Discover San Marcos: Cultural History, River and Nature

San Marcos offers three distinct focal points to consider when planning your trip: access to the river, cultural history and nature at Spring Lake. If you’re looking for a hotel in San Marcos, you can start by considering which of these experiences you want to shape your stay. City Park provides access to the San Marcos River; museums explore African American and political history, while Spring Lake is known both for guided glass-bottom boat tours and the vegetation of the Natural Area. The destinations also differ in their visiting arrangements.

River, Tours and Landscape

At City Park, you have access to the San Marcos River. Guided glass-bottom boat tours are offered daily on Spring Lake; day tickets are available at the ticket kiosk. For planning your day, these are two different ways to experience the water: access to the river at the park and a guided tour on the lake. If you plan to take the boat tour, check the latest tour and ticket information before your visit.

Spring Lake Natural Area is also part of the nature experience. Its landscape is shaped by live oaks, mountain laurel, kidneywood, wildflowers and bluestem grasses. An ADA-accessible trail built in 2019 can be reached via the Upper Purgatory Trailhead. San Marcos therefore offers several different ways to experience nature: the riverfront at City Park, a guided tour on the lake and the plant life of the Natural Area.

Cultural History in San Marcos

The Calaboose Museum preserves and honors the African American history of San Marcos and Hays County. It is located in a historically African American neighborhood, across from Eddie Durham Park, the Cephas House and the Historic First Baptist Church of San Marcos. Its subject connects the history of the city and the county; its location in the neighborhood offers another connection to local African American history.

Admission to the Calaboose Museum is free. It is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or by appointment. If you’re planning your visit, check the opening hours; visits by appointment are also possible.

Another historical focus is the Lyndon Baines Johnson Museum of San Marcos. It recalls the formative role that LBJ’s years as a college student and teacher played in the Great Society legislation. LBJ passed this legislation as the 36th president of the United States, between November 1963 and January 1969. Unlike the Calaboose Museum, this museum focuses on the connection between his years as a student and teacher and his later legislation.

A Long History of Human Use

The history of human use in San Marcos goes back more than 12,000 years. At that time, Clovis people lived, hunted and fished along the banks of a local river. This early connection to the river is separated by a considerable span of time from today’s visitor experiences at the San Marcos River and Spring Lake. Together with the two museums, it offers a broad arc for anyone interested in history in San Marcos: from the early human use of the riverbanks to the different historical subjects explored by the museums.

Discover more destinations: Wimberley, Dripping Springs, Buda, Kyle.

Go to the regional travel overview: Hays.