New Braunfels: Museums & Faust Street Bridge

New Braunfels: Museums & Faust Street Bridge

  • <p>Faust Street Bridge, built in 1887.</p> <p>Metal truss pedestrian bridge</p>
  • <p>Museum of Handmade Furniture</p> <p>White building names Museum of Handmade Furniture</p>
  • <p>Sophienburg Museum</p> <p>Modern stone building names Sophienburg</p>
  • <p>A stretch of the Guadalupe River in New Braufels (Library of Congress)</p> <p>Rocks and rapids on a river</p>
  • <p>Early illustration of New Braunfels c. 1840s (Texas State Library and Archives)</p> <p>Drawing of a village in a valley, labeled Neu Braunfels in Texas, undated</p>
  • <p>German newcomers on the way to New Braunfels in 1841 (UTSA Special Collections)</p> <p>Sketch of an ox-drawn covered wagon trail with label “German newcomers on the way to New Braunfels, Texas, in 1844”</p>
  • <p>Guadalupe Hotel, 1858</p> <p>Two storey building next to small wood frame house labeled Guadalupe Hotel, 1858</p>
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On both the Chisholm Trail – and the Spanish El Camino Real de los Tejas before that – the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels served as an important water stop and river crossing for weary travelers. The best views of the crossing are upstream from the Faust Street Bridge – which was built in 1887.

The German tradesmen and craftsmen offered everything trail drovers needed to restock. The Sophienburg Museum displays the storefronts and blacksmith tools of the cattle trail era while the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture exhibits German homebuilding and fine furnishings.

Faust Street Bridge

  • Just West of IH-35 at McKenna Ave.
  • Pedestrian traffic only
  • National Register of Historic Places

Museum of Handmade Furniture

  • Hours: Seasonal hours, check website for details.
  • Admission: Adults: $5, Seniors: $4, AAA Members: $3.50, Children: $2
  • 1370 Church Hill Dr. New Braunfels, TX
  • 830-629-6504
  • Visit Website
  • National Register of Historic Places

Sophienburg Museum

  • Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  • Admission: Adults: $8, Students (13-18): $4, Children (6-12): $2
  • 401 W. Coll St., New Braunfels, TX
  • 830-629-1572
  • Visit Website