Our Top Spots in San Marcos, Texas
Land Up Local Highlights
San Marcos, Texas, also known to the locals as “San Marvelous”, is a beautiful Central Texas spot boasting some of the state’s best outdoors things to do. It’s home to Texas State University (Texas’ fourth largest), the tubing Meccas that are the Blanco River and the San Marcos River, and a charming city center known as “The Square”. To know San Marcos is to love San Marcos. We certainly do and we’ll show you that you should too.
Transcription
Hello, and thank you for watching our video where we're gonna talk about some of the top spots you should be sure to visit on your next trip to San Marcos, Texas, just outside Austin. But first, you can read all about our San Marcos spotlights in our blog about it on landuptexas.com/en/blog.
All right, let's dive in. First up, if you're anything like me and love starting your day with a hot or cold cup of joe, head on over to Texas Bean and Brew House. These rusted digs are so charming, including an outside patio for fun and sunny days. But, let's be honest, the food and drinks are where it's at.
Order their popular Texas BBQ Plate, where we chose blueberry pancakes, two fried eggs, sausage, and their sweet potato hash. And, if that's not to your taste, no need to fear. All of their food looks so delicious. I quickly googled their other menu items and was not disappointed. As you can see in this video, I am so focused and entranced just looking up all their food.
But don't miss out on trying one of their awesome coffees from their regular or seasonal menu, or grab a beer or even a whole flight. To work off all those kegs and eggs, venture over to the Children's Park. This place is honestly so much fun for both kids and adults, and the park itself is pirate themed, full of fun rope contraptions and cute mermaid murals.
It's got slides, it's got swings, it's got a lot of space to just run around. It also has some play structures that I'm not sure how to describe, but kids catch on and start having a great time quickly. The Children's Park also has a lot of areas to hang out, throw some food, hike some trails. And the play structure itself also has wheelchair accessible spots and a swing, so lots of energy can be burned here.
Now, if you're so lucky as to be in San Marcos in December, be sure to check out their annual event, Sights and Sounds of Christmas Festival. Hosted by the non profit of the same name, the event brings holiday cheer to the city with ice skating, shopping, carnival rides, lots of sparkly lights, and even more.
You can stop by the petting zoo, say “hi” to Santa and watch the Reindeer Games. It's kind of like a Christmas themed rodeo, and something you'll definitely want to see for yourself. After all of that, I mean, it's gotta be time to eat again, right? Head on towards Texas State University, where you'll find Root Cellar Cafe along your way.
Now, this restaurant is known for their Bourbon Pecan Crusted Chicken and Asparagus Fries, which we obviously ordered because it looks so good and, you know, for science. But there are plenty of other tasty dishes to choose from. And, if you have a sweet tooth, you'll have no regrets trying their dark chocolate brownie.
Root Cellar Cafe also has their catering building just down the street with an iconic mermaid mural perfect to take pictures in front of or even just admire its beauty. San Marcos is known as Texas's mermaid capital, so you'll see a lot of similar inspired art and themed spots throughout the city. And now that we're on the topic of mermaids, where better to look for one than on a glass bottom boat tour at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.
This part of San Marcos actually used to be where the famous Aqualina Springs theme park was, which gave the city the claim to its mermaid fame. In our blog, we really dive in, pun intended, into the history of the city and its mermaid culture. The tour takes you down the pristine natural springs, which stay 72 degrees year round. This is also a great way to learn more about the river and the city, and I mean, you really can't beat these underwater views.
There's so much more going on in this Hill Country spot to explore and learn about. This small city keeps on getting bigger and has been recognized as one of the fastest growing and exciting ones in the U.S.
So, if you love the outdoors, water, or even just some really good Texas food in a charming town, Be sure to connect with us at Land Up. We're listing new properties all the time in the San Marcos area, and we'd love to help you find your perfect piece of Texas.