How to Do Summer in San Marcos Like a Local

Summer in San Marcos is not subtle. It is often 100 degrees by lunchtime, the cicadas are screaming, and everyone you know is either in the river or on their way to it. If you are visiting for the first time or you have lived here since Aquamaids swam in Spring Lake, here are our picks for the best ways to spend a San Marcos summer.  

Get in the river. Obviously.

The San Marcos River stays a spring-fed 72 degrees all year, which in July feels less like a swim and more like a miracle. Float it, swim it, or just sit on the bank at Rio Vista Park and watch people wipe out on the rapids (a beloved local pastime). If you want the full float experience, grab a tube at Lion's Club and let the current do the work. Pro tip: go early on weekends or pick a weekday. The river does not take reservations and neither does the parking.  And head's up!  There's a fee to park at City Park and a new entry fee at Rio Vista Park.  Don't forget the Rules of the River - no glass or disposable drink containers on our river!  

Art print by local artist Elakiya Lakshmanan!  Find her art prints in our shop on the square.

Ride a glass-bottom boat at Spring Lake

The Meadows Center glass-bottom boat tours have been running since the 1940s, and they are still the best way to see where all that river water actually comes from. You will float over bubbling springs, ancient artifacts, and more turtles and fish than you can count.  Even though we've done the boat tour many times, we always marvel at how crystal clear the water is, and what you can see at the bottom of Spring Lake!  

Art print by local artist Mary Seaborne!  Find her art prints in our shop on the square.

Hike early or regret it

Purgatory Creek Natural Area and Spring Lake Natural Area have miles of trails with actual hills, which prove this is really where the Texas Hill Country begins. The trick is going at 8 a.m. like a responsible person or at golden hour like a romantic one. Anything in between is a heat stroke waiting to happen. Bring water. Then bring more water.

Go Underground

When the heat gets personal, head below it. Wonder World Cave sits right on the Balcones Fault line and stays cool no matter what the thermometer says outside. It is delightfully old-school Texas roadside attraction energy, complete with an observation tower and an anti-gravity house. Bring the kids. Bring yourself. Bring anyone who needs 30 minutes of not sweating.

Take a stroll on the historic square

We are biased, but the historic downtown square is the heart of this town. Grab a coffee at a local spot, wander the shops, eat a delicious brunch, and yes, come see us at The San Market at 114 E. San Antonio St. We keep the AC cranked and the shelves stocked with local goods, funny tees, candles, jewelry, and gifts you will pretend are for someone else. We've been voted best gift shop in town for two years straight, so we think you'll like it too!  The square is also home to some of the best people-watching in Hays County, free of charge.

Some of our favorite spots include:  Valentino's Pizza, Old Soul Exchange, Daughter of the Wild, Got Toys, Douglas Smith Soap Company, Classic Tattoo, Blue Dahlia Bistro, Cafe on the Square, Root Cellar, The Coffee Bar, Tap Room, and we're sure we're forgetting a bunch of awesome places - there's so much to explore in downtown San Marcos!  And just south of downtown you'll find Patio Dolcetto, Industry, Gus's Fried Chicken, and Triple Six Social (this coffee spot has a delightfully spooky vibe!).

You're going to need some sun protection for a San Marcos summer day!  We have a large assortment of hats to keep the sun from ruining your vibe.

Hit the Farmers Market on a Saturday

The San Marcos Farmers Market brings local produce, baked goods, and makers together every Saturday from 9 am - 1 pm. Go early before the peaches sell out and the heat sets in.  There is something deeply satisfying about eating a tomato that was growing out of the ground 20 miles away yesterday.  There's always a free live band too, so bring a chair and hang out a while.

Catch live music (indoors or out)

San Marcos has been a hot spot for live music for decades, and summer keeps the tradition alive. Check the lineups at venues around town, like historic Cheatham Street Warehouse where George Straight got his start! and keep an eye out for Summer in the Park, the free concert series that has been going strong for decades. Lawn chairs and electric fans encouraged. Dancing optional but likely.

Cool down the cultured way

Texas State's Wittliff Collections is one of the best-kept secrets in town: literary archives, photography, and enough Lonesome Dove artifacts to make any Texan a little emotional. It is free, it is fascinating, and it is very, very air conditioned.

Hunt the murals

Downtown San Marcos has a growing collection of murals, and a self-guided art walk is a great excuse to wander the square with a cold drink in hand. Free art, free steps, and your Instagram will thank you.  This map from Visit San Marcos will help so you don't miss any of the highlights!  

Here's a hint:  one of our favorite murals is steps from The San Market in Boyhood Alley, and features the silhouettes of real life San Martians.  Pssst... it's a perfect instagram spot.  ;)

Take the Mermaid March

You may have noticed we have a thing for mermaids around here. San Marcos is the official Mermaid Capital of Texas (yes, really, the governor signed it), and the Mermaid March is our seven-foot proof. This self-guided public art tour features larger-than-life mermaid statues painted by regional artists and scattered all over town, each one telling a different piece of the San Marcos story. There's one covered in native river fish, one inspired by Ralph the Swimming Pig of Aquarena Springs fame, and one painted with heat-sensitive pigment that goes from black to full technicolor as the day warms up, which in a Texas summer takes about eleven minutes. Grab the map from Visit San Marcos, make it a scavenger hunt, and see how many you can find before the heat wins.

The perfect San Marcos souvenir?  A tee, magnet, sticker... anything featuring a mermaid or Ralph the Swimming Pig.  Don't worry, we have lots of options at The San Market!

 

Get artsy with the San Marcos Art League

San Marcos has been an art town longer than it has been almost anything else, and the San Marcos Art League is the oldest arts organization in town. Their San Marcos Art Center at 117 N. Guadalupe, just steps off the square, features rotating exhibitions and a sales floor stocked with local work, from ceramics and stained glass to handcrafted jewelry you will not find anywhere else. They also host free workshops and artist demonstrations throughout the year.  Support local artists, cool off in a gallery, and maybe leave with something for your walls. Everybody wins!

Learn some local history at the LBJ Museum

LBJ went to college here and taught nearby before all that president business. The LBJ Museum of San Marcos is small, free, and a solid 45 minutes of "huh, I did not know that."

Get lost in the stacks at Green Heron Bookshop

Every good town needs a good indie bookstore, and ours lives in an 1865 historic home at 504 Burleson St., just a short stroll from the square. Green Heron Bookshop carries a mix of new and used titles, with a community-picks section built from one simple question the shop asked San Marcos: what is the best book you have ever read? The answers line the shelves. The shop leans into poetry, fiction, cookbooks, art, and histories you will not find at the airport, plus local-themed art featuring the salamanders, mermaids, bats, and herons that make this town what it is. There's a porch made for reading, poetry nights, book clubs, and a lounge that will absolutely derail your afternoon plans in the best way. 

Reward yourself with a sweet treat

No San Marcos summer day is complete without a frozen treat. Whether your loyalty lies with shaved ice, a scoop of ice cream, or a paleta from a local cart, we do not judge.  If you're downtown, we'd love to help you cool off with one of our Shiver Sticks popsicles or an ice cold Dr Pepper!  

However you spend your summer, we hope it involves cold water, good people, and at least one stop by the square to say hi. We will be here, keeping it weird and keeping it local.