Historic Riley's Tavern celebrates 90-year anniversary

Located off Hunter Road between New Braunfels and San Marcos, Riley's Tavern celebrated its 90th business anniversary Sept. 30. The tavern was recognized in 2013 as a historic landmark by the Texas Historical Commission and features a full bar, beer garden, and indoor and outdoor stages.

The tavern has turned into a haven for patrons to enjoy drinks in the historic and rustic setting while listening to performances by Americana, classic country, blues and rockabilly musicians.

The backstory

In September 1933, 17-year-old James Curtis Riley drove nearly 50 miles to Austin in his Model T car and camped out at the Capitol steps to be the first person in Texas to obtain a beer license following the prohibition, according to the tavern's website. The tavern remained one of the few places people could purchase beer between Austin and San Antonio until 1977 when alcohol sales became legal in Hays County. The business was known as the Galloway Saloon before Riley opened the tavern, with the main part of the building dated to have been built around the mid-1800s.

Husband and wife Joel and Angie Hofmann purchased Riley's Tavern in 2004 due to their interest in supporting musicians and preserving the historic charm of the building.

"I think the first 50 or more years that it was opened, it was busy out of necessity because you had to drive there to get to beer because neighboring towns were dry. ... Then after that because it had aged enough, it started being just cool for nostalgia reasons to go there," Joel Hofmann said.

The specifics

To celebrate the anniversary, Riley's Tavern hosted an event that featured free cake, door prizes, a food trailer and live music from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. Some of the musicians that performed acoustically included Mike Ethan Messick, Manzy Lowry and Sid Grimes. Ben Morris and the Great American Boxcar Chorus, John Evans Band, and the owners' Joel Hofmann Band also performed with a full band.

• 8894 FM 1102, New Braunfels
• www.rileystavern.com