Here are 9 fun things to do in San Marcos, Texas, for a birthday trip, a bachelorette weekend or the one Saturday your group chat finally agreed on. Pick a few and mix and match.

Last checked November 13, 2026.

Fun things to do in San Marcos, Texas: the short list

The best things to do in San Marcos, Texas, are floating the spring-fed river, riding a glass-bottom boat over Spring Lake, finding the downtown mermaid statues and catching live music at Cheatham Street Warehouse. Here's the whole list.

  1. Float the San Marcos River
  2. Ride a glass-bottom boat on Spring Lake
  3. Find all the mermaid statues
  4. Wander the Downtown Square and Kissing Alley
  5. Claim a patio table at Zelicks
  6. Hear live music at Cheatham Street Warehouse
  7. Go underground at Wonder World Cave
  8. Shop the San Marcos outlets
  9. Jump out of a plane

Things to do on the San Marcos River

The San Marcos River is spring-fed and holds steady at 72 degrees year-round, according to Visit San Marcos. Two of the best things on this list happen on it.

Clear water of the spring-fed San Marcos River in San Marcos, Texas
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

1. Float the river. Texas State Tubes runs floats from 2024 North Old Bastrop Highway. Its season opens on the first hot Saturday in March and closes the last Saturday in September, with daily floats from May 1 to August 30. A walk-up float takes about three hours. Private group trips run about six with the shuttle.

Pack for the rules before you pack the cooler. Since May 1, 2024, the city allows only reusable drink containers in the river and along its banks in city parks. Glass and styrofoam are banned, and each person can bring one 30-quart cooler to the water. The reusable bottle is the most important thing in your bag. The city's river rules page has the full details and a map.

Wetlands boardwalk over Spring Lake at the Meadows Center in San Marcos, Texas
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

2. Ride a glass-bottom boat on Spring Lake. This is the river trip for anyone in your group who would rather stay dry. The Meadows Center at Texas State University runs glass-bottom boat tours every day from its ticket kiosk at 201 San Marcos Springs Drive. The standard tour lasts 30 minutes and each boat holds 20 adults. A group can have a boat to itself: private tours take up to 20 people, and the center asks for at least three business days' notice.

Things to do in downtown San Marcos

Downtown San Marcos is small enough to walk and has three stops worth planning around: the mermaid statues, the Square and Zelicks.

3. Find all the mermaid statues. San Marcos is the official Mermaid Capital of Texas. (Yes, officially. The governor signed the resolution on May 24, 2021.) The Mermaid March is a set of painted mermaid statues, each about seven feet tall, commissioned by the San Marcos Arts Commission and placed around town. Visit San Marcos has a free map. Split your group into teams and the losing team buys the first round.

Hays County Courthouse on the Downtown Square in San Marcos, Texas
Photo: 25or6to4, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

4. Wander the Downtown Square and Kissing Alley. The Downtown Square wraps around the Hays County Historic Courthouse, a 1909 building at 111 East San Antonio Street. The blocks around it are locally owned boutiques, vintage shops, restaurants and bars. Kissing Alley, just off the Square, has murals and string lights. Your group photo is going to happen there whether you plan it or not.

5. Claim a patio table at Zelicks. Zelicks has been pouring drinks at 336 West Hopkins Street since May 2011, in a building that started life as a 1930s gas station. The patio has washers, horseshoes and cornhole, there's a pool table inside, and the kitchen stays open late. It also books live music. If your group can't agree on a plan, this is the plan.

Things to do in San Marcos at night

San Marcos at night is live music first. Start at Cheatham Street Warehouse.

6. Hear live music at Cheatham Street Warehouse. The honky-tonk at 119 Cheatham Street opened in June 1974. On October 13, 1975, a new singer named George Strait played his first show there with the Ace in the Hole Band, and they played their next 50 or so gigs on the same stage. The Cheatham Street Music Foundation tells the whole story. The room still books shows most weeks, and Visit San Marcos keeps a live music calendar for every venue in town.

For a quieter night, the Zelicks patio (number 5) has yard games and a late kitchen.

More things to do in and around San Marcos

These three sit outside downtown and each can fill half a day.

7. Go underground at Wonder World Cave. Most caves are carved by water. This one was cracked open by an earthquake along the Balcones Fault, and a man named Mark Bevers found it in 1893 while drilling for water. Wonder World Cave & Adventure Park, at 1000 Prospect Street, runs guided cave tours and also has an Anti-Gravity House, a train ride and a wildlife petting park. It's open Friday from 10am to 4pm, Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 10am to 4pm, and the last all-in-one tour leaves two hours before closing.

8. Shop the San Marcos outlets. San Marcos Premium Outlets and Tanger Outlets sit side by side on Interstate 35. Together they have more than 220 stores across 1.2 million square feet, and Visit San Marcos says walking the whole thing is about four miles. Wear the comfortable shoes and buy the cute ones.

9. Jump out of a plane. Skydive Spaceland San Marcos is open seven days a week for tandem first jumps and has group discounts. One heads-up for whoever is driving: the airfield is at 517 Airfield Road in Fentress, outside San Marcos itself.

One more idea: learn a routine together

Group dancing an original routine together in an all-levels DivaDance class

We're biased on this one, and we're fine with that.

DivaDance Hays County teaches adult dance classes for Buda, Kyle and San Marcos. The choreography is original, classes are all levels, and no dance experience is required. Every body belongs on the dance floor.

Somebody in your group is going to ask for Beyoncé. We know because she's the most-requested artist in DivaDance history, out of more than 53,000 song requests we've collected. (The full breakdown is here.) Learning eight counts next to your friends is a faster icebreaker than any round of drinks.

Planning a bachelorette, a birthday or a team outing? Private parties have their own page, with everything you need to plan one. Check availability for a private DivaDance party.

San Marcos, Texas FAQ

What is there to do in San Marcos at night?

Live music is the main event in San Marcos at night. Cheatham Street Warehouse has booked shows since 1974, and Zelicks has a patio, yard games and bands.

What bars are in San Marcos, Texas?

Two to start with are Zelicks and Cheatham Street Warehouse. Zelicks, at 336 West Hopkins Street, is a bar in a 1930s gas station with a patio, yard games and live music. Cheatham Street Warehouse, at 119 Cheatham Street, is a honky-tonk that has booked shows since 1974. You'll find more bars in the blocks around the Downtown Square.

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