When we first heard about McKinney Falls State Park we liked the photos and things to do there but…read morewere generally apprehensive about paying $6 just to go to a park and swim. However, after our time there we can confidently say it's one of the best ways you can spend a few bucks here in Austin. The park itself is in a bit more of a secluded area which is nice because you truly do feel away from things. As a heads up when paying at the entrance they only take card. If you're looking to use tap to pay or cash you have to go inside in order to make that payment. The visitors center is nice though with very helpful park rangers as well as merch, drinks, and maps for you to use. Once you drive to the upper falls parking it's just a short 5 minute walk over to the swimming hole. The walk is cool as you traverse over what looks and feels like moon rock. We chose the upper falls instead of the lower falls because we heard the water here is deeper and there are less kids around. It was definitely the right choice as the water was perfect for a hot day and parts of the swimming hole are definitely 10+ feet in depth. There are a lot of places around to set up blankets and there's multiple rock formations jutting out of the water in case you need a quick break once you're in the water. The coolest part of the swimming hole is the jump you can make off the rock ledge. It's about a 15-20 foot jump and people line up in order to get there. There's also some wildlife around the pool which is cool to see. As a note, they don't allow radios or drinking and everyone was pretty respectful of that. Whether you're a young group of friends looking for a nice swim getaway or a family looking for somewhere to unwind, McKinney State Falls is a great option to beat the heat. Just make sure to layer on some sunscreen.

I've been here several times and have explored it fairly extensively. The family-friendly trails…read moreare varied enough to keep the day interesting and the time spent at McKinney Falls is never wasted. For those seeking a bit more of a challenge, crossing the river takes more thought to avoid getting your feet wet. I've usually found there are 2-3 paths at the river crossing, being careful not to slip on any rocks. The homestead beyond the crossing can be observed and appreciated, but it's off-limits to help preserve what's left. The backcountry trails total about 6 miles and it's usually just the right length for me to get a solid hike in. There is very little elevation change, though there can be a lot of mosquitos during the warmer months. I didn't find any benches to rest at and there is no water source to refill water bottles. Given that McKinney Falls is within Austin's city limits makes this state park a gem. There is also a large day-use area near the campgrounds with about 100 picnic tables and charcoal grills the last time I counted a few years ago. Parking is plenty and the rangers are friendly. Definitely either get there early or make online reservations to reserve a time slot to enter as the park can fill up fast over weekends or holidays. Their gift shop also has a variety of items for sale, and you can get a park passport stamp there too!

Stayed Friday night after Christmas on our way heading back home. They let us change our spot once…read morewe got on site. We moved closer to the bathrooms and with no neighbors on either side. I don't remember her name, but the lady was super friendly and nice. There were kids in the pool (yes - Texas Christmas weather). We rode our e-bikes over to the Pepperment Park light festival thing. Super fun! We got 3 putt putt passes with our RV stay! Bathrooms were nice and clean and spacious! Enough hot water for 3 showers in a row. Haha. Had a great time and will definitely be coming back.

We had an RV rally with about 26 units. This RV park is top shelf. The sites are generous with…read moreplenty of room to park a tow vehicle. The amenities (pool, dog park, restrooms, gathering area) were wonderful & clean. Being able to sit at your RV and watch cars racing by is amazing. Our group enjoyed the tower tour, mini golf and go karting. But the stars of the stay are in the office--Jade & Fran. Every question or request was responded to very quickly and with a smile. These two made our stay outstanding.

THE FIVE DOLLARS SPOT. $5 DOLLARS to enjoy the view, nature and outdoors with your loved ones or…read morelike me, your dogs! Shotgun, the owner, met us at the front and went out of his way to walk and direct us to the beach we needed for the doggos! It was so peaceful and relaxing, and because of Shotgun and the other team members we had an amazing first experience of the year. Our pups had so much fun and the water, although cold was perfect!! Thank you Shotgun and team!!

We had a lot of fun here. We went on a Friday morning and we were the only ones there for about 3…read morehours. We didn't rent any canoes or tubes or anything. It was $5 per person and we took 2 of our dogs. Leashes aren't required so once people did get there, dogs were just running up to our dogs who were leashed and their owners didn't care. We ended up leaving a couple of hours after that. The water is amazing though and there's a lot of different entry spots into the water. One trail to drive down might require 4x4 though.

Great trip. Our driver was at the drop off and pickup spots as promised. The river got a bit…read moretricky in places, but not too difficult.

Awesome company... easy in and out, fair prices, and they required masks when in confined spaces so…read moreeveryone was as safe as possible during Covid.

Whenever we're in the Gruene area (which is a lot) and we want to to float, we always use Rockin'…read moreR. This is their main location. They have several in the regional area but my review is for the Gruene location. The staff are really fun and helpful (you know like when you're getting out and fall on your rear and they help you out of the water). Rental rates are fair and the tubes are clean.

I will start by saying, I don't entirely blame the business for what happened during our float, and…read morethey did try to remedy it by giving us free passes to come back - or to use another location. The main takeaways for my post if you don't want to read (TLDR): 1. This location should NOT be advertised as a float - it is seriously very dangerous when the water is low, we all popped our tubes and had small injuries from the rocks - I am glad with my injuries being small - it could have been SOOO much worse 2. Aggressive turtles and water snakes everywhere 3. The entire float route is surrounded by private property so there is literally no way to exit unless you go to the end .. The day started out great - the Gruene location was nice, we did not pay for parking as others have mentioned (not sure why we didn't). The main complaint about the actual location where you sign in and get your tubes are the rest rooms. They were not clean and the water did not work. Also, the entire place was run by children which was very weird to me. There was no one over the age of 20 working the day (Sunday) we went. A kid that looked to be literally 13 was the one to help us into the river and didn't say a word to us- just looked at us and put the tubes in the water (which I understand - I was shy at that age as well). My main concern and the reason why I am posting is that this route (in my opinion) should NOT be used by this company as an advertised float. It was genuinely super dangerous. I have floated multiple times throughout Texas and have not encountered rocks and rapids like this. We got stuck multiple times on the rocks and it took us 3 hours to just get half way to the first exit. After the second set of rocks we were DONE. Our tubes had all popped and several of us had injuries (nothing super serious - bruises and cuts from the rocks - one girl hurt her back pretty badly and had spasms) . We called the company and asked for someone to pick us up (to which another child answered the phone). They offered to bring us new tubes - which they did. The kid that brought us the tubes told us we were two hours from the exit (which apparently was not correct). Because they wouldn't come pick us up and told me we had to tube down to the end where the exit is - we decided the best option was to call the non-emergency number for the Sheriff. She told us to call 911 to get more precise coordinates for our location - which we then did. An ambulance came and the EMT's found us and were able to escort us out of the back of people's homes (we did not want to trespass on these people's properties - also there were giant staircases we were unsure if the one girl with the back injury could even make it up). Everyone was fine, the EMT's dropped us off at the entrance to Rockin R - which we were then greeted by the location's owners. They told us it had been a misunderstanding and they didn't realize someone was injured - which I literally told them over the phone twice. After the confusion subsided, they did give us free passes to come back - which I won't be using. I understand these things happen and we did sign waivers - but the company should not be using this route. Someone will get seriously injured on these rocks one of these days. I guarantee it..

If you've never been to a state park in Texas you don't know what you're missing…read more Texas state parks are super well cared for and are always beautiful and a great time. They are super cheap and if you go regularly you can get a park pass and its even cheaper. If there's a fishing spot often you can go to the park office and borrow fishing gear. Texas Parks & Wildlife is definitely doing something right.

God Bless the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department! They…read morekeep nearly 100 state parks up and running year round, at a low cost to the public. They've got a huge operation going on here. Imagine just how much manpower it takes to keep all those trees trimmed, those lakes pristine, those rivers safe- there's a lot going on here. And the park rangers of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department does it all with a smile! You gotta wonder where the park rangers go when they want to get away from it all? The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department also publishes a monthly magazine with fun tips about various parks I'd never heard of, and features pics of other parks that I knew were good to go to. The parks service has always been friendly and encouraged having fun responsibly. I've always had clean restrooms at the parks, with working lights running water and electricity at all the places that were supposed to have it. I've always been so impressed with the efficiency and scope of the Texas Parks and Wildlife system, and am thankful for their ability to take such good care of the parks every time I visit!

What an incredible organization with the most wonderful people. They taught my 9 and 11 year old…read morechildren to Sail in a week. It was hands down the favorite camp of the summer and it inspired so many dreams in my children. My kids went from knowing nothing about boat to able to sail on their own in a matter of days. They love being on the water and being the captain of their ship. They learned so much about boats and sailing but also about responsibility and leadership. We have loved being a part of sail strong and we can not wait to take more classes and attend camp again.

From the owner: Sail Strong's offers under-served youth the opportunity to build life skills through sailing. We…read morewant to show them opportunities that may otherwise have been unavailable to them, opening the doors to other experiences and adventures. Through hands-on experiences and mentorship on the water, we strive to create a supportive community where young people can chart their own courses toward brighter futures

We loved the water park at Quest! We took three pre-teen boys to the park and they had a blast…read more The "blob" was so fun to launch them skyward, and they loved the giant obstacle course. The slides and the swings were great, too. Being able to bring our own food helped us save some money, and all the people there were extremely friendly and supportive. The "big kids" were so nice to our kids and it made for a really nice environment. Will definitely be back.

This is such a cool place!…read more I learned to wakeboard here during covid. I go at least once or twice per week now. Everyone here is so nice and helpful...the staff... the other boarders. You're going to have a great time...

Founders lied about the ratio. Said it is a 12:1 student to teacher ratio. What was the everyday…read morereality was a mere 28:1 student to babysitter ratio. 2 stars for the coordinator directly above us, he was great and deserved more recognition. Went in for the interview to work here and told it was going to be an enrichment program where us as "instructors" would be teaching. The hiring managers failed to acknowledge that instructor position were already filled and we would merely be babysitting in an after school daycare, which after many questions I had in the interview, they failed to mention. The directors at my location were more in for the money, over glorifying what the company actually stood for. It is sad to see that these kids weren't able to voice their concerns and parents were lied to in attempt for a cash grab. Actual worker were nice but conditions bad. Kids bullying and outrageous outbursts like I've never seen. Age groups were coordinated accordingly.

From the owner: Looking for an AMAZING camp experience for your child this summer in Buda?! Register your child for…read moreiKids U Camp hosted at the palace of fun, Pinballz Kingdom! 6 great themes to choose from and each week includes creates STEAM projects, active play, game play and a kid's meal! Join us today!

Great spot to stay at! We had a conference in Austin and stayed here 2 weeks.. right across from…read morethe NASCAR racetrack The mgr Eddie was awesome and treated us like family. Our children were able to have movie nights here on a big projector screen and we grilled burgers & hot dogs. They also have a food truck.. inexpensive and the food is Sweet spot to stay at, only 20 mins from downtown Would definitely stay here again, and an extremely reasonable price. Thanks Eddie!

Perfect location! Eddie (the manager for the location) is the best. Multiple food trucks onsite…read more Great food!! Cigar lounge. Super clean bathrooms. Wish I could give more than 5 Stars!!!!