San Marcos Things to Do – Attractions & Must See

San Marcos Things to Do

San Marcos has some beautiful attractions to explore, but you don’t want to waste your time searching for them. Here are fun things to do in San Marcos, attractions, and must-see sites; as well as what you may want to avoid.

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Historic Districts

San Marcos has more than its share of buildings and sites of historical and architectural interest. There are 3 historic districts and 37 individual locations in San Marcos listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are even historic residential areas such as  homes are on Belvin and Burleson Streets. One of the nicest is the old Kone-Cliett Home which is a derivative of the Queen Anne style of architecture and was built in 1890 for Edward R. Kone. Kone was the Hays County Attorney, a sheriff, a judge, and the superintendent of education. The home was sold to Oran W. Cliett, the postmaster, who lived here until 1958.

The River

San Marcos was named because of the river, and the river got its name by being discovered on the day of the Catholic Feast of St Mark. The river starts at large natural spring and flows through town. There is the Aquarena Center (also called the Meadow Center) which has glass-bottom boats, kayaks, informative exhibits, bird-watching, a walkway along the river, and more. This is a very popular attraction in San Marcos.

What to Avoid

Some visitors say you may want to skip visiting The old Aquarena Springs on Spring Lake, which once boasted beautifully manicured & landscaped grounds with a well-managed program that controlled non-native plant growth in the lake is history. They claim Texas State University (then SW Texas State University) purchased the property under the ruse of utilizing it for a convention center and Aquatic Biology study center. “Under mismanagement, this former gem of San Marcos & Central Texas has been reduced to a to a deteriorated state. Misinformed students still offer glass bottom boat rides in the one or two boats that can still operate. The lake is being allowed to return to its “natural state” which will be anything but natural with the introduced aquatic plants.”

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Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about San Marcos things to do.