Loved it here, would come back in a heartbeat! It's a spring so the waters are always at a cool temp. which can be amazing in the Texas heat.
There are turtles and Salamanders in the water. Lifeguards on duty, a diving board, shallow and deep end. You can bring floaties with you.
Barton is just full of life and excitement. Everyone seems so happy and to be having a blast. It's an infectious energy!
Barton is also a great place to sun bath. I recommend bringing a book and reading the afternoon away as you bask in the sun.
If you're a non resident, it will cost you $9 for a day pass instead of $5, but that's all I'd Barton for a whole day. If you want to leave and come back during the same day, just remember to get your hand stamped before heading out.
They don't allow food or drink in Barton but there are lots of food places close by, and you just have to try Texas cuisine! But if you wanna save some money, I recommend packing a little picnic and having it before going...
Read moreThe pool was quite crowded as it is peak time to visit the springs. Despite this, I still found a spot to sit down and a nice area to swim in. The water is super cold and refreshing and I had a nice swim around. The lifeguards do a great job of keeping everyone safe. At the entrance you can pay with card or cash to enter, I paid $5 to enter. If you don’t want to pay to enter the “proper” springs, there is a section directly next to it that is free, but the water is much more shallow and rocky. The people are really nice over there though, I have had a great time over there playing frisbee. Parking for Barton springs is like roulette. Sometimes you can find a good parking spot if you wait, and other times you have to park far out and hike to the entrance. The parking closest to the springs is paid parking, but it’s not costly. For 3 hours I paid around $8. This spot is a must-go if you are visiting Austin or live...
Read moreIt was a beautiful place to take a dip. The water was very cold and there was a ton of algae which made it difficult to walk without slipping (even on the stairs) so use caution!⚠️ One huge recommendation: avoid prepaid tickets, there are many self use ticket machines that you can buy and enter quickly opposed to waiting on a long online pick-up line. When we went it was about a 45 minute wait to get your online tickets and there were 6 self use machines at the far right entrance that were open. We bought our tickets 5 minutes later and we were in the water cooling off.
Another difficulty was the parking situation but there was a large field that was open. We just drove to the back and found plenty of space to park our large passenger van. It was a bit of a walk but it took longer to enter the lot as opposed to walking the distance to...
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