Wurstfest

OK you probably think I’m going to use the expression I had the Wusrt time, or it was the Wurst festival I’ve ever been to, or it was the Best of the Wurst, but I wouldn’t do that to you. You expect a lot more and I hope I’ll give it to you.

As you know this was my first visit to New Braunfels and Wurstfest and even though I didn’t get to explore New Braunfels the way it should be, Wurstfest was fantastic. From the festival grounds to the food, to the music, I had a blast. Let me break it down for you so next year you can enjoy it with ease.

Parking: Plenty of it and most parking was $5. We parked in the Lions lot across from the main gate. Now, we got there at around 1PM on Saturday and we barely got a spot, so you may want to pull into the first lot you see. We left around 5PM and the traffic was serious, but it looked like as many cars were leaving the lots as were looking to park.

Tickets: When we arrived there were approx 40 people waiting in line to buy tickets. When we left, there were 2 lines of 200 people waiting to buy tickets. BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE.

Food: They had just about every type of wurst on a stick, on a bun, in a stew, in a wrap etc. Plus every type of German food imaginable. They even had German turkey legs. How did I know they were German? They were wrapped in Lederhosen. But I think the busiest booth (besides the beer booths which were everywhere) was the potato pancake booth. Now, I didn’t taste the potato pancake, but it looked awesome. Yes there were deep fried Oreo’s and Funnel Cakes and pizza, but not for this Perosn einen Blog unterhaltend.

Music: There was so much wonderful music my oom-pah pah was kaput. You had the choice of two outdoor tents and the main hall. We did it all and even danced. We chicken danced, rolled out the barrel, drank from the barrel and then waited in line for the second most important line at Wurstfest. The restroom line. One of the groups performing were the Sauerkrauts. Great music, great lyrics and lots of fun. They also performed on my smoked wurst sandwich. Only at Wurstfest.

Don’t miss the Wurstfest’s Salute to Sausage Golden Anniversary October 29-November 7, 2010

Gruene

The Gruene Historic District is located within the city limits of New Braunfels. I only spent a few hours in Gruene but I will be back for one of the many events they have each year. It might just be for the Gruene Music and Wine Fest, Oct 2010 (www.gruenemusicandwinefest.org) or for Christmas Market Days (www.gruenemarketdays.com)  this Dec 5-6 (or both).

One of the things I did while I was in Gruene was have dinner at Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar. This was the #1 recommended restaurant for Chicken Fried Steak (see previous blog comments). The Gristmill is open 7 days from 11 am.

We got there around 6PM and got right in (after about 15 minutes I was told the wait was close to 1 hour). We were seated outside overlooking The Guadalupe River. The perfect atmosphere for my search for the best Chicken Fried Steak. I learned that the restaurant can seat 1,100 in 10 distinct dining areas,  and has a staff of 185 in the summer. So I placed my order, grabbed my knife and fork and waited patiently for it to arrive. Before I knew it, it was gone. My CFS had a thick peppery batter, with a very tender piece of meat and a wonderful white gravy on top. OK, so for all of you who claimed it is the best CFS, as of this post, I agree. It’s the best I’ve had.

After dinner, we took a peek at the Gruene Music Hall which was rockin, stopped in to a few stores and went on our way.

Travel Tip

When visiting a smaller destination that has a major festival or event that you are interested in, you have to plan two trips. One trip to see the festival or event and the next one to experience the destination. It’s very difficult to do both at the same time.

The Best Chicken Fried Steak (so far)

1.      Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar, Gruene

2.      Elm Creek Café, Lincoln

The response was tremendous and your comments were appreciated. You will be able to see your comments and the others, by clicking the comments section of each post.

So here is what I learned about where to find the best Chicken Fried Steak.

The city with the most restaurant suggestions was San Antonio.

The restaurant with the most votes was (drum roll) The Gristmill in Gruene followed by Babes (several locations) Tip Tops in San Antonio and Charlie’s also in San Antonio.

So it’s The Wurstfest this Saturday, look for me, I’ll be the one Saluting my Sausage (http://www.SaluteToSausage.com) and then on Sunday ordering the CFS at???? I can’t tell you. You’ll have to read the next blog to find out. 

Here are some of the upcoming topics to keep an eye out for (still an old joke) in upcoming blogs:
Waco (You will be surprised)

More on Chicken Fried Steak

Livingston

Wurstfest

Travel Tip

When you are planning to go to a theme park, and there are several to choose from in Texas, always bring a few plastic zip lock bags. You can place your wallet, cell phone and anything else you don’t want to get wet.

Travel Bargain

One of the least expensive weeks to cruise is the week before Christmas and the week after New Year. Here’s an example.  A 7 night cruise on the Carnival Conquest from Galveston to the Eastern Caribbean, costs about $85 per person, double/night. Now that’s an inside cabin, but it includes your food (you could eat 11 meals a day, but DON’T), all the entertainment, and daily events. Parking near the cruise terminal will cost you $70 for the week. If you plan to stay at one of the Galveston hotels check to see if they provide you free parking for the week.

Gallivantin' in Galveston, Texas

Galveston, Texas continues to make music. There are a few band members missing, but the beat goes on.

This was my first visit since Hurricane Ike and my first impression as I drove over the Causeway was things are looking good. The mighty Seawall did its job. It kept Galveston as safe as possible. Just about all the hotels and restaurants in Galveston are open and doing well.

One of the best things to come out of Hurricane Ike is the new Galveston Beach. I could tell you how much new sand they brought in, but you just have to see it to believe it.

Moody Gardens (in my opinion it's the place to stay and play in Galveston)

The hotel is as good as ever. The only thing missing are the fish in the lobby pond. They were having a special on Sushi the day I was there, but that may have just been a coincidence. As for the attractions, they're all open.

What can I eat on the Island?
You can smell the fresh seafood as you are driving along Seawall Blvd. Once you enter certain restaurants such as Casey's (Gaido's casual cousin) most of what you smell is fried seafood.

A few suggestions. Don't order the Fried vegetable combo. It's not worth the calories. Also if you like Louisiana Po-Boys, stay away from the Po-Boys at Casey's. The grilled anything is the way to go, and the menu is priced right.

Go Mediterranean on Pier 21. The Grill at Pier 21 opened in June and is right on the harbor. The restaurant is beautifully designed, but make sure you dine al fresco. Now here's a tip for dining al fresco. Never turn away from your food. Why you ask? You want to make sure nothing drops in it from above. Is that a caper in my salad? Now if you are dining with Al Fresco, you have nothing to worry about. The food is top notch and the prices are reasonable. They even offer you 3 free hours of parking. Oh by the way. If you dine (al fresco) Friday or Saturday night there is live music and belly dancers.

The Strand

Is everything open? No. But renovations are everywhere. Is there enough to see, eat and drink? You bet your Tequila there is. If you liked Galveston before, you'll like it now. Don't wait to visit. Visit Galveston now. Not because they really need you to, but because you'll have a great time.

Where to Stay

Moody Gardens Hotel, Hotel Galvez, San Luis Resort, Hawthorne Suites at The Victorian and The Tremont are all top notch and ready to swipe your creditcard.

What to Eat

Soooo many restaurants, but the only tip I'll give you is go seafood. Now that being said it doesn't have to be your typical seafood restaurant. There are great Italian, Mediterranean, Asian and BBQ Restaurants. OK, here is another tip. Don't eat the seafood at a BBQ restaurant.

What to Do

Moody Gardens, horse drawn carriage rides, Bishops Palace, Duck Tour, Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig Museum, The Strand and The Schlitterbahn waterpark to name just a few.

Here are 2 audio clips you may enjoy:

Gallivantin' Galveston Gal (Gene Autry)


Quick As I Could (Billy Bourbon)

For more information or to order a free travel brochure, visit Galveston on TourTexas.com. Go ».

Make the most of your travels through Texas, the Lone Star State with the help of TourTexas.com. Everything you need to plan your Texas vacation in one place. View Texas travel and tourist information on popular Texas city destinations, attractions, events, Texas city maps, book your accommodations, and even order free TX travel brochures, visitor guides, maps, and more.

A Blog about Texas travel? Why not? What will be different from other Blogs about traveling in Texas? You'll just have to keep reading to find out.

Now I'm not a native Texan, but I'm a Traveler. I've lived in Texas since 2005 and have had the opportunity to see just a small part. My goal is to visit every corner of this great state to find the good, the bad (I'm not looking for the bad, but I know it's out there) and the ugly. I'm also very opinionated. So you'll hear about the good things and the bad. Are my opinions right? YES. Will you have different opinions? Sure. Will you have an opportunity to refute my opinions? Yes. I dare you. I'll also give you some helpful travel tips, not just for Texas.

Topics you'll be seeing on a regular basis:

• Places to eat and places not to eat.
• I'm searching for the best Chicken Fried Steak (I've stocked up on Zocor)
• Travel bargains
• Websites to check out
• Tell me where to go (I know you want to)

Travel Tip: When searching for the lowest hotel rates and you don’t want to use an online travel agency like Travelocity, Expedia, etc, go to a specific hotels website (or a chains website) and check out their rates. They should be the lowest available. You can also go to the destinations Convention and Visitors Bureau website and if you see a search box that says “BookDirect” you can view the lowest rates of all the hotels that are available with just a few clicks.

So keep an eye on out (old joke) for my Blog, and let's have some fun.

Make the most of your travels through Texas, the Lone Star State with the help of TourTexas.com. Everything you need to plan your Texas vacation in one place. View Texas travel and tourist information on popular Texas city destinations, attractions, events, Texas city maps, book your accommodations, and even order free TX travel brochures, visitor guides, maps, and more.