Braun hall at 9721 Braun Rd in San Antonio is an old hall that has been on our list for awhile. We drove past it a few years ago and took photos of the outside. Now we get to add inside photos for you to see. For rental information call 210-688-9241 or visit www.braunhall.com
They have air conditioning. You can see the units perched on the roof. They also have those wonderful windows found in old German dance halls. Braun hall sells beer, soda, and water. You can bring your own liquor & food.
Braun Hall was established in 1893 by the Hermann Sons, a fraternal insurance association. Located not far from Helotes, the hall has a “beautiful wooden dance floor and twinkling lights.” The hall was closed in 2015 and reopened New Years day 2017. The hall “has a unique bandstand that is a ‘cove’ in one sidewall. The dancers love it as they have even more room to twirl away.” Adolph Hofner, who first recorded music in 1936, still performs here (pre-COVID.)
The hall can be rented for wedding receptions, parties, and meetings. The capacity, when allowed to be fully occupied, is 250. They have an in-house PA system and plenty of parking.
The wood floor is 30×70 feet with 18 tables lining two sides with 14 chairs per table.
There is a recessed, raised stage halfway down the dance floor.
A functional kitchen is located just to the left after you enter the hall.
The bar is immediately to your right.
There is lots of parking space.
Braun had cancelled public dances for most of 2022, but that didn’t mean they were closed. Events were booked almost every weekend, according to hall managers Chris and Debra.
If you are in the San Antonio area, they have line dances every Friday morning from 9:30-11:30. Once a month, on the second Saturday, from 12-2 there is a line dance and social. Entry is $5 per person. We made the December social and had a good time.
We were almost immediately welcomed by Fran, Nancy and John. Fran, a line dance instructor gave us a quick run down on how the social works. Beginner dancers were on one end of the floor, intermediate and advanced were on the other half. NO couples dancing allowed, so we had to wait for the end of the social to twirl together. There is a leader or two at each end to follow if you needed help. Sometimes there were two different dances going, depending on the dance level. Music played end to end for almost two hours. There was one short break for door prize drawings.
We could tell this group has been together a long time from the conversations and sharing that went on. It was a great, fun, friendly, sweaty atmosphere and they embraced us fully. Line dancing is a great aerobic workout. The sweating was from exertion. The hall has wonderful air conditioning and ceiling fans.
The San Antonio Line Dance group sends out a list of dances and songs weeks prior so they can be prepared and practice if they want. We didn’t have the benefit of preparation, but were able to look at the list and see what was going to be played. We danced Cupids Shuffle to a Christmas song, which until then never occurred to me could be done.
It’s hard work and not inexpensive to run a dance hall. Chris told us the board was meeting Tuesday to decide if they would continue public dances or become a venue only dancehall. From the sound of it, venue was going to win out.
To rent the hall for 200 people, we were told the current cost is about $1,900. That included the bartender, security and clean up. $250 refundable deposit is needed to secure your date. Weddings, anniversary, birthday, graduation parties and quincenerias can be held here. They don’t allow smoke machines, glitter, or flower petals in the hall to protect the floor.
Speaking of the floor, it’s a grand wood floor. We loved dancing on it and were happy we managed to get here before the possible change to venue status. We understand the cost, time, and effort involved and are happy it will still be available to dance on in the future, even if we would have to crash a party or two to do it! We wish the organization well.
Dancing Across Texas 