About Our Venue
An Austin-Exclusive Treasure
About Us
Discover a Piece of Texas History
Rose Haven has been a part of Austin for over 150 years. In its early days, the original building constructed on Fitzhugh Road in the 1860s was a quaint little general store and post office. As the property changed hands over time, new additions increased the building’s size and capacity to its modern-day footprint of approximately 6600 square feet.
History remembers the Rose Haven building by a variety of names and functions, including the Blue Goose roadhouse, the Little Wheel restaurant, a breakfast diner, several bars, and most recently, the Last Chance Dancehall. The Blue Goose was one of only a few bars to remain open in the area during World War II.
At one time, the building sat directly on the Travis/Hays county line. This resulted in a curious conundrum, as Hays County was dry until 2011, but the Blue Goose served alcohol. The owner devised a quirky solution — to paint a dotted line that denoted the county line on the ceiling. Patrons were allowed to drink on the Travis County side of the bar but not the Hays County side!
In 1955, Texas resurveyed the two counties, resulting in the county line shifting slightly west to the edge of the property and placing the building squarely in Travis County, thereby eliminating the need to split the roadhouse into drinking and non-drinking sides.
Today, Rose Haven has been updated to serve the modern needs of the Austin community while still maintaining its historical roots by preserving parts of the original building. It’s evolved from a dark, dingy bar on the county line to a bright, welcoming event venue surrounded by gardens and lawns. With our elegant venue surrounded by rose gardens, we offer a truly unique experience. Come see the gorgeous space for yourself and book your next event with us!
Meet the Team
Professionals at Your Service
Christy and Michael Seguin
Owners/Operators
Born and raised on a scenic farm surrounded by rolling fields and vibrant gardens, Christy developed a deep connection with nature at a young age. Her passion led her to establish a successful landscaping company in the 1990’s in the mountains of East Tennessee, that specialized in native plantings featuring antique roses.
While nurturing her love for horticulture, Christy also found another artistic outlet close to her heart — cake decorating. In 2013, she founded Cakes ROCK!!! in South Carolina where she could delight customers with exquisite confectionery masterpieces that quickly gained recognition and cemented her reputation for exceptional talent within the industry.
When her husband and soul mate Michael received the opportunity of a lifetime in Austin, Texas in 2014, Christy packed her shovels and sprinkles to transplant her dream halfway across the country. She created amazing cakes for a decade in Austin, even appearing on Food Network’s Halloween Wars and Netflix Sugar Rush. She recently retired from cakes and hung up her spatula to fully immerse herself in the vision of Rose Haven, which is her new all-consuming passion.
Christy recognized a gap in the market for a unique, intimate, versatile event venue that could cater to a wide range of celebrations in addition to weddings. The historical charm of an old Texas dancehall dating back to the 1860s held untapped potential for Christy’s vision of a charming event venue surrounded by her beloved antique rose gardens, and she embarked on a mission to transform this piece of Texas history into Rose Haven.
Her venture brought new life to a forgotten Austin treasure. With Michael’s help, she infused historical ambiance with her love for antique rose gardens, creating an immersive sensory experience for every visitor who steps inside Rose Haven.
Christy and Michael recently celebrated their 21st anniversary together. In addition to working with Christy as a business manager, Michael is also dedicated to his busy career in physical, cyber, and fire security for massive construction projects. They enjoy hiking, weightlifting, and boating when they aren’t too busy doting on their precious cat, Blossom.
Little Known Facts About Christy
Just for fun! I love to have fun!
Hi Everyone, if we haven’t met yet, here’s some fun things about me.
🐶 I was born and raised in Athens, GA, & got both my BBA & MBA from the University of Georgia. I am a die-hard Georgia Bulldog & certified ‘DGD’. (The real ones know!)
🐄 My family had a sawmill and cattle farm. I was the oldest, and have no brothers. So guess who got to do all the farm work? And I LOVED it! My first ‘job’ was estimating the board feet in logs on the sawmill yard–at about 5 or 6 years old. I loved driving tractors, raising the cows and other animals, and working in the garden.
🏈 My dad was a football fanatic and taught me all about it as a child. I’m still obsessed. I live for football. There are two seasons. Football season, and Waiting on Football Season. Go DAWGS!!!
🐎 I bought my own horse at an auction with my farm earnings when I was 9 years old. His name was Bits Misty Bee. We grew up together, won many shows, and I won Miss Rodeo Georgia 1988. Bee died when I was 36. I still cry when I think about him.
🌹 I moved to Knoxville, TN after grad school. I planted beautiful antique rose gardens in my front yard. People started knocking on my door asking if I could do that for them…….I ended up with my own landscaping company. I can drive the heck out of a Bobcat. And if you make me mad, I also know how to dig a 10-foot-deep hole with a backhoe.
🏋♀️ While in college, I got into weightlifting and still love it. When I turned 40, I finally got serious about competing, and won the 2010 Masters national championship in Figure. “Masters” is a nice word for ‘old’ in bodybuilding, lol!
🏚 I am obsessed with historical homes and buildings. I’ve owned homes from 1840 & 1883. If I won the lottery, I would rescue & restore the most endangered historical homes that everyone else thinks are too far gone to save. They are TREASURES and should be preserved!
🎃 🎄 I freaking LOVE Halloween & Christmas! I decorate like crazy for both. There’s a saying in my family not to stand still after November 1st, or Christy will string lights on you! I’m some weird combination of Elvira & Elf!
My favorite thing to do is eat, & I’ve met very few foods I don’t like!
I love meeting new people, so let’s connect!
What Makes Us Unique
Quality Assured
Ready to Host
Unmatched Charm
Location
Directions to Rose Haven
IN MEMORY OF SIMON SHAW
Simon was the head pastry chef, and the heart and soul of Cakes ROCK!!!/Rose Haven for just over 4 years.
He was the kindest, sweetest, most caring person in the world. He was a walking calculator, who could instantly do calculations in his head to 10 or 12 decimals, while the rest of us were still trying to open the calculator app on our phones.
His love of telling bad ‘dad’ jokes & puns has led us all to call them ‘Simon jokes’ when we see them in the wild. He always had us laughing and having a good time.
He was a brilliant baker & chef, meticulous to the ultimate degree, and was the reason our cakes & desserts have been so amazingly delicious over the years. He was not only trained in traditional culinary, but also in the Whole Foods Plant Based diet through Rouxbe. No wonder everyone marveled at how delicious our vegan and gluten free items are.
To say this is a huge loss is a vast understatement. Simon meant so much to everyone, and to us as a company. His integrity and professionalism were impeccable. Simon was far more than a chef or team member, he was ‘family’, and we all love him dearly. He is deeply missed, in so many ways.
