The Best Family Summer Vacation: New Braunfels, Texas

"We want everyone to have a good time," said Judy Young, Convention & Visitor Bureau Director. "Our main attractions are the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers, Schlitterbahn and Canyon Lake.  But, people have been coming to New Braunfels for the music at Gruene Hall. They come to explore the biggest show cave in the state. There are new experiences like the mom bats leaving their nursery – all 15 million of them. What's old is new again at Stars and Stripes Drive In Theater. It's state of the art, but a throwback to family nights at the movies."

1. Playing in the water

• Everyone wants to get in, on or near the water in the summertime. The Guadalupe River starts in the northwest Hill Country and flows out the bottom of Canyon dam through New Braunfels to the Gulf of Mexico. The Comal River is one of the shortest in the nation. It's a broad slow river that flows through Landa Park on its way to join the Guadalupe River. Both draw tubers all summer long. The Guadalupe offers some great trout fishing, too. The cold water from the bottom of the lake makes it one of the southernmost trout fisheries in the nation. Canyon Lake has 80 miles of shoreline and 8,230 surface acres. It's one of the deepest lakes in Texas. Fishermen love the Largemouth Bass, Catfish, and White & Striped Bass found there. Eight public parks offer camping, trailer, and picnicking areas, and boat ramps. The Canyon Lake Gorge reveals rock strata as old as 100 million years showing fossils and a set of dinosaur tracks. You can swim, rent a boat or parasail. Enjoy wave runners, scuba diving, birding and photography.
• Schlitterbahn is the king of waterparks. It won "Best Waterpark" at the Golden Ticket Awards from Amusement Today. That's the Grammys of the waterpark industry and Schlitterbahn has won for 18 years. Some of its pioneering, unique contributions to the waterpark world include:
  • The invention of rides with water propulsion that allow surfing on a thin sheet of water inland
  • The world's first uphill water coaster. It's the most award-winning uphill water coaster in the world. Its patented technology powers rides from Dubai  to Disney
  • The invention of "waves in rivers" leading to "Torrent Rivers." They are now used in most modern waterparks around the world

Schlitterbahn features those rides and more for the whole family, plus water playgrounds, and beautiful spots to relax on more than 70 acres. You can reserve a cabana and bring your own picnic. There's also the unique landscaping of hundred-year-old oak, cedar and cypress trees. It's completely different from the typical "hard-scaped" waterpark.

2. Unique experiences

• The world's largest bat colony lives for months at Bracken Cave. It's the largest known bat maternity colony in the world. In March and April, expectant females return to Bracken after overwintering in Mexico. In late June, females give birth to a single pup. That almost doubles the cave's population – 500 pups per square foot. To find enough food, mom bats emerge three hours before sundown sometimes. They create one of the most spectacular sights in all nature. They leave in a continuous spiral at dusk and return at dawn. You can feel the draft of their wings and cupping your ears hear their fluttering like applause. It's an amazing experience and unique in the world. Availability dates announced in June – see Bracken Bat Flight.
• Natural Bridge Caverns is one of the largest in Texas and a world class cave. There are huge underground chambers with rare and delicate formations. There are unusual long soda straw stalactites. On the "Hidden Passages" tour you can experience total darkness when all the lights go off. Get outfitted with caving gear and lowered through a 160-foot well shaft down 230 feet. This "Adventure" tour allows you to explore by climbing, crawling, and rappelling.
  • When there are heavy rains there is also a rare opportunity to see an aquifer up close and personal. The Glen Rose Aquifer is the local underground water reservoir lying beneath the Caverns. Under normal circumstances the water table is not high enough to see. But, when there's a large "recharge" event, it rises. The lower chambers and passages, and sometimes the walkways submerge. Special tours are available when this occurs.

3. Family Friendly

• In New Braunfels "family-friendly" has a special meaning. All the popular local attractions are either natural wonders or family owned and operated. Generations of families have welcomed visitors to New Braunfels for decades. They created businesses to supplement the fun on the rivers. They built a family-friendly place to call home. Downtown revolves around the Plaza and its bandstand. There are boutiques, antiques, restaurants, live music and live theater venues. There's the Fire Department, Railroad and Children's museums, sweet treats at the state's oldest bakery, coffee shops and ice cream parlors. There's something for everyone with history up front on building murals and a brand new self-guided walking tour. It's a family-friendly stroll downtown – pretty unique. There's a city golf course downtown in Landa Park with very reasonable family-friendly rates and Junior Lessons, too. See playinnewbraunfels.com for that perfect family summer vacation.

Other Sites to List

Memorial Day

Events

Accommodations

Summer Camps

Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/BrackenBatFlight.mp4
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160524/371793
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140227/MM73532LOGO-b

SOURCE Greater New Braunfels Convention & Visitors Bureau

Related Links

http://playinnewbraunfels.com