Nothing cools you off on a hot summer day like a spring-fed swimming hole. Krause Springs in Spicewood (404 Krause Spring Road, Spicewood, 78669) is one of the best around! Located about 35 miles west of Austin off State Highway 71, Krause Springs has 34 springs that feed a man-made pool and a natural swimming area.

You can visit just for the day ($7 age 12+, $5 ages 4 – 11, free for ages 0 – 3) or camp overnight ($14 age 12+, $6 ages 4 – 11, and $14 per RV camp site). Credit cards are not accepted at this time so bring cash. Guests sign a liability waiver upon entering.

When we arrived, we took a look around the lovely garden near the office.

We thought this caterpillar was pretty interesting.

Next, we walked along the paths and saw many picnic areas surrounded by beautiful trees.

From the path, we could see the manmade pool. It is fed by very cold spring water (68 degrees according to their web site). Get ready to get chill out!

As you walk, you will be able to observe some of the springs flowing near the pool.

The boys were ready to jump in! This pool has a shallower section (about 3 feet) and a deeper section (about 8 feet).

Here’s a view of the swimming hole from an overlook.

After swimming in the manmade pool for about an hour, we were ready to head down to the swimming hole.

The stairs closest to the manmade pool are a little steep. There’s another set of stairs farther down the path.

The swimming hole has both sun and shade. It was gorgeous!

The waterfall surrounded by maidenhair fern was stunning. I haven’t seen anything else like it (in Texas at least)! The boys were fascinated by the “rainbow” that was created by the sun shining through the water as it fell. They played in this area a long time. We thought that the water here was not quite as cold as it was in the manmade pool above. When you are swimming, be aware that the natural swimming area has an uneven surface on the bottom. You can go from shallow to deep in one step.

The rope swing was extremely popular.

One thing to be aware of while enjoying the natural swimming area is that it is very slippery. Not only did we see a few people slip, my 12-year-old son hit the ground pretty hard near the end of our visit. That took the wind out of his sails. Definitely wear sturdy shoes that can keep you stable both in the water and out. To leave the swimming hole we went back up these stairs, which were less steep.

We walked some more along the paths trying to find the second waterfall fed by the springs. From the map, we could tell it was slightly northeast of the swimming areas.

We found plenty of springs!

After some stubborn searching by this mom who wouldn’t leave without seeing the second waterfall, we finally located it. We couldn’t find a way to walk down the hill to get closer to it, so I took this picture with the zoom lens of my camera. (Yes, it’s a little hard to see.) With our mission accomplished, we were ready to head back to Austin after a quick stop at Opie’s to pick up some BBQ for dinner.

Austin Active Kids Opinion: One of the prettiest swimming holes we’ve ever seen, just come prepared with sturdy shoes.
Outing Time: We stayed 2.5 hours but we might have been there longer if we’d have brought more food and drinks with us. Krause Springs could easily be a half-day or full-day outing. Since it’s got a campground, you could even stay overnight!
Reminders:
Don’t forget to bring cash for the admission fee since credit cards are not accepted. ($7 age 12+, $5 ages 4 – 11, free for ages 0 – 3) or camp overnight ($14 age 12+, $6 ages 4 – 11, and $14 per RV camp site)
It’s very important to bring sturdy shoes that can keep your feet stable in and out of the water.
There aren’t any lifeguards at Krause Springs. Swimming safety gear is a must for children still developing their skills. Also pack floats, sunscreen, hats, towels, and plenty of snacks and drinks. You could even bring along a picnic and take advantage of the many picnic tables provided.
While this is definitely one of those beautiful swimming holes I’ve ever seen, I would be hesitant about taking children under age 5 without the helping hand of at least one other adult. If your children are younger or still developing swimming skills, it’s probably a good idea to have a plan for how you will keep them monitored safely. Also, the natural swimming area is just that–natural. Don’t be surprised if you see fish, turtles or even a snake.
Summertime office hours are 9 am – 9 pm and the springs are open year-round. Here are some FAQs from the Krause Springs web site. It’s helpful to know ahead of time that Krause Springs has a “no dogs” policy.
Before you go, you might want to read Top Tips for Families Visiting Krause Springs by R We There Yet Mom? Here are more descriptions of Krause Springs from Austin Post, Austinot and CultureMap.
This 2012 Daily Texan article describes some of the history of Krause Springs.

If packing a lot of equipment and staying overnight are not in the cards for you but you’d still like to have a Texas state park experience, give Blanco State Park a try. This 104-acre park is located on US Highway 281 in Blanco, about 50 miles west of Austin. (The address is 101 Park Road 23 but use 29 Main Street, Blanco, TX, for GPS.) The primary feature of the park is the beautiful Blanco River.

Blanco State Park opened in 1934. You can read more about the park’s history here.

The Civilian Conservation Corps helped create the infrastructure for the park during 1933-34, including this pavilion.

Before jumping in the water, we wanted to explore the Caswell Nature Trail (shown on this park map).

The trail has its own parking area and this picture shows where to enter.

There is some shade on the trail, which is under 1/2 mile long.

When you are halfway along the trail, look for this access point heading down. Your return trip is closer to the river.

Check the events calendar for trail walks with a master naturalist. We had just missed one scheduled for the previous day.

After we finished the trail, we headed toward the eastern section of the park to explore the river. Many families were enjoying picnics and activities along the riverbank.

We then walked back toward the western side of the park, which is visible when you driving along US Highway 281. This area has a dam and a “pool” (pictured below). While the water in the pool is very shallow, the water above the dam is pretty deep. Trees along the riverbank provide some shade when you swim in that area.

Austin Active Kids Opinion: Blanco State Park is easy to get to and easy to enjoy, too!
Outing Time: About 2 hours (not including driving to Blanco) but you definitely could stay longer.
Outing Distance: About a 1/2 mile
Reminders:
Blanco State Park is open 8 am – 10 pm for day use visitors. Office hours are 8:15 am – 4:45 pm. To pay the entry fee for day use after 4:45 pm, look for the “iron ranger” which is a red steel post that says “pay here.” It’s on your left as you drive in, on the side of the headquarters building. The admission fee is $4 per adult. Kids 12 and under are free.
There are no lifeguards on duty at Blanco State Park. Make sure to bring your children’s swimming safety gear as well as floats, inner tubes, hats and sunscreen.
Pack plenty of snacks and drinks, especially water. There are several picnic areas throughout the park so you can bring a picnic along if you’d like.
Pets are allowed must be on-leash.
Tube and canoe rentals are available at the park.

Read more about Blanco State Park from CultureMap, about.com, and Hill Country Outdoor Guide.

Wimberley’s Blue Hole is the perfect summer swimming spot, with cool, clear water shaded by huge cypress trees. The swimming hole is part of 126 acres of parkland along Cypress Creek preserved and beautified by the City of Wimberley along with many other partners and volunteers.

Blue Hole is located on Blue Hole Lane and there is plentiful free parking. Wristbands are sold from the office pictured below. Admission fees are: kids 0-3 free, ages 4-12 $4, ages 13-59 $8, and 60+ $4.

We took a short, gently sloping walkway down to Cypress Creek.

The boys couldn’t wait to jump in!

As you can see, the water’s so clear my son’s feet are visible. We entered the creek in a shallow area where many younger children were playing.

Blue Hole was a like an oasis from the hot Texas sun. The water was very refreshing.

This tree stump was popular with kids of all ages, especially because the water is pretty deep here.

My son had fun on the rope swings.

When it was time to rest and have a snack, we went to the beautiful lawn and relaxed in the shade.

There are a few picnic tables but they were all occupied when we arrived. Just take along a picnic blanket or camping chairs and you’ll be all set. While you can bring in your own food and drinks, glass is prohibited.

A master plan for Blue Hole Regional Park was approved by the Wimberley City Council in 2007. The thoughtful planning process is demonstrated in the beautiful facilities……

…..and extra details like this inviting scenic overlook.

In addition to the remarkable swimming hole, Blue Hole Regional Park also has a playscape, trails, basketball court, volleyball court, and athletic fields.

THE RUNDOWN:
Austin Active Kids Opinion: Just about the most perfect swimming hole you can imagine!
Outing Time: About a 45-minute to 1-hour drive from Austin in no traffic. We spent two hours there but easily could have spent the whole day.
Reminders: There are many volunteers supporting the operations of Blue Hole Regional Park but there aren’t any lifeguards on duty. Remember to pack swimming supports for children who need them and bigger kids (and parents) would probably enjoy having floats to relax on, too! Also pack sunscreen, picnic blanket or chairs, snacks or lunch, and drinks. With your wristband, you can leave and come back until Blue Hole closes for the day. Click here for hours and admission fees.
Free Fun in Austin visited Blue Hole earlier this summer and you can read more from CultureMap, Austin360.com, and Texas Highways. If you’d like to make some other stops while you are in Wimberley, other attractions to consider are: Jacob’s Well Natural Area, Cypress Creek Nature Trail Park, scenic and historic downtown district, the cowboy museum or a drive along River Road.

Cypress Bend Park (898 Mather Street) in New Braunfels is a relaxing and easy day-trip getaway! This 15-acre park provides generous access to the beautiful Guadalupe River.

The park was not crowded at all when we visited on a Tuesday afternoon. What a treat!

The river is just under the trees on the left side of this picture. The tiny orange dots are kids running with tubes to the river.

The boys got in the river here. It’s a little sandy but if you wear water shoes (or just old running shoes), it shouldn’t affect you very much.

This is the view looking downstream.

We didn’t try the rope swing, but it was pretty tempting.

The cypress trees were really amazing and they provided some shade, too.

This huge tree was quite a sight!

The boys could not resist running across the beautiful green lawn.

We decided to swim over to a shallow area and look for crawdads. In this picture, you can see that the river bottom is sandy (vs. rocky) by the trail my son is leaving behind him.

As we were swimming, we noticed a little reptilian head peeking out of the water. Don’t worry: it’s just a turtle!

Here was the view as we headed upstream.

The sign lets people who are tubing know that this is the last public exit for the river.

We were nowhere near ready to “exit the river.” We were just getting started.

We saw lots of interesting creatures during our visit to Cypress Bend Park including this stately snowy egret. Too bad his distinctive yellow feet aren’t visible.

The boys played in this section of the river for over an hour.

We were delighted to spot (and get a picture of) this yellow-crowned night heron.

There was a small section of “rapids” that the kids enjoyed playing in.

They made up a complicated game with all kinds of rules about when they could use their hands, etc. to swim upstream. This section of rapids leads to an area of the river that is at least 6 feet deep. Plan ahead and bring life jackets or other swimming support for younger children or inexperienced swimmers.

Before we left, we visited the playground.

There isn’t much shade on the playground but it was still worth stopping by.

There’s a nice pavilion where you can enjoy your picnic or snacks.

While we didn’t bring our own horseshoes, if we had, there’s horseshoe pit ready to go!

THE RUNDOWN:

Austin Active Kids Opinion: This picturesque and easy-going park is a perfect getaway for water-splashing fun!

Outing Time: 3 hours at Cypress Bend Park plus 45 minutes each way driving to New Braunfels (in no traffic).

Reminders: Cypress Bend Park’s hours are 8 a.m. to dusk. There is no admission fee or parking fee at the park. Please note that there are no lifeguards on duty.

Bring lifejackets for kids still developing swimming skills, sunscreen, drinks, snacks, towels, water toys, water shoes, and floats. We had a lot of fun with our water guns! If you plan to stay a while, consider bringing camp chairs and a pop-up shade canopy.

The park has restrooms, picnic tables, and a playscape.

We visited on a Tuesday afternoon and the park had very few visitors. We drove through the park once before when we were in New Braunfels for Father’s Day. While there were some people picnicking and celebrating, it still was not very crowded for a Sunday.

If you’re looking for more fun activities in New Braunfels, read Top 5 Things to do in New Braunfels from R We There Yet Mom?