Go Gruene!

Head 15 minutes south of San Marcos and you'll find Gruene, Texas that hasn't changed much since 1872. Head to the soda shop-style General Store for their famous 5 cent coffee and homemade fudge or just try on a raccoon tail hat and take a picture in front of a Texas flag. Adorned with red bar stools and antique advertisements, the shop stocks a huge collection of Texas-made food products. You don't have to spend a cent here and you can feast on honey butter spreads and salsa samples till your heart's content. If you haven't filled up head to the Gruene Haus ("house" in German) where free samples are offered everyday of anything from pumkin honey butter to jalapeno jelly.

Stay until after dark and drop in the oldest dance hall in Texas, Gruene Hall for a free show. Listen to anything from Texas rock to zydeco in a weathered wooden atmosphere that welcomes the cowboys and cowgirls at heart.

LBJ and Bobcat Build 2009

Bobcat Build yesterday brought together hundreds of Texas State student organizations and local groups in an effort to beautify the city. My morning with the Texas State Latino Student Association lead me to a surprising discovering hidden on a corner of the town square - the Lydon Baines Johnson Museuem in San Marcos. The little known LBJ museum exists in the shadow of the its elaborate uptown counterpart, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum in Austin. The museum, aside from a weedy back area and attic badly in need of sweeping (which my group helped change), offers a small insight into the life of LBJ and the San Marcos community. The museum features one of LBJ's original hats, copies of his university report cards, and historical tales from San Marcos locals. The museum is open Thursday and Friday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.