A small city in Texas might be your new destination for delicious, time-honored craft beer.
After all, Shiner is the home of Spoetzl Brewery, the oldest brewery in Texas.
However, the city isn’t just about beer.
It also offers travelers a variety of attractions to get their minds off the dirt and bustle of the big cities.
The city takes its name from Henry B. Shiner, who donated 250 acres of land for a depot and railroad construction.
In time, people began to settle around the new buildings, out of which the city of Shiner grew.
The community called themselves New Half Moon after the former Indian settlement.
However, they adopted Shiner in 1888.
Today, Shiner hosts historical attractions, local shops, and stores to serve everyone’s needs.
The city also enjoys the moniker “Cleanest Little City in America.”
At Shiner, you can lay back and enjoy a pleasant little experience you won’t forget.
Do you want to know more about Shiner, TX? Check out the list below.
Darrylpearson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
If your kids need a quieter environment, you can take them to Welhausen Park.
Situated west of downtown Shiner, the smaller park holds a kids’ playground and a historic bandstand.
It also features several monuments that tell the history of the city.
Likewise, the park’s design should remind you of America in centuries past.
Each December, the Welhausen Park also hosts the “Christmas in the Park.”
Darrylpearson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This event gathers the Shiner community, where local school bands perform Christmas songs, and Santa Claus even comes to town riding a Shiner fire truck.
Decorations start popping up around the park on December 1, so keep your eyes peeled!
Visit the Welhausen Park at 802 N Avenue E, Shiner, TX 77984.
The Spoetzl Brewery is an American institution and proof of the American Dream.
In 1909, a Bavarian immigrant named Kosmos Spoetzl started the brewery out of his passion for crafting beer.
Upon his arrival to Shiner, he immediately bought the town brewery.
He also became the town’s first official brewmaster, which he held for almost 50 years.
Today, the Spoetzl Brewery ships over six million cases of beer all across the country.
They still follow their founder’s brewing practices, from handcrafting the beer to brewing them one at a time.
Among their brews are Shiner Blond, Shiner Light, and Shiner Bock.
Visit 603 E Brewery St, Shiner, TX 77984.
Aside from beer, Shiner is also proud of its Catholic church, named after the missionaries who converted Bohemia and Moravia to the faith.
European immigrants built the church to accommodate the growing congregation in the city.
Today, the church also doubles as a tourist attraction.
When you visit, you’ll appreciate its wondrous redbrick construction, built along with the Romanesque Revival style.
Inside the church, you’ll find a beautiful altar, painted murals, stately statues, and imported stained glass windows.
One of these murals is a vast image of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane that overlooks the altar.
The Saints Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church remains one of the primary landmarks in South Central Texas.
People across the world visit the church to take photos and tour the building.
Visit the Saints Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church at 306 S. Avenue F, Shiner, Texas 77984-8208.
Another historic institution in Shiner is the Gaslight Theatre, which was the center of the town’s cultural and social life from 1895 to 1927.
Back then, the theater hosted productions like plays, balls, and even political debates.
Since 1975, the building has undergone significant restoration, although it still retained the original 1895 proscenium arch and the vaudeville-era stage.
The theater managers also repainted the outside of the building to resemble its original version.
Inside the theater, you’ll also see a renovated stage and modernized amenities for your comfort.
Today, the Gaslight Theatre hosts amateur productions three times a year.
So, make sure to buy some tickets for a good wholesome time in the city.
Visit the Gaslight Theatre at 207 E 7th Street, Shiner, TX.
The 148-acre Green-Dickson Municipal Park is the go-to place for people who want to spend the day outdoors.
Located on the northwest corner of Shiner, the park offers playgrounds for kids, covered picnic areas, and fishing grounds.
You can also play outdoor sports like tennis, volleyball, and baseball.
Likewise, you can dine inside the air-conditioned pavilion when the day gets hot.
If you want to spend the night at the park, you can bring your RV for overnight camping.
The picnic areas also have barbecue pits, so you don’t need to worry about cooking outside.
Every Fourth of July, Shiner holds its annual Half Moon Holidays at the Green-Dickson Park.
Join the festivities and enjoy some craft beer, BBQ cook-offs, live music, and parades.
You’ll even see the Spoetzl Brewery Fireworks Spectacular.
Visit the Green-Dickson Municipal Park at 65 Co Rd 350, Shiner, TX 77984.
Big or small, every American city features a museum, and for a good reason.
The country itself is a product of a long history, which means even small towns like Shiner share the American legacy.
You can find this displayed at the Edwin Wolters Memorial Museum.
The Wolters Museum contains a variety of displays.
These displays are a collection of antique guns, a doll exhibit, and embroidery and stitchery collections.
Notably, the museum also holds a set of dinosaur bones.
Likewise, the museum also features exhibits like the old general store building and a jailhouse section featuring actual jail cells.
Visit the Edwin Wolters Memorial Museum at 306 S. Avenue I, Shiner, TX.
Affectionately called the “Shiner Country Club,” Howard’s Convenience Store allows travelers to socialize with Shiner citizens.
You might think the place is just a gas station and convenience store, but it’s one of Shiner’s unique spaces.
Inside the store, you’ll find a lot of Shiner memorabilia and even nine kinds of beer on tap.
These beers include Shiner’s best local varieties, of course.
You can even buy fishing bait and firearm ammunition!
Go outside the back door, and you’ll reach the covered beer garden.
On some weekends, you can watch a performance by local bands like “Los Kolaches,” among others.
You’ll get to know the Shiner locals at a deeper level when you go to Howard’s.
If that’s your thing, then enjoy the “Shiner Country Club”!
Visit Howard’s Convenience Store off Highway 90A on the northwest of Shiner, TX.
Another unique establishment in Shiner is the aptly named Antiques, Art & Beer shop.
If you like diversity in your drinks, you can go there to sample more than 250 different beers along with 150 varieties of wine.
The shop is inside a historic downtown building, so you’ll taste some history with every sip.
You can also find antiques and buy some original artwork displayed inside the store.
So, you can drink and bring something home with you.
Visit Antiques, Art & Beer at 720 N. Avenue E (Hwy 90A), Shiner, TX.
What’s a vacation without some souvenirs?
Go to Bluestem for some pretty and unique handcrafted goods made by Bluestem and other local artisans.
The company also designs its products reflecting its customer’s passion for the state of Texas.
As a family-owned business, Bluestem is in the farm property owned by the Tiekens for five generations.
Currently, Ross Lane Tieken manages the showroom, which he built together with the Shiner Prairie Woodworks.
If you want to support local businesses that use only local materials, bring home a gift or two from Bluestem.
You won’t regret it.
Visit Bluestem at 4875 US Highway 90A West, four miles west of Shiner, TX.
Constructed in 1927, the Old Shiner City Hall included spaces for the city secretary and tax officers.
It is also used to house the public library, along with three fire trucks.
On the second floor, you can find an auditorium that can seat 434 people.
The auditorium also features a stage and a few dressing rooms.
Several events like plays and political rallies have taken place at the City Hall since its opening.
Today, the city hall houses only the police station.
During elections, people can vote there, too. The auditorium is now the firemen’s recreation hall.
Visit the Old Shiner City Hall at 802 N Avenue E, Shiner, TX.
This is a relatively new building, but the Shiner Public Library is another establishment that deserves pride.
Long-time Shiner philanthropists Hoffie & Lank Wolters donated the funds used to build the library in the late 1990s.
Today, the library offers many books, magazines, and free internet access to Shiner residents.
Of course, the library is also open to tourists.
So, if you wish to spend a quiet afternoon with your favorite book, go ahead and enter the Shiner Public Library.
Inside the library, you’ll also find a public meeting room, which displays art exhibits and stages cultural events from time to time.
Visit the Shiner Public Library at 115 E 2nd Street, Shiner, TX.
If you need a little more action in your trip, you can go to the Shiner Escape Rooms for an exciting hour.
With four different themed rooms, you’ll never run out of tricky puzzles to solve, clues to gather, and challenges to complete.
Thousands of people have already played the Shiner Escape Rooms, and they’ve all left satisfied.
They’ve all left five-star reviews!
These rooms will challenge your teamwork as you scour the environment for the right keys for the right locks.
You’ll look for hidden objects and decipher codes.
If you believe your team has what it takes, sign up for an hour at the Shiner Escape Rooms!
Visit the Shiner Escape Rooms at North, 1148 Highway 95, Shiner, TX 77984.
Indulge your caffeine craving by dropping by the Shinerville Coffee House.
Every single cup of coffee they brew comes from high-quality and artisan-roasted coffee beans.
The coffee house also sources its milk from local dairy suppliers, and they buy their pastry offerings from the best local bakeries.
Likewise, the coffee shop’s spacious patio area allows for sunny coffee dates.
If it rains, though, you can always head inside for free Wi-Fi and several outlets.
So, go to Shinerville, grab a nice cup of coffee, pair it with your favorite pastry, and let the day pass by.
Visit the Shinerville Coffee House at 803 N Avenue D, Shiner, TX 77984.
Shiner is known for its local meat, and you can find the best slices at the family-owned Maeker’s Sausage and Processing.
It’s a meat processing plant and meat market that caters to all Shiner citizens’ desire for meat.
If you go there, you can buy high-quality handcrafted hickory-smoked sausages.
They put these products out in small batches, too, so grab them while you can.
You can also buy their meat products at retail stores and grocery stores throughout South Central Texas.
If you want to get your hands on some real Texas sausage, you’ll never go wrong with Maeker’s.
For a grander time, why not pair Maeker’s sausages with an ice-cold mug of Shiner beer?
Visit Maeker’s Sausage and Processing at 813 E 16th Street, Shiner, TX 77984.
American ingenuity is one of the many reasons for the country’s continuous progress throughout the centuries.
Consider, for example, August Kaspar, a Shiner rancher in the late 19th century.
He noticed that people were throwing away their steel wire fences in favor of the barbed wire fence.
He got the idea of using these discarded steel fences to make steel baskets and racks to transport goods like corn shucks and hay.
When the other citizens saw his work, they bought his new steel baskets.
So, Kaspar Wire Works was born.
Today, Kaspar Wire Works is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of fan guards, fry baskets, and newspaper racks.
It also offers company tours, but only by appointment.
The Kaspar Wire Works is at 959 State Highway 95, Shiner, TX 77984.
The “Cleanest Little City in Texas,” Shiner offers adventure, wonder, and connection.
You only need to grab these chances to enjoy what could be an unforgettable trip for you, your friends, and your family.
Discover the world.
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