Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in San Marcos (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Bobcat Stadium, First United Methodist Church, and Rio Vista Park. Also, be sure to include Wonder World in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in San Marcos (Texas).
Table of Contents
Bobcat Stadium
Stadium in San Marcos, Texas. Bobcat Stadium is a football stadium on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. It opened in 1981 and was expanded in 2011–2012 to its present 30,000-seat capacity. Bobcat Stadium has been the home field for the Texas State Bobcats since 1981. In November 2003, the field was renamed Jim Wacker Field in honor of the former Bobcats football coach and director of athletics.[1]
Address: 1100 Aquarena Springs Dr., 78666 San Marcos
First United Methodist Church
Church in San Marcos, Texas. First United Methodist Church is a historic church at 129 W. Hutchison in San Marcos, Texas.
An easily recognized landmark of the San Marcos skyline is the Carpenter Gothic sanctuary of First United Methodist Church. The sanctuary was built in 1893, but the congregation dates back to 1847 in the earliest days of the city of San Marcos. The present sanctuary is the third building to occupy this site. First United Methodist Church's historic 1893 sanctuary served as the architectural inspiration for the Old Main building at Texas State University.[2]
Address: 129 W Hutchison St, 78666 San Marcos
Rio Vista Park
Rio Vista Dam is a dam in San Marcos, Texas.
The dam was badly damaged during the flood of 1998.
Following a US$2.1 million project, Recreation Engineering and Planning (REP) was commissioned to reconstruct the failing dam to enhance existing usage for recreational visitors and tourists alike while improving a stimulant of the local economy. REP was capable of providing a design which was tailored to the needs of the Rio Vista Dam which drastically reduced the reconstruction costs from $1.8 million to $500,000. The reconstruction efforts done by KBR, included removing the failing concrete side walls, grading the banks down to the water, and the addition of artificial rapids. REP completed the project in just under four months when the park reopened on May 25, 2006.[3]
Wonder World
Theme park in San Marcos, Texas. Wonder World is a natural theme park located in San Marcos, Texas. The park's primary attraction is Wonder Cave, an ancient earthquake cave and Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Other attractions include an anti-gravity house, a trackless motor train, and a wildlife park.[4]
Address: 1000 Prospect St, 78666-4096 San Marcos
Farmers Union Gin Company
Farmers Union Gin Company was an American cotton processing company located in San Marcos, Texas. Its main facility, located at 120 Grove Street, is now a registered historic site.[5]
Fort Street Presbyterian Church
Church building in San Marcos, Texas. Fort Street Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church building at 516 W. Hopkins Street in San Marcos, Texas.
The late-Gothic Revival building was constructed in 1901 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[6]
Address: 410 W Hutchison St, San Marcos
San Marcos Springs
Spring in Texas. San Marcos Springs is the second largest natural cluster of springs in Texas. The springs are located in the city of San Marcos, Texas, about 30 miles southwest of Austin and 46 miles northeast of San Antonio.
Although Spring Lake is highly protected, it is accessible to visitors through the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, a program of Texas State University, which offers glass-bottom boat tours among other opportunities to explore and learn about the ecosystem.[7]
Dick's Classic Garage
Museum. Dick's Classic Garage was an automobile museum in San Marcos, Texas. It was founded in 2009 by Dick Burdick, a Texas businessman and car collector, who also operated the now defunct Central Texas Museum of Automotive History in Rosanky, Texas. Dick's Classic Garage was inaugurated in 2009. It closed to the public on December 31, 2018.
The museum showcases American vehicles and memorabilia from the 1930s though the 1950s and displays a 1948 Tucker Sedan (chassis number 1050; this is the lowest mileage Tucker with 0.4 miles on the odometer). The museum also includes a restoration area.[8]
Address: 120 Stagecoach Trl, 78666-5268 San Marcos
Hays County Courthouse
Courthouse in San Marcos, Texas. The Hays County Courthouse is an historic courthouse located in San Marcos, Hays County, Texas. It was built in the Classical Revival style in 1908. It is recognized by both the National Register of Historic Places and Texas Historical Commission.[9]
Address: 111 E San Antonio St, 78666-5534 San Marcos
Alkek Library
University library in San Marcos, Texas. The Albert B. Alkek Library is the main central library of Texas State University. The Wittliff collections of Southwestern Writers and Southwestern & Mexican Photography is located on the seventh floor of the Alkek Library
The university's library was named, in 1991, for an alumnus who became an oilman, rancher, and philanthropist, Albert B. Alkek. The Albert B. Alkek Library serves as the main, central academic library supporting the Texas State University (then called Southwest Texas State University) community. As a storehouse for United States and Texas government documents, the library receives a large number of government publications from the state and 60% of all federal publications. The mission of the library, as stated by University Officials, "is to help our patrons succeed by providing high quality library services and information in a variety of formats to support the university's teaching and research programs."
Among the Library's seven floors, students encounter over 1.5 million printed texts, over 2 million microfilm & audio-visual materials, 546,700 electronic books, 471 databases, 110,800+ electronic journals, University Archives, and curriculum materials approved by the Texas Education Agency for primary and secondary schools. In addition to the vast amount of resources, the Library encompasses niche collections which are rare to the University. These holdings include The Wittliff Collections housed on the Library's seventh floor, the King of the Hill archives, major work of significant writers such as Cormac McCarthy, Sandra Cisneros and Sam Shepard, and the Lonesome Dove collection.[10]
Address: 601 University Dr, 78666 San Marcos
Charles S. Cock House Museum
Museum
Address: 400 E Hopkins St, 78666 San Marcos