Drive 30 minutes south on I-35 and you’ll land in San Marcos: a charming, slow-paced respite from Austin’s bustle.
This is more than a college town. It’s a destination worthy of a day trip if you long for “old Austin” and crave being immersed in Central Texas’ natural beauty.
A breezy float down the river. Boutiques and lunch on The Square. Exploring a 135-year-old cave. Scoring at the outlet mall. These are only a few of the suggestions in our guide to a perfect 12 hours in San Marcos, no Texas State University bobcat tail required.
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The best things to do in San Marcos
Float down the San Marcos River
Krista Reyna floats on the San Marcos River at Sewell Park.
Aaron E. Martinez / American-Statesman
Grab a tube and spend an hour or two chilling out while you drift down the San Marcos River, which is always at a cool 72 degrees. We recommend Lions Club Tube Rental (170 Charles Austin Dr.) or Don’s Fish Camp (105 Nelle Lane, Martindale). Prices range from $15 to $30, depending on if you bring your own tube.
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If you prefer wading around in water sans tube, head to Sewell Park (601 University Dr.), Rio Vista Park (555 Cheatham Dr.) or the waterfall behind Kerby Lane Cafe (221 E Seassom Dr.).
Snorkeling in Spring Lake
A turtle eats underwater plants in the San Marcos Springs during the Meadows Center’s underwater snorkel tour.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
Dive underwater and witness what lives at the bottom of Spring Lake: fish, turtles, swaying coontail foliage and algea blooms. For $45, the “Splash into Science Snorkel Tour” provides a wet suit, goggles, a snorkel and life jacket.
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Texas State’s Meadows Center for Water and the Environment (211 San Marcos Springs Dr.), which hosts this tour, also offers guided stand-up paddle board tours, daytime kayak tours and evening excursions on translucent light-up kayaks.
Fun fact: The Meadows Center is located on what was once Aquarena Springs, an amusement park that ran from 1950 to 1996. It featured underwater ballet, clowns and even hosted an underwater wedding between two performers. In 1970, a flood swept 24 alligators out of their enclosure into the water. But don’t worry, wranglers recaptured them all, so you won’t be seeing any during your snorkel trip.
Glass-bottom boat rides
The Meadows Center operates San Marcos’ glass-bottom boat tours, which first began when the area was an amusement park called Aquarena Springs.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
If you prefer exploring the bottom of Spring Lake while remaining dry, check out a glass-bottom boat ride for $13. The boats, many of which date back to 1945, were part of what made the Aquarena Springs amusement park famous.
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The boat tour takes you over Weissmuller Springs, named after the five-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, who also starred as Tarzan in a series of black-and-white films made in the 1930s and 40s.
Fun fact: Local lore has it that Weissmuller took a glass-bottom boat tour in 1965 and wanted to perform for a crowd of fans that had gathered. The 6-foot-3-inch German actor climbed out of the floating boat, belted out his iconic Tarzan yell, dove off the bow and swam about 22 feet to the bottom of the lake. When he reached the spring, Weissmuller tried taking a gulp. He nearly drowned during the stunt, and said the water from the spring flowed with the same pressure as an open fire hydrant.
Explore the country’s only earthquake-formed cave
Visitors tour Wonder World Cave & Adventure Park in San Marcos on June 7, 2026. Wonder World offers tours of its dry-formed cave, the result of an ancient earthquake that caused a fissure, rather than formed over time by water erosion.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
Step inside a 123-year-old earthquake-formed cave, the only one in the country. For $38, this 30-minute tour showcases fossilized prehistoric life encased in ancient rock formations. Though equipped with stairs and handrails, we don’t recommend this if you’re claustrophobic or with kids who are too young to follow along independently.
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The cave is its biggest draw, but Wonder World Cave & Adventure Park (1000 Prospect St.) also has an antique train ride, a wildlife park where you can feed deer and other animals, and a funhouse.
San Marcos’ Wonder World Cave & Adventure Park includes a wildlife zoo where visitors can feed pellets to deer, goats, donkeys and more.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
Score at the San Marcos Premium Outlets
The Gucci store at the San Marcos Outlet Mall.
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After all that time outdoors, shop in air-conditioned luxury outlet stores like Armani, Balmain, Carolin Herrera, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Jimmy Choo and Saint Laurent at the San Marcos Premium Outlets (3939 I-35).
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Listen to live music at some local watering holes
The best place to see live music is San Marcos’ historic Cheatham Street Warehouse (119 Cheatham St.), a legendary tin shack honkytonk where George Strait, Stevie Ray Vaughan and current owner Randy Rogers cut their teeth on stage. Riley’s Tavern (8894 FM 1102, New Braunfels) is another historic honky tonk and old-school dive bar that’s a short drive away.
Where to eat in San Marcos
Start your day with breakfast tacos
M&M Taco Corner serves breakfast tacos at 1303 Hopkins St. in San Marcos.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
Loli’s Cafe (1501 Aquarena Springs Dr.) is a central drive-thru destination for a quick breakfast taco, but true locals have been getting their potato, egg and beans fix at M&M Taco Corner (1303 Hopkins St.) and Herbert’s Taco Hut (419 Riverside Dr.) for decades — both of which serve $2.50 tacos on homemade tortillas.
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A slice of pizza or fried catfish for lunch on The Square
Grin’s Resturant (802 N LBJ Dr.) opened in San Marcos on Valentine’s Day in 1975.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
There’s no bad option when choosing lunch on “The Square,” San Marcos’ town center of local businesses and restaurants by day and vibrant college bars by night. The Root Cellar Cafe (215 N LBJ Dr.) is the most popular lunch destination in the area, but closes at 3 p.m. during the week and 4 p.m. on weekends. There’s also Blue Dahlia Bistro (107 E Hopkins St.) or Valentino’s Pizza (110 N LBJ Dr.) if you want to grab a quick slice. Grins Restaurant (802 N LBJ Dr.) is just a short walk away to enjoy fried catfish on a treehouse-style patio.
White House-worthy cinnamon rolls
“Manske Rolls” are served at Gil’s Broiler (328 N LBJ Dr.), the oldest resturant in San Marcos. The dessert was a favorite of Southwest Texas albumi and 36th U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
You can find the most famous dessert in San Marcos at Gil’s Broiler (328 N LBJ Dr.), the city’s oldest restaurant. The iconic “Manske Roll” is a jumbo cinnamon roll swimming in a puddle of butter and dressed in cinnamon. The $4 confection was a favorite of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who had some rolls sent to the White House.
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Dinner with a river view
Ivar’s River Pub (701 Cheatham St.) has a patio overlooking the naturally-formed waterslide at San Marcos’ Rio Vista Park.
Mars Salazar/American-Statesman
Dinner on the deck of Ivar’s River Pub (701 Cheatham St.) overlooks the natural rock-formed waterslide at Rio Vista Park. If you’re looking for an elevated dining experience, Palmer’s Restaurant Bar & Courtyard (218 Moore St.) is perfect for craft cocktails and chef-curated dishes. Not ready to end the night? Zelicks Icehouse (336 W Hopkins St.) is a laid-back spot for an after-dinner nightcap.