Looking for things to do in San Marcos? Our guide for where to eat, drink and have fun.
San Marcos, home to Texas State University and some well-known outlet malls, is just 30-ish miles south of Austin and makes for a great day trip. Pack your bag with swimming supplies and an empty stomach, because we have recommendations.
Things to do in San Marcos
San Marcos River
(Information: sanmarcostx.gov)
The pièce de résistance of San Marcos is absolutely the San Marcos River and it absolutely is everything you've heard about it — a crystal clear monument that looks like a Monet painting from land and comes with marvelously cool water. It's soothing, it's magic, it's joy in physical form.
You can swim, tube, paddleboard, kayak and canoe down the river and there's no entrance fee. Make sure to bring your goggles and let us know if you see a threatened San Marcos Salamander or an endangered San Marcos Fountain Darter.
Tubing season may be officially coming to an end during Labor Day Weekend, but you can bring your own tube to the San Marcos River year-round. Fill it up with air at a gas station and hop on the river for an hourlong float to Rio Vista Park. The city recommends you start at City Park at 170 Charles Austin Drive and get out at Rio Vista Park at 555 Cheatham St.
San Marcos Lions Club Tube Rental (tubesanmarcos.com) will be open seven days a week until Aug. 21 when the business switches to weekends only until Sept. 30.
A caution: Be kind to the river. Don't trash it, don't traipse around in the endangered Texas Wild Rice, and leave underwater habitats, such as rocks or grass, alone.
LBJ Museum of San Marcos
(131 North Guadalupe St.; lbjmuseum.com)
Former president Lyndon Baines Johnson was a student at Texas State University, formerly Southwest Texas State Teachers College, from 1927 to 1930. He frequently visited the campus and San Marcos as president. Carve out half an hour in your trip to visit the LBJ Museum of San Marcos. The museum is free, perfectly small and right on The Square. It's open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
The museum has the desk where Johnson signed the 1965 Higher Education Act into law, campaign buttons, a collection of pens Johnson used to sign legislation, and newspaper clippings, among other memorabilia. The museum is a fun, quick slice into the president's time in San Marcos and worth a stop during your day trip.
Fun fact: Johnson tried Manske Rolls, aka really big, huge cinnamon rolls, from Gil's Broiler, a restaurant that is just steps from campus, on one of his visits back to San Marcos. He loved the rolls so much, he had them shipped to the White House, according to the restaurant. (The cinnamon rolls definitely live up to the hype.)
Glass-Bottom Boat Tour at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
(201 San Marcos Springs Drive; meadowscenter.txst.edu)
Hopping in a glass-bottom boat to view Spring Lake is one of the best ways to spend an hour or so in San Marcos. The boats have run on the lake since 1945 and give you a peek at the pristine world under the surface of the water. Spring Lake was home to Aquarena Springs theme park until 1985. The boat tour is calming and stunning. You'll feel like you're floating over another planet.
The boats run every 30 minutes from 10 am. to 5 p.m. daily and are first come, first serve. Tickets are $9.75 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for children 3-12 years old and free for kids 2 years and younger. You can rent a boat for your group for $150. You'll also need to budget $3 for parking.
See a Texas State University production
(430 Moon St, on the Texas State University campus; information and schedule: theatreanddance.txst.edu)
If you can plan your trip to San Marcos around a musical from the university's Department of Theatre and Dance, you really should. The university's BFA musical theater program was created in 2009 by Kaitlin Hopkins and is ranked in the top 10 theater programs in the U.S.
2017 profile: Kaitlin Hopkins takes Texas State to the top in musical theater
Every show the university puts on is a hit. This writer has seen "Rent," "Urinetown," "Anything Goes" and "Legally Blonde" and each was unbelievably good. We're probably going to start a conspiracy theory that the shows can't possibly be put on by college students because they're so good.
The department is producing "Rent" this year, Nov. 14-19, among other performances including dance and plays.
Places to eat in San Marcos
The Root Cellar
(215 North LBJ Drive; menu and reservations: rootcellarcafe.com)
Feeling a little fancy? We recommend The Root Cellar for something between casual and formal dining. Downtown just off the Square, the restaurant is a step down into an old livery stable that dates to 1886. The decor is warm, with stone walls and wood and leather accents.
Stop in for brunch, and grab a mimosa and the French toast, which is made with challah dipped in egg custard. Make sure to get some bacon on the side! At lunch and dinner, try a house salad with one of the vinaigrette dressing options — Tangy or Root Razz. The salad dressings at Root Cellar are reason enough to visit — they're salty, sweet, creamy and perfectly puckering. You'll want to lick your plate and get enough bottles to stash in every crevice of your home.
Save room for dinner because we're going to recommend you order a lot. Start with the Spinach Artichoke Dip followed by the Bourbon Pecan Chicken or the Handcut Ribeye with Herbed Butter or the Bone-In Pork Chop. You should probably order every dessert so you can try them all. That'll be the Snickerdoodle Bread Pudding, a Dark Chocolate Brownie, Berry Cheesecake, or a scoop of ice cream.
Grins Restaurant
(802 North LBJ Drive; grinsrestaurant.com)
No, we're not just recommending Grins because they have $0.99 margaritas during happy hour, which runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Grins is a San Marcos institution. Not mentioning it would be a glaring omission — it is an undeniable part of San Marcos culture.
Once you climb up North LBJ Drive by foot or car, it's steep either way, you'll find Grins' brown and green building seemingly teetering on a hill. But it's sturdy, we promise. "Sturdy" is the perfect word for Grins. It's a reliable spot with plenty of seating and a classic menu including burgers, onion rings, chicken fried steaks, chips and salsa, fajitas and salads.
Grins opened on Valentine's Day in 1975 and is now run by two Texas State University graduates, according to the restaurant's website. Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen and the Beacon City Band have all performed at Grins. We recommend visiting for lunch, or after a trip to the river.
Herbert's Taco Hut
(419 Riverside Drive; updates on the Herbert's Taco Hut Facebook page)
We bet you didn't know the best chicken enchiladas are in San Marcos at a blink-and-you'll-miss-it spot near the river. For barely $11 (before tip), you can get chips and salsa, chicken enchiladas verdes with rice and beans, and a Dr Pepper the size of your head at Herbert's. This really hits the spot after spending the morning in the sun at the river.
The restaurant is dimly lit and has orange walls with colorful decorations all around. One of our favorite things about Herbert's is the speed. We swear your food arrives on the table before you're finished ordering. We're barely being dramatic.
Hot tip: Purchase some salsa at the counter on your way out.
Dos Gatos Kolache Bakery
(700 North LBJ Drive, #102A; dosgatoskolaches.com)
We have not checked the math on this, but we're going to say it's highly improbable that the best Czech kolaches are also in the same city with the best chicken enchiladas. But it's true. Our favorite dessert-for-breakfast meal is in San Marcos.
Dos Gatos' Czech kolaches are flawlessly soft with the best fruit fillings, from apple to apricot, blueberry to cherry, peach, strawberry and more, including cream options.
Obviously you should go with your heart's desire on your filling, but if you need help, we always order a couple blueberry, a couple cream cheese, a raspberry and a peaches kolache.
Loli's Cafe
(1501 Aquarena Springs Drive; loliscafesm.com)
Were you so excited to get to San Marcos that you left without eating breakfast? Perfect! Stop at Loli's Cafe for a breakfast taco on your way into town. The taco spot is in a little maroon building on the side of the road, with drive-thru windows on each side and a walk-up window in the front. A line often forms at Loli's, and it's worth the wait.
The tacos are robust in size and filling. For this writer, an egg and bacon taco is a must. At Loli's, the bacon comes in thick chunks. The potato, egg and bacon taco is another favorite and includes thick chunks of potato. Tacos are $3 and up.
Where to stop for coffee
Wake the Dead Coffee House
(1432 Old Ranch Road 12; check in on their Facebook page to stay up to date)
If you're looking to lounge around at a coffee shop before starting your day or when recharging up in the afternoon, make the drive out to Wake the Dead Coffee House. The red-and-black-striped building, which has neon green accents, has a beautiful patio space and rooms inside.
Order your usual and you won't be disappointed. The shop is covered in fun art to peruse and is often holding events.
Redbud Roasters
(169 South LBJ Drive; redbudroasters.com)
A place offering a cup of coffee for $2? Sign us up. RedBud Roasters is on the Square in San Marcos and we love stopping in for their $2 drip coffee, $3 cold brew or the "Full Nelson," which is made with Cuban espresso poured over steamed cream and topped with a splash of coffee. They also have teas and kombucha, if coffee isn't your jam.
You must take a bag of coffee beans home with you from Redbud. We recommend the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe dark roast or the Sumatra dark roast.
When you want a drink or two
Zelicks Icehouse
(336 West Hopkins St.; zelickssmtx.com)
Located in a 1930s gas station on the edge of downtown, Zelicks Icehouse is one of our favorite spots in Central Texas for hanging out. It has outdoor seating and an indoor garage structure for the bar. Bring your friends to Zelicks and make use of the game selection, including cornhole, washers and horseshoes.
Since it's still 1 million and 12 degrees outside, we definitely recommend getting a grapefruit or strawberry margarita. The margaritas come in big chalices that you may need both hands to use. You should also probably, most definitely grab a burger while you're there.
Shade Rooftop Patio Bar
(127 East Hopkins St.; updates on Shade's Facebook page)
Shade is secluded, with twinkle lights and pretty foliage hanging all around, which makes for a great photo op. We recommend pulling over at Shade after your visit to the LBJ Museum, as it's just a hop down the Square. It's also next to Root Cellar Cafe if you want to pop over before or after dinner.
Take a photo outside of the bar before you go in — a big "78666" mural is painted on the side of the building. Upstairs, you'll find ample seating, Jenga and, most importantly, shade from the sun.
This bar is a great spot to recharge before heading to your next item on your San Marcos to-do list.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Need things to do in San Marcos? Here's where to eat, drink, have fun.
