I absolutely love San Marcos. There's so much to do! Great locally owned shops and restaurants,…read morebars and pubs. Bars and other venues with live music. Water activities like tubing in the spring-fed San Marcos River. They've even got outlet shopping if that's your thing. It's a college town (Texas State) so you know the vibe is on! Love doing day trips to San Marcos. Something for everyone there.

San Marcos, Texas, is near and dear to our hearts. It is a relatively small and welcoming city with…read morean appealing allure. It is home of Texas State University, where my hubby earned a Masters degree and my niece received a Bachelor degree. The San Marcos River also adds outdoor appeal. Another major highlight is the San Marcos Premium Outlets (including neighboring Tanger Outlets) combined offering 220+ stores, making these outlets one of the largest outlet shopping areas in the United States. If you are an outlet shopper, there is almost nothing you cannot find at these outlet malls. Two major blocks of retailers are spread with a myriad of shops. Examples include Gucci, Prada, Versace, Nike, Adidas and Coach. If you have visitors to Austin and San Antonio, TX, they will certainly ask you to take them to the San Marcos outlet malls.

Stopped in the parking lot to eat my lunch. The park is pretty well visited. There were quite a few…read morejoggers, walkers and bicyclist that went past my spot in the parking lot. Parking lot is very large, mostly paved with some gravel areas to park in. There are Porta potties Where the trail start at the end of the parking lot. Pets are allowed on leash. There are free plastic small disposal bags at the trailhead for you to collect your dog waste and not leave it out on the trailer in the woods. After finishing my lunch, I took a short walk down the trail to check it out. I hadn't walked very far when I ran across a pair of deer just standing off the side of the trail. See pictures. There were several side trails that took off into the woods that were more like hiking trails you'd see at a state park. However, the overall trail was paved and very navigable even for someone with a disability. There are also numerous benches along the trail where you could rest or just look off the woods for reflection. Overall, it's a very nice park very easy hiking trail good place to go exercise in a nice place to walk off your lunch lol

The conservancy is so beautiful and well designed. I loved that they had art on display, and a…read moreboard showing a calendar for events. The entrance and sitting area right before the trail had lots of small birds, and further walking on the trail showed more wildlife. This has to be one of the coolest parks and is great for birding. I did not make it to the land bridge though.

My doggo and I frequently come here for our walks. You'll see me either listening to my favorite…read morefaerie assassin queen book or gossiping on the phone with my mom. We make several loops through the park, keeping count of all the deer. Typically around 10 each time we walk. Be careful though, they may pop out in front of you on the trail. As will many bikers passing you "ON YOUR LEFT!" I've not seen any other big animals to be aware of during the day. When it is exceptionally busy, the bikers do seem to be prevalent and it is important to keep your dog (and kids) close. We enjoy this park though due to our proximity to it and ease of walking. It wasn't quite shaded enough to frequent in the summertime though.

This is a friendly, safe park to go on hikes, Jogging, or bike rides. There are bathrooms on site…read more Park rangers that do multiple checks to make sure all is well. I love feeling like I am in the country with all the wildlife, and landscape. A few different routes you can take depending on which park you want to connect to. This greenbelt is a safe way to get exercise with admiring nature's beauty.

If you're looking for a short hike with classic Hill Country features and almost no one else…read morearound, the Curry Nature Center (or preserve) is a wonderful free-to-the-public option in Canyon Lake. The coliche and timber-lined trail is very well maintained and plenty wide enough. The hilly loop is about .7 miles and whichever turn you take, you'll have some pretty good elevation change and some great terraced steps. The view is pretty mich tree-covered hills dotted with a few houses and cell towers. We didn't notice any creeks or springs, but there is a fountain at the trailhead. Our first visit was for a family walk during the first cool Fall weather in October 2020, and it was the perfect way to get outdoors and get the blood pumping before dinner. We encountered only two other parties along the short hike, each walking their dogs. Now that I'm a part-time Canyon Laker, I know I'll be back often to use this park for trail running workouts. You can make a challenge of running multiple loops, working on uphill and downhill stability and stamina. During summer, I recommend early mornings, as there is no shade at all on the path.

Just shy of a mile, perfect loop to walk the dogs. Trail is clean and well maintained. The water…read morefountains at the entrance is perfect for both humans and furry companions. This will definitely be my go to spot!

Always enjoy biding the small dog portion of the park. Chuy and Bella spend lots of time sniffing…read morearound.

Nice playground! There's a lot of play structures, seating and shade! There's a parking lot if…read moreright next to the blue play area. They have swings, slides and a small wooded area where the kids can play. Enter from NW Military near HEB/Alon Market

This is a hidden cave in a neighborhood. It is so cool to visit. I discovered it by mistake on the…read moremap. You go down some stairs to get to the cave. For a moment you forget you are in a neighborhood. If you are bored and need something interesting to check out. I definitely recommend visiting this gem

I found this hidden jewel on a day we had time to kill before an appointment. It SA really neat…read morelittle patch of nature in the middle of the city. Trees, bushes, plants are labeled for nature explorers. There is a warning about the sinkhole, but I went in at my own risk. It blocked out the traffic noise a little. I took one star off for the constant traffic passing by. There is Parking on the north side if you pull in the alley off of Nacadoches. I think it's ok to park on the street if Camellia too. I've used both. It has two picnic tables. You might want to bring a cover, not the cleanest. Bag your teach and take it home...no receptacles there.

There's nothing like walking back in time, and I highly recommend you visit here to do so. This is…read moreone of four (five with The Alamo) San Antonio missions in the National Parks system, and you get to walk back in time at this CCC-restored, community advocated site whose advocacy history is also on display. Put on your sunscreen and set aside 2-3 hours, or more if you like! A couple hours flew by before we noticed, and there is so many neat things to see. You are also walking into the present: San Jose is still an active congregation where you can attend mass, light a candle, and the congregation might be already having an event. Thankfully the air-conditioned chapel was open during our visit. As a fee-free site, you can leave $ for the congregation in a donation box by the holy water, or visit the gift shop. Alas the gift shop inside the mission walls was closed, but the visitor center (after staff lunch) was open and full of souvenirs and reading material. What a beautiful chapel, and lovely landscaping and birds outside. Some even nested in crevices outside the chapel walls. A profound spot all around. San Jose isn't the closest mission to downtown, but is the only site with a visitor center, and a good spot if your kid's earning a junior ranger badge (ps, the junior ranger badge collection displayed at the visitor Center is itself amazing).

I would by no means make a special trip to San Antonio for this but, it was a wonderful place to…read morevisit while already in town to sightsee and meet a friend for a girl's weekend. We stopped by around mid-day and it was HOT - 105 degrees. We found that this park is free for all to visit and see and the friend NPS staff at the front were happy to provide inputs, directions and we shopped in the little gift shop. We spent about an hour here walking around and enjoying the place and it's very peaceful, well-kept, and beautiful. Well worth a visit if you are in San Antonio.

We tried to come here on a Friday night and was advised that this night is only for members who…read moreplay on a league. So just a heads up for out of towners don't come on a Friday night.

I attended a wedding here tonight & the ballroom was nice and spacious…read more The staff was really friendly. I'm looking for a space and I might rent here!