beer, carnival rides, and live music. It's been going since the 1960s. Artists shown include Alex Meyer, Squeezebox with Molly B, and The Tuba Meisters.
- Songwriters Harvest at Landa Park — A full day and night showcase of Hill Country songwriters that takes over Landa Park, featuring artists like Jacob Augustine.
- Mountain Breeze Campground — A spot along the Guadalupe River with tubing, camping, and a riverside stage. The video covers the "In a Jam Down by the River" event, featuring Dustin Brown, Landon Hoffman, Pip Branch, and others.
- Gruene Hall — The oldest continuously operating dance hall in Texas, dating to the late 1800s. The footage shows Gary P. Nunn performing.
- Winery on the Gruene — A boutique winery across from Gruene Hall that blends and bottles over 30 wines on-site and has started hosting live music, including John Cavender and Lucas Richard Taylor.
- Redbird Listening Room — A family-operated venue near downtown focused on the craft of songwriting, designed to put you up close with performers. Featured artists include Scott Miller and Taylor Leonhart.
- Phoenix Saloon — A historic downtown saloon from the 1800s known for its chili, with live jazz on Sunday afternoons.
- Freddy Se's Bar and Patio — A newer spot in Freiheit Village with a rooftop patio bar and live music. Damon Curtis is shown performing.
- Kings and Queens Ballroom — A large event center hosting dances and social gatherings, with Cactus Country playing country music for a packed dance floor.
- Barbarosa Trough — A tin-porched shack out in the country east of New Braunfels, expanded with an outdoor stage. Colton James and Chuck Rininger were playing.
- Windmill Farm Winery — A small-batch winery in the Seguin/Gonzales area with camping and RV sites, featuring Gus Clark performing.
- Devil's Backbone Tavern — A legendary Hill Country bar in Fischer, built on the site of an ancient Indian campground and rumored to be haunted. The video captures an all-star band at Bruce Robison's Town Dance.
- The Opera House at 7A Ranch — Located in Pioneer Town in Wimberley, hosting the "Something in the Water" live music series with the Sentimental Family Band.
- Cabin 10.org / The Donkey Shack — A grassroots venue across from Fischer Hall hosting multi-day camping and music events inspired by the Kerrville Folk Festival, featuring Robin Bateman, Wes Collins, and Scott Dameron.
Beyond the Dance Halls
What stands out about the New Braunfels area is how spread out the music is. You've got historic venues like Gruene Hall and Phoenix Saloon anchoring things downtown, but some of the most memorable experiences are at places like Barbarosa Trough out in the cotton fields or Devil's Backbone Tavern in Fischer. A lot of these spots reward the drive. The Hill Country has a way of scattering great music across small towns and back roads, and this video gives you a real sense of that. If you want to dig deeper, David Bridwell has additional videos covering even more of the area linked in the playlist on his YouTube channel