The Guadalupe River provided power for a gristmill, the land proved perfect for growing cotton and until the boll weevil, and Great Depression times were good in Groene [Green], the settlement founded by the Groene family. When the family died out so did the town except for Groene Hall, the dance hall and saloon.

It never closed and now the town, a small microcosm of turn-of-the-century buildings, is a popular weekend getway. Old buildings have become trendy specialty shops, the gristmill is a busy restaurant and Henry Groene Jr.'s home, next to the Hall, is now a spiffy B & B.

Tip: Groene Mansion Inn is the place to stay. If you want a touch of yesteryear with modern ammenities, stay in the Inn proper, but realize the side overlooking the dance hall is noisy when the bands are playing. If you want quiet, opt for one of the newer units down by the Guadalupe River.

The Inn has stairs and the newer units come on a first or second floor so insist on ground level if you need to. Walking is the only way to see the town itself, but it's small and doable.  

Follow the river to New Braunfels [BROWN-fulls] for a more in depth look at how the area founded in 1845 by a German prince developed and thrived. History and architecture buffs will find much to enjoy but kids and the young at heart will absolutely love it.

One of the main reasons -  Schlitterbahn, America's No. 1 water park according to the Travel Channel. Loosely translated it means "slippery road," and with 40 separate watery attractions there's a lot of slippin' and sliding to be enjoyed. From the end of November until the first week of January, more than one million lights, an ice skating rink and shows turn it into a winter wonderland.

Landa Park is 196-acres of natural beauty with a municipal golf course, tubing chute, trout fishing, arboretum, miniature golf, picnic facilities, miniature train and pools fed by Comal Springs which produces the Comal River, the shortest in the U. S. Warning: it's a bit hilly.

Locals remind you of the seven museums, call their home "the town of tin ceilings" and, if you're lucky, will direct you to Henne Hardware, the state's oldest hardware store, which has everything, the town murals and Naegelin's. the oldest bakery in Texas. Come the end of October, Wurstfest, a 10-day celebration of sausage, takes over the town.

Tip:  Historic Walking Tour Guides of downtown are available at the Visitor Center. We lucked into a tour by raconteur and resident Wayne Rahe, which was one of those you didn't want to end. 

The Hill Country really shouldn't be missed. As if to make it irresistable, you can start or finish in two of the state's most enjoyable cities, Austin or San Antonio.

The burgeoning wine industry in Texas is centered around Fredericksburg, which its German settlers had already made famous by their beer brewing. Between the two, it attracts throngs of city-dwelling Texans on weekends and Hill Country tourists  all of the time.

With so many steady visitors, you know there's a lot worth seeing and tasting.

Main street, anchored by the popular Fredericksburg Brewing Company where you ought to try the food and a flight of their best brews, is full of Texas chic, wine tasting rooms and trendy boutiques. After lunch there you'll welcome the stroll.

Stray a few blocks left or right and you'll find more galleries,historic buildings and homes, the National Museum of the Pacific War and August E's which has to be one of the best restaurants in the state and destination-worthy all by itself.

Hop in the car and tour the country's fastest growing wine region. Don't be embarrassed if you haven't heard about it; as with many European wine growing regions, visitors and the locals consume the lion's share of the finished product. There are 21 wineries from which to choose. Ken Maxwell at Torre di Pietra adds music to the mix on many weekends, Stone House Vineyard's main building is of interest architecturally and a number of vineyards have B&Bs on or near their property.

Tip: Fredericksburg is worth an overnight or more. Those vertically inclined can mountain climb in Enchanted Rock State Natural Area while Levelers are savoring wine, wonderful food as well as the herb gardens and lavender producing farms the area is also known for.

The Luckenbach, Texas of Willie and Waylon fame is nearby and a big draw day and night, but especially on Friday nights when the dance hall is full. It can be rented for special parties so check the schedule so you won't be disappointed. This is also LBJ territory, another reason to stay awhile, and the Pedernales is the river that runs through it.

Tip: If you visit Luckenbach at night, check the rafters over your head. Chickens roost there.

Travel Weekly's latest posting contained some interesting statistics.

The three hottest travel destinations in 2008 were the Middle East, 11.3 %; Central America, 7.9 % and South America, 5.9 %, according to date from the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Worldwide growth was only 2 %.

People are still traveling but their trips are shorter and they are choosing packaged deals to save money.

Tip: Watch for hotels to add incentives for staying longer. If you're researching reservations for a two-day weekend, ask what they could do if you stayed three or four days. Don't assume you can't afford the four- or five-star rooms or cruises. Everything is on sale these days.

And Levelers, rooms near the elevator - too noisy - or on ground level - less secure - are considered less desirable by many travelers. Ask for them but don't forget to set the inner security lock in ground floor rooms.

Texas had its own version of Johnny Appleseed, the Adams family who brought apple trees to Love's Creek Orchards in the town of Medina [MeDEEna]. Adam's Apples' The Apple Store is known for its apple pie, voted one of the South's Best Desserts by Southern Living in 2007.  It's certainly big enough: five pounds of apples go into each pie. A whole one costs $22.95, a slice $4 and the aroma is tantalizing. Outside,  the nursery carries 16 different varieties of apple trees for sale. 

Tip: This area is popular with motorcyclists so don't be surprised if on weekends you spot bikes parked next to horses tethered at "downtown" hitching posts. The 200 or so residents ride their favorite mounts to town and join the bikers in shopping and blowing off a little steam.

Levelers will find the towns situated in the relatively flat valleys of what Texans refer to as the "Swiss Alps of Texas" - if nothing else, a testament to the Texas tendency toward exaggeration.

  Kerrville is the arts center of the Hill Country and with 25,000 residents, one of its largest towns. A symphony, live theater, an arts center, the Museum of Western Art, the James Avery Craftsmen's World Headquarters and seven restaurants along the south fork of the Guadalupe River sets it apart from its neighbors. The annual Texas Furniture Makers Show at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center is well worth a detour.

Tip: There are steps, more than most of us would like, at Elaine's Table but the food and view make it worth the effort.

Kerrville, like its state, accommodates all types from the artistic to would-be big game hunters. There are 57 exotic species raised at area ranches where hunters pay big bucks to bag their beast of choice.

Tip: The YO Ranch is one of the biggest of these trophy guaranted operations and as you might expect, the lobby of the YO Ranch Motel is filled with mounts. If it bothers you to see the head, neck and shoulder of a mother giraffe enfolding her calf emerging from a wall, pick another place to stay.

The rivers of Hill Country are particularly scenic with cypress trees lining their banks and enough changes of elevation to ensure that lovely burbling murmur. 

Claire Walter, fellow member of the Society of American Travel Writers, has a super blog site and so do a lot of her friends and colleagues. These she shares and it's worth your time to visit them.

I find myself going back again and again to sample ones I've skipped over. That, of course, leads me to a whole new set of links and on and on.

Add at-your-desk travel to the armchair and on-your-feet varieties.

Never believe the brochure.

Even seasoned travelers and professional travel writers fall victim to believing what they read without checking more up-to-date resources.

 Mea culpa, which is why this posting isn't about The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, GA., where sick and injured sea turtles go to get well.

A long-scheduled gig to judge A Taste of Glynn, an annual festival of Brunswick and St. Simons, Sea and Jekyll Islands' professional chefs March 29, sneaked up on me and I left in a flurry of disorganization.

I did check the center's brochure and yes, they were open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can guess the rest, as I paid the $3 parking fee to enter Jekyll and at 10:30 a.m. Monday strolled up only to encounter the sign, "Closed on Mondays." 

Ah well, not all was lost. Few things make as pleasant a drive as canopy roads and both St. Simons and Jekyll have many so mark that  Trip-saver No. 1.

Trip Saver No. 2, the Taste, a benefit for Amity House, was held at the King & Prince and turned out to be an extraordinary survey of area restaurants.

Wisely, they divided judges and divvyed food so we all didn't have to taste everything; our table did appetizers, health conscious and desserts. How's that for variety?

Tip:  Chadrax had the best Appetizer and also won for International fare. 

Purple Sage Catering's Health-Conscious Turkeyburger arrived after we all had consumed eight appetizers yet nary a nibble was left. Their Soup came in first and their Seafood entree came in second.

Other winning fare: Spice of Life, runner-up in Appetizer, gourmet and health-conscious; Smokey Joe's BBQ first, Southern Soul second in Barbecue; Jekyll Island Club won in Seafood. Millhouse Steakhouse won in Gourmet, came in second in Desserts and won People's Choice. Tasteful Temptations placed second in International, won for Desserts and came in second for People's Choice.

Trip saver No. 3, a quick breakfast at the Fourth of May Cafe, a neat place to pause.

 Hadn't been on Jekyll in about two years but not much has changed. Mine was about the only car moving which explains the Monday closings. There weren't even any bicyclists about so the word was out. A lovely island almost all to yourself, definitely Trip saver No. 4.

Trip saver No. 5, reached the junction of Exit 29 and I-95 just as the Ga. Pig was opening. Wasn't the least bit hungry and didn't expect to be for quite awhile, but the Pig, despite the rudest, least customer-pleasing attitude in all of cuisinery, is a mandatory stop. I picked up a pound (the least you can get to go, according to the emphatic signage) of chopped smoked pork to take home and five meals of it later, the barbecue jonez is satisfied.

It's only an hour or so up I-95 so I'll get back to those sea turtles, only not on a Monday during the off-season.