My sister, her kids, and I all wanted to go swimming in the lake but all the parks we knew either had really rocky beaches or didn't have easy access to the water. We finally settled on West Lake Beach. WLB isn't actually on the lake; it's on the Colorado river. It's got a really nice park that not only has easy water access, but it's also got lots of shady spots to cool off. They also have BBQ pits for cooking, picnic tabels for eating, and a vollyball court; they even have water volleyball! We all spent a really nice day at WLB and wouldn't hesitate to go back another day :-) Tip: Be forewarned; while there are rest rooms here, they're not particularly clean, they don't have toilet paper, and they don't have doors. read more

We learned of this beach from several guides that listed places to go swimming around Austin. Their website says they open on Memorial Day Weekend. Their Facebook page doesn't mention that they're closed and neither does their voicemail message on their listed number. Unfortunately, when we went on Memorial Day Weekend, there are signs everywhere that say they are closed. There is a Marina there and that is still open but unless you want to reserve the entire place for your party, the park area is closed to the public. If anyone knows the owner tell them that they should update their information to say Beach and Park Access by Reservation Only. read more

awesome spot for a day on the lake with your better half, a group of friends, an office party, or a bigger event...we actually had our wedding reception here and it worked out great. The folks that own the property are a really cool old-school Austin family. WLB is definitely kid friendly, but if you're not in to kids, you can usually find a quiet spot. There are lots areas to BBQ, covered pavilion, and picnic tables. BYO everything, but no glass is allowed, which is understandable. We had Jason's Deli cater our affair and it worked out great. They have a volley ball court and an area for horseshoes. Another thing I really like is that they have wagons so you can haul your lake gear from the parking lot to the water with minimal effort. 4 stars read more

It's on Lake Austin, it's a beautiful spot, and you can bring a boat to the docks. They have a volleyball net in the sand and another in the water. There are covered picnic tables and grills. That's the good stuff. Beach? Sure didn't seem like a beach to me. Even by the loosest standards, this isn't a beach. It costs $8 per person to enter. Parking is adequate on a typical day, but if there is a big group there, which is common, then it's difficult. It's tricky to find the place. It may be packed with kids. There were giant bugs flying everywhere. When the volleyball hit tree branches, they swarmed. I was told that the bugs only live for a couple of weeks per year, so this may not be a problem generally. This is a nice spot for a group outing. If you have a boat, then it's particularly appealing. Otherwise, it's really nothing special. read more

I don't understand the negative reviews for West Lake Beach! We had an absolutely wonderful day!! Perfect description from Walker F. Lots of tables, warm water, sandy bottom, and small beach entry. The owners have sectioned off a REALLY large area of water that is all shallow enough for a 5-year to play in -- so this place is awesome for kids. In the evenings, the entire places gets really shady. So if you want to avoid sun, consider a late afternoon outing rather than morning. We went on a holiday (July 4th) and it wasn't too crowded at all. I could have just sat by the water the entire time and watched all of the boats go by. Both the water and land volleyball courts were in use when we were there. Everyone was having a blast. There are covered tables and open tables -- take your pick. The grass is extremely lush and healthy. The sand is nice and soft -- I wonder whether they truck it in. To my knowledge the lake is not naturally that sandy. Bring whatever you want to eat or drink -- some people even had little charcoal pits. They have free carts/wagons right at the entrance so you can wheel all your stuff to your spot. For kiddos, bring sand toys, floats, and so on -- the beach entry is a lot of fun for the little ones. We also saw folks playing a game of ladder-ball that they'd brought along. Mind you, there is nothing fancy about this place, but it is a relaxing, comfortable, clean spot right on the lake! We'll be going back! read more

Came today for first time. $8 per person to get in. You can bring your own alcohol, food, etc. Lots of pretty trees and covered areas. plenty of places to sit on the benches or grass. The swimming area is pretty big and its all shallow which was great. No noodles needed necessarily. The bottom was sand so we didn't wear water shoes either. Water felt great and when the boats go by it creates waves which was cool. Never felt any fish either which was nice. The beach shore part wasn't really there prob bc the water level rose but u can still walk into the water from the edges bc it's just that shallow. We enjoyed sitting by the edge of the lake watching the boats go by. read more

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Cute little spot! It's basically a little cove closed in by land (grass/trees) and boat docks. So there is not really a beach, only about ten feet of sand/mud that leads into the water. Otherwise, you have to hop off the floating docks to get in (careful, it's pretty shallow). There are a few shells, but mostly the bottom is nice and sandy, nothing creepy like at Barton Springs. There also wasn't anything gross floating on the water. Also unlike Barton Springs the water was nice and warm. There were tons of picnic tables and a pavilion, then closer to the water there were larger grassy areas. We snagged a table and a spot on the grass and just chilled. There was lots of shade and little noise - it was very peaceful. (Yes there are kids, but most were grouped on this jumping platform on the opposite end of the cove) There is a volleyball court in the water that looked fun, but we were being lazy - a perfect place to do it IMO. $8 would have been pretty steep to spend time here, but the lady was a doll and let us in for $5 since they closed in two hours. Just remember no dogs (sad face) or glass containers. Bathrooms are questionable so if your morals allow, use what I assume is the handicap (single stall) one to the left of the tin ones. read more

WORST LAKE BEACH What a dump. Beware of owners. They burnt me and my family on a contract. Save your money for a prettier and cleaner spot on the lake, unless you like swimming in water with boat motor oil and gas. Or better yet take your family to a real beach. read more

West Lake Beach - Worst Lake Beach - Beaches Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is not a beach. Despite the title " Westlake Beach " it seriously lacks the latter. It's dirty and smells unpleasant. It's almost painful to look at all day, there is anthills everywhere and my daughter was less than happy after running around and going into the water. There's one pile of sand and then what looks like the muckiest part of Ladybird Lake, would not suggest wearing sandals of any kind in the vicinity of this area if you don't want a load of cuts on your feet and ankles. I don't understand any of the positive reviews on this... If you're looking for a great place to spend the day, I would suggest the stunning and gorgeous Emma Long State Park for $10/per car ( versus the per person price at WLB ) they have a bigger beach, docks, volleyball, picnicking and hiking trails at your disposal. I've been to both, and it is almost an insult to make a comparison. read more

Love, love, love this place. Great place for a family picnic. Truly a hidden gem of Austin.

Sure it's a pretty view but I do not understand why you would pay $8/adult and $5/kids aged 1 and up (which is ridiculous as NO ONE charges admission to anything for children under the age of 3) when you can go to beautiful Emma Long State Park for $10/per car and have a bigger beach, docks, volleyball, picnicking and miles of hiking trails at your disposal. Having done both, there's just no comparison. Unfortunately, the competition makes West Lake Beach less desirable. read more

Small hidden beach. Lots of Barbque grills and benches to sit on. Nice area to go swimming and water felt like you were in a bath. No glass bottles allowed. Entry fee is 8 dollars to get into the beach and very small parking lot. read more

Um, unbelievably rude staff, like almost comical, except how shocking and disturbing it was that we had to wait until we could explain the owners' inappropriately rude behavior to our kids to finally laugh. Also just a really misleading description, very disappointing, not worth the trip. Save your time for those businesses who appreciate you by offering you comfort and want you to be there. Very unfriendly and a hostile environment, NOT a beach, luke warm water, smell of fuel surrounding you AND a rude host?? Owner states growing up there and not leaving (I believe it) it shows by how out of touch his social skills, the lack of amenities, and business skills are. I would recommend City Park, Hamilton's Pool, Volente Beach, or just about anywhere else. read more

This place epitomizes old Austin. Quiet and family-owned. Great place to relax with guests from out of town and take in the tranquility over some brews. read more

What a neat place to relax after a hard week of fighting the ridiculous traffic and madding crowds of Austin. This is a pristine paradise for safe swimming, bbqs and most friendly family fun. The price is right at only $8.00 and you can stay all day long. You don't have to own a multi-million dollar mansion on the lake to enjoy the same ambiance that the 1% other folks do. The family that runs this paradise are helpful, friendly and most kind. Try it soon. You will definitely like it. read more

This place is a scamming playground!!! When we arrived we could sense something was off about this marina. Once we got everything loaded up on the boat, the boat handler came into our boat to show us the ropes, and I could already smell the alcohol on his breath, so we could already tell that this marina wasn't all that good. Nonetheless, we were happy so we didn't really care. When we set sail, we were excited to tube, but when we looked at the tube, it wasn't even nearly aired up enough. It went into the water with pretty much every other wave we hit. When we had had our fair share of fun, we went back to the dock and the boat handler took like ten minutes to come out and show us where we were docking. Then a random employee came up to our boat and started inspecting it for no reason whatsoever, which we thought was very weird, considering it's the first time it's happened to us after going to numerous other marinas. The first thing he said to us is that the propellor was bent. Then I finally realized what was happening, we didn't get insurance on the boat so they were trying to scam us. We told him we steered clear of all the shallow waters and then he said that he was going to take it out for a drive. When he was out we started talking to the other employee about how we steered clear of shallow water and that we thought that they were trying to scam us. I also told him that I could smell the alcohol on his breath. And that if they thought we were gonna be easy to scam, They thought wrong. He got really antsy after I told him that so I knew I was right. When the driver got back we told him we weren't gonna be scammed and he looked awestruck because of us then told us the propellor was bent and that the boat handler should have checked the propellor before our trip. So he said we were ok and that we could leave. I would not recommend going to west lake marina. VIP marina is way better and the employees are a helova lot better then west lakes. read more