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San Marcos (Texas) Travel Guide

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San Marcos is a college town in Texas in the United States of America, about an hour's drive south of the state's capitol, Austin. It was settled in 1808 by Mexican families, and is now the home to Texas State University-San Marcos.

Contents

Understand

San Marcos is often considered a college town, with the huge percentage of the population attending or supporting Texas State University-San Marcos. Most bars, restaurants, and attractions are centered around services to a college crowd. There is also a considerable conservationist mindset associated with the local rivers and endangered species. Several species live only in the headwaters of the San Marcos river.

Get in

Access to San Marcos is primarily by car. From Austin, find IH-35 and take it south. About thirty to sixty minutes later, you will see several signs for San Marcos. You can easily remember to take the exit for Texas Highway 80. From San Antonio, find IH-35 and take it north. Again, about an hour later you'll see signs for San Marcos and TX 80. From Houston, take IH-10 west to Luling (exit 630, about two hours), turn right (on to TX 80) and go though Luling. Continue on TX 80 north (the designated highway turns left, just after the railroad tracks). Beware of the speed traps in Martindale, just before San Marcos.

Get around

By Car

Travel in most American cities, especially outside of major metro areas, is primarily by private vehicle. Parking is almost always abundant and free. The average tourist would be well-advised to rent a car from a rental agency if they don't already have their own vehicle. Traffic is usually light. Take caution at some low water bridges. Never drive through a flooded low water crossing. Even a couple of inches of water can wash your car into the river. You then stand a good chance of losing your life.

By Bus

Capital Area Rural Transportation System offers limited bus service. The fare is 50 cents.

By Bicycle

Most attractions are very close to the down town and campus areas. While the hills sometimes get steep and can present an athletic challenge, many destinations are a very short ride away.

See

  • '''San Marcos River'''. The river that made the city runs through town. There are many parks and restaurants along the river, and it's pretty much impossible to see any of San Marcos without seeing a lot of the river.
  • '''Blanco River'''. Joins the San Marcos a few miles down stream. It's not as big or visited as the San Marcos.
  • Aquarena Center - Texas State University, 921 Aquarena Springs Dr., ☎ 512-245-7570, http://www.aquarena.txstate.edu/. 10 AM - 5 PM. Nature center, springs, wetlands, glass bottomed boats. $7.
  • Downtown.
  • Texas Water Safari, 921 Aquarena Springs Dr. (at Aquarena Center), ☎ 512-738-6607 (), http://www.texaswatersafari.org/. 10 AM. A marathon boat race down the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers. It begins at Aquarena Springs at 10 AM the second saturday of June and passes several local river crossings within a few hours. free.
  • '''Movies in the Park''', ☎ 512-393-8400. Every other Monday in June and July, by Parks and Recreation


Do

  • San Marcos Lions Tube Rental, 170 Bobcat Dr. (In San Marcos City Park), ☎ 512-396-5466, http://www.tubesanmarcos.com/. 10 AM - 7 PM daily June through August, weekends only in May and September. Tube rental and shuttle. Get an inflated innertube, float down the river, drink, cavort, then get a ride back to the park. $7.50.


Buy

  • Paper Bear, crafts, cards, gifts, and treats. 214 North L.B.J. Drive, 512-396-2283.
  • Down Town, lots of shops and stores for the browsing are in the down town district.
  • Tangier Outlet Center, designer clothes at closeout prices. 4015 I-35, 512-396-7446.

Eat

Budget

  • '''Herbert's Taco Hut''', 419 Riverside Dr., ☎ 512-353-7440. Tex-mex. Local taco joint, loved by the locals. $5-$15.
  • '''Mamacita's Restaurant''', 1400 Aquarena Springs Dr., ☎ 512-353-0070. Tex-mex. A chain, but good. $7-$12.


Mid-Range

  • '''Fuschak's Pit Bar-B-Q''', 920 Highway 80, ☎ 512-353-2712. Bar-b-cue, legendary brisket. $10-$20.


Splurge

Drink

Bars

All the bars close at midnight, as San Marcos restricts the sale of alcohol after midnight.

  • '''The Tap Room''', 129 E Hopkins St Suite 120, ☎ 512-392-9824. A wide selection of beer.
  • '''Nephews''', 100 N Guadalupe St., ☎ 512-558-2337.
  • '''The Den''', 700 N LBJ Dr., ☎ 512-392-3700.


Local Beer

Sleep

Budget

  • '''Best Budget Inn''', 903 IH 35 North, ☎ 512-392-3990.
  • Pecan Park Retreat, 444 Pecan Park Dr., ☎ 512-392-6171, http://www.pecanparkretreat.com/. A family-oriented campground on the San Marcos river. Primitive and improved sites are available, a tent or RV is recommended as there are no sleeping shelters. Hot showers and full restrooms are in a central building.


Mid-Range


Splurge

San Marcos has several bed and breakfasts. You can see more at the Hospitality Association web page


Stay safe

San Marcos is a small city, and tends to be very safe. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere, so it's not necessary to carry large amounts of cash.

Emergency services such as police, fire, and medical can be reached by calling 911.

There are many places to swim in the local rivers. Some are often crowded, some are very secluded. Regardless of where you swim, always use the buddy system, and always have a way to contact emergency services (note that cell phones often lose service in the low area immediately about the river, so check the signal at your designated "towel spot" before swimming if you will rely on your cell phone for calling emergency services).

Get out

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!


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