Central Texas Waterways

Whether you like to hike, swim, tube, canoe, watch birds, or just stare at the clouds, there's something for everyone in Central Texas. Colorado Bend State Park is a new park with extensive hiking trails that take you past numerous natural swimming holes. Aquarena Springs educates visitors on water quality and aquatic life. The Blanco River is clear and cool and provides several opportunities for getting wet.

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Aquarena Springs is primarily the source of the San Marcos River, rising from hundreds of fissures under Spring Lake. A Spanish mission was established on the site, and later became the homestead of General Burleson and Eli Merriman. For many years, Aquarena Springs was a resort and entertainment park with boat rides and features such as mermaids. The ‘Aquamaids’ would wear oxygen tanks to eat pickles and drink Dr. Pepper underwater. Attracted by the scenic beauty of the area, A.B. Rogers started the park in 1926 and developed it into a popular tourist attraction. The park had a large hotel, a Swiss sky ride, glass- bottom boat rides, and a submarine theater with mermaid performers. By far the most popular attraction was Ralph, the Swimming Pig. Ralph swam around Aquarena Springs performing tricks and dives until the early 1990s when he retired.

Today Aquarena Springs is being converted into a wetlands project developed by the Southwest Texas University life sciences department. The park has a natural aquarium with endangered species that can be found only in the San Marcos River and archeology exhibits with artifacts dating back 12,000 years. Some of the original buildings still stand, such as Dr. Merriman’s log cabin, General Burleson’s home, and a 100 year-old gristmill that still operates. Ralph the Swimming Pig no longer performs, but you can still take glassbottom boat rides and view the bubbling springhead of the San Marcos River. Aquarena Springs has a restaurant and other concessions, a gift shop and picnic sites. The grounds are tropically landscaped. Picturesque swans sail over Spring Lake, and fountains create water sculptures. Aquarena Springs also has a golf course and conference center. The original Park Hotel still stands and has been totally renovated. The hotel has a man-made swimming pool.

Dinosaurs were probably the first to enjoy this park as evidenced by tracks in the river bottom. Later, Tonkawa and Comanche tribes had sites here. The 110-acre state park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934. The Blanco River cascades over small dams with grassy slopes on one side, while the other bank is rockier and wooded. The river bottom is limestone, hence the name Blanco (white), and makes the water very clear and pretty, like a man-made swimming pool. You can access the river via ladders on either side of the dam. Swimming and tubing are popular, and camping, picnicking, a children’s play area, hiking and concessions are available. The river is swift and shallow, but perfect for distance swimmers with more than 1,000 feet of uninterrupted length. This is sort of a plain park with sloping banks lined with willow and oak trees, but is quite scenic. You can rent tubes, canoes and boats. The Town Creek Nature Trail connects the state park to a square downtown.

This Hays County park is on the banks of the Blanco River. The river is deep enough for swimming above the dam, and there is good wading below the dam. Further east are some flat rocks good for sunning. A small concrete bridge spans the river and a railroad trestle crosses it above. There are no beaches to speak of, just brushy banks. There are picnic tables, a pier and a playground. Development nearby is encroaching on this swimming hole.

Little Arkansas is a privately owned recreation spot run by Liza Howell, an old matriarch. Howell has been likened to a stern schoolteacher. There are ‘No’ signs all over the place telling you what you can’t do during your visit. Don’t let the signs scare you, though. Little Arkansas is a family-oriented place with camping and great swimming. Surrounded by wooded and rough country with abundant springs, tributaries of the Blanco River come together in a 15-foot waterfall. A small concrete dam makes a nice shallow swimming area with two docks. The springs are also known as Fern Bank Springs and Krueger Springs.