Favorite Swimming Holes for Families with Children in the Austin Area

Comal Springs and River, New Braunfels

As promised, here is a list of our family's favorite natural swimming holes in the Austin area ("area" is defined pretty loosely here--we are willing to drive a good hour or more for a beautiful swimming hole). I have focused only on swimming holes that are accessible to the public, and I have also included a few of our favorite public pools. We are grateful that there are so many beautiful swimming spots in the area.  I swam in several of these places as a child and love them just as much now as I did back then. As you can see from the pictures below, Central Texas definitely has some of the most beautiful rivers and creeks in the country.

Jacob's Well, Wimberly

1. Jacob's Well, Wimberly. An enchanting artesian spring that flows out of one of Texas's deepest underwater caves and supplies water for Cypress Creek.  The water is very cold, and the biggest entertainment is jumping off the rocks into the water. Need to get there before the spring runs dry from new real estate developments in the area. Best to arrive in the morning.

2. Comal Springs and River, New Braunfels. This is my hometown swimming hole. We like the headwaters in Landa Park for seeing the springs, although the water is not deep enough for big kids to swim here. For that, there's the spring-fed swimming pool in the park and tubing down the river. The springs are the largest in the American southwest.

3. Perdenales Falls State Park. The Perdenales River is absolutely stunning here--and just a 45-minute drive from Austin.

4. Blue Hole, Wimberly, Texas. Rope swings galore, spring-fed water, newly remodeled facilities, and beautiful grounds for picnicking along Cypress Creek. We went here last summer for the first time in years and will be back soon (as long as the creek does not run dry; see above).

5. Deep Eddy Pool, Austin. The oldest swimming pool in Texas with wonderful spring-fed water. After swimming, we like to grab Jim-Jims water ices, or head over to the pizza restaurant next door.

6. Barton Springs Pool, Austin. The crown jewel of Austin. Unfortunately, it took my kids 9 years before they could withstand the cold water here.

7. West Enfield Pool, Austin.  It's hardly ever open (only 2 months in the summer), but has great shade and is a good spot to go if your kids cannot stand the cold water at Deep Eddy and Barton Springs.

8. Barton Creek Greenbelt, Austin. The Greenbelt often does not have water, but when it does, this is a delightful place to visit.  We like the Gus Fruh pool, accessed from the Barton Hills neighborhood at the Gus Fruh entrance. Mornings are best to avoid the crowds and un-family friendly activities.

Perdenales Falls State Park

9. McKinney Falls State Park.  The swimming hole can be a bit murky, depending on the prior weather, but we discovered this past May that the creek above the falls is wonderful to splash around in, and the kids did not mind the murk.

10. The Llano Slabs, Kingsland. Shallow rapids section of the Llano River with small pools of water to sit in and small river shoots that kids can ride down in tubes or on their bottoms if they are brave. We usually stop by here when we are visiting Lake LBJ and then head up to Cooper's barbecue in Llano. Hard to find: Take Ranch Road 3404 from Kingsland.

Two favorites that don't fall within my definition of "Austin area," but are worth driving to, especially if you can stay the night, are Mo Ranch and Colorado Bend State Park. We discovered Colorado Bend last fall and will be back this November--it's very remote with gorgeous river-front campsites. Mo Ranch is on a dammed section of the Guadalupe River and has a crazy, scream-producing wooden sled that shoots you out into the river, rope swings, and beautiful rapids to explore. Most visitors are staying the night at Mo Ranch, but you can also purchase a day pass.

McKinney Falls State Park

Colorado Bend State Park

Mo Ranch -- The Crazy River Sled

Guadalupe River near Mo Ranch

Honk if You Love Spring in Austin

Spring has arrived full force in Austin. Just when I was thinking how much I was going to miss our winter, Austin's spring festival season kicked into full gear, with a whole host of outdoor offerings for families. First up in March: Kite Day, one of our favorite family festivals (which is technically in winter, but it feels like spring). 

Then, last weekend, my family experienced HONK!TX for the first time, a festival of community street bands that is every band geek's dream come true (written by a former band geek: I played the cymbals and xylophones in my high school marching band!). To take in as many bands as possible, I took my sons to the HONK!TX parade day last Sunday. We brought a picnic lunch and sat down on East 2nd street to observe a whole host of marching bands, from the eclectic to the deranged. We had a blast. Here are some pictures from the parade, although I am not posting ones from the thong-wearing band. 

Exploring Austin on Bikes with Kids: Duncan Park and Shoal Creek Trail

Duncan Park, Austin

Yesterday my family headed out on our bikes for an afternoon outing and discovered Duncan Park in downtown Austin (aka 9th Street Trails), a mecca for dirt bikers and kids of all ages.  Younger kids appear to congregate here earlier in the day, followed by older, more hard core BMX bikers in the later hours. My kids fell in love with this park, although (thankfully for my sanity) they stuck to the smaller dirt hills. There are several things I love about this park as well: its organic development and maintenance by a community of local BMX bikers; its prime location in downtown Austin; and the fact that you can access it via the Shoal Creek trail. 

Shoal Creek trail is now passable in most parts from Lady Bird Lake, providing a safe alternative for families with kids to bike through Downtown Austin, off the streets.  With our beautiful January weather, it was a wonderful outing!

Duncan Park

Riding back home, we also discovered the new interactive public art installation next to the Zach Scott theater: Rhytons by Cliff Garten

Shoal Creek trail 

Parts of Shoal Creek trail still need work

Most of our group on the pedestrian bridge over Lady Bird Lake

Happy Holidays Hanging out with Children in Austin

Our holidays are still in full swing here in Austin -- and have been filled with all sorts of fun outings with the kids. Austin is spectacular for families during the December holiday season. Some of our family's all-time favorite holiday outings here:

1. Trail of Lights. It was back this year after a sabbatical, although too crowded. We witnessed lots of children melting down towards the end.

2. Ice skating at Whole Foods. We only do this once a year, and so it is a bit comical as we stumble around on the ice, but oh so nice.

3. Capitol Tree Lighting and Sing-Along. We did not make it this year (see number #4) but love this annual festive event. Kids galore running around the Capitol grounds. And fun to see downtown Austin come to life with families.

4. Johnson City. Ok, this is not actually in Austin, but only 45 minutes away, and a discovery we made this year, sacrificing the Capitol Sing-Along. One of the prettiest county courthouses and fun light displays and activities for children, including tours of LBJ's childhood home. We made part of the trek there on bikes (our first long country ride with kids), which added even more adventure to the outing.

5. First Night--New Year's Eve. This event is no longer here in Austin, and we still mourn its passing. This was our family's and many other Austin families' favorite event of the year here. Truly magical with Austin showcasing what makes our arts community so wonderful for families. The toned down "family festival" offered downtown cannot compete with First Night and its focus on the arts.

Capitol Holiday Sing-Along

Ice skating at Whole Foods

Trail of Lights

Bike Ride to Johnson City

First Night parade

Capitol Holiday Sing-Along

Johnson City light display