Lake Travis Activities

There are so many great things to do on all the bodies of water around the city of Austin. Today though I thought I would focus on a larger body of water that often goes under appreciated for all it has to offer. Lake Travis has dozens of iconic parks, activities, and restaurants located around it that truly makes it special:

1. Hippie Hollow Park

This little iconic park just happens to be the only clothing optional beach within Travis County. It’s lovingly named after the children of the summer of love or hippies that founded the park. The park does allow people to enjoy great swimming in a beautiful natural area. However, do be aware that I would not recommend taking children to the park if you want to protect them from nudity.

2. Pace Bend Park

Home to camp grounds and beautiful hiking trails this park is the best of many worlds. You can hike along beautiful cliff sides, swim in the lake, and get some of the best nights rest under a somewhat starry sky.  I say somewhat because unfortunately due to the parks proximity to the city, light pollution is still a major issue. To me personally the park represents one of my favorite boy scouting weekend trips. When things start to return to normal I cannot recommend camping here enough.

3. The Oasis

This restaurant is more known for its cocktails and view rather than their food. To me personally the food is enjoyable, but it pales in comparison to that beautiful sunset. The restaurant is built into the cliffside overlooking Lake Travis and is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike. Even the route to the lake is gorgeous in my opinion. I recommend taking Route 2222 from downtown to head to the Oasis; the route takes longer but I promise the rolling cliff sides are worth it.

4. Hamilton Pool Park

Another great spot, that has been subject to closures due to the pandemic, is a place to go for relaxing and refreshing swimming. Another bit of unfortunate news is that due to high demand the pool is also subject to reservations. However, when the pandemic subsides and you get a reservation you will never find a pool like this anywhere else in Texas. The pool goes into a wide beautiful cave with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. This is one of my favorite natural swimming holes in all of Austin and it personally beats out Barton Springs Pool.

5. Motorized Boat Rentals

Growing up as a kid my dad never owned a boat even though he desperately wanted one. Instead we would go with friends or rent boats where we could find them. There is an armada of different boat options on the lake and personally all my childhood memories are of flying through the air on an inner tube behind a speedboat. Unlike most bodies of water around Austin Lake Travis allows pretty much all types of boating activity.