Whitewater Amphitheater — Local services in Wimberley

Had a great time last night at the Willie Nelson/Zach Bryan concert!

I wanted to post a review because doing our homework here really saved us a lot of frustration! Most of the bad reviews I read were due to people just not being very prepared, so hopefully this will help.

We went on a double whammy weekend - Memorial day tubing crowd plus Willie Nelson. The whole area was slammed with people so we already knew we needed lots of patience. But here are the things we did right to get us in and out with minimal fuss.

1. we arrived just as they were opening the gates, about 2 hours before the concert started.

2. we came in from the Canyon Lake side (going up 12 from San Marcos to Wimberly - one of the most scenic drives in the state! - and then down through Canyon Lake). This helps you avoid the mess coming up from New Braunfels AND puts you in the right hand lane so you can turn directly into the parking area. The folks coming up from NB had to wait until an officer stopped traffic before they could turn in, and that was a miles-long line of cars. Once we got parked (the attendants were VERY nice and helpful) it was an easy 1/4 mile stroll up to the gates.

3. we paid for the Left Wing seating which allowed us to sail right through the crowd and go straight to security and straight in. We almost didn't even have to stop walking. The General Admission crowd had to stand for an hour outside the gates while we sat in our seats and enjoyed some excellent tacos from the food vendors. The choice to eat there was a good one. A bit of a risk but it paid off by allowing us to get there early. Watching the GA crowd sprint to the railing like a herd of cattle was pretty fun. A mosh pit of humanity formed right before our eyes and I was glad we had paid for the seats, although 30 years ago I probably would have enjoyed running for that railing. :D

4. Left wing seating is first come first served so by getting there early we had our choice of seats and we could sit together. Later groups sometimes had to split up, which is unfortunate. However the crowd in the left wing was VERY nice and helpful and we eventually worked it out for everyone up there. It was like seeing a concert with a big family to be honest. Great experience and the setting and sound were excellent.

5. Eating there was a good choice and drink and porta-potty lines were not bad at all in my opinion. I never waited behind more than two people in a drink line and never had to wait for one of the 100 or so porta-potties to be open.

6. Getting out really wasn't all that bad. We chose to just turn right out of the parking area and head for New Braunfels. It was definitely the right choice. We were out of the crowds and traffic within a short mile or two, then it was smooth sailing back to town and the interstate.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable experience but I can definitely see someone who didn't plan well or show up early enough having a pretty bad experience. We were treating our new college graduate daughter, and she loved it. No foul language or people where we were and we didn't see any "scuffles" like some reviewers did at their events. We will definitely look to this venue again in the future...

Not to be that guy, and obviously I’m in the minority from the reviews, but this venue was much better a few years ago when it was more of a gem. There have been some renovations and the ground is now at an angle making it harder to stand for very long comfortably, it isn’t chill and flat like before. How many GA venues do you know of that have an angled floor made of dirt? Uncomfortable and bad for your back constantly trying to balance. I’m 6’2” and after an hour couldn’t wait to leave. Terrible idea there.

Plus so many people go out there now, getting in and out is a nightmare and extremely time consuming, from parking, to the experience, it’s cramped to the max. I’ve been a couple times, really enjoyed it in 2018 but after going in 2022, I won’t be returning due to how crowded it gets with such small infrastructure to support it, from the single lane road back and forth on a river, to the complex itself.

Back when it was a gem in 2018, it was great. Medium amount of people, good volume, good experience. Now, it’s insane. I suppose more concert goers after covid. Too many people for a small area. The other thing is the headliners music is crazy loud to where it hurts your head and gives you a headache. You want it to be loud for everyone to hear, but not so loud you feel it in your brain. There’s an art to it and it’s practiced with a soundcheck.

I just feel like this place blew up too much and now it’s not that cool anymore. More of a hassle. As an aside, I also thought it was rude how intensely this young girl searched my belongings in the basket for cannabis as well, looking in the crannies of my personal wallet and items, as if the venue told her to assume everyone has it, when searching for drugs is NOT the duty of a venue worker, but rather of the police if they choose to do so. If I have it, I won’t hide it in my belongings for you to confiscate. It’s everywhere, it’s an outdoor music venue, get over it. I usually go for Slightly Stoopid each year. Not surprised to see they are playing Germania this...

This venue is okay, but it's a decently long trek from the highway, their parking lot space is fairly limited (and $15 cash only, you'd think paying for a ticket would include the cost of parking) so you often end up having to park farther away and walk far and still pay around $10. Also, my main beef with them - I carefully reviewed their venue policies prior to attending a recent concert, and it said that vape refills were allowed if less than 5 oz in size. They only allow small, clear purses, so I was aware of that and came prepared so I wouldn't have to deal with walking back to my car or paying to rent a locker - which costs $10 for the small one, $15 for a bigger one. I also brought my vape pen and was told it was not allowed, so I was forced to pay to rent a locker because my other options were to walk back to my car parked very far away and miss more of the show than I already did having to spend time renting the locker, storing my vape pen, and getting back in the long line for security... or I guess I could have thrown it away, that would be the third option which I obviously didn't want to do. I emailed the venue afterward to confirm why it wasn't allowed, since (as they even admitted) the Venue Policies section of their website did not mention that requirement at all - this is the exact answer they gave me: "Because the oil refill cartridge was already attached and outside of its original packaging, it was considered an 'unlabeled substance,' and that is why it was not allowed even though it met the other requirements." They said they'd ask management to update the Venue Policies section of the website to ACCURATELY reflect existing policies so this wouldn't be an issue in the future, yet even after admitting they were wrong, they refused to refund the $10 I wasted renting a locker. Well, my family and I are refusing to ever return to their venue because that is shady, and we don't deal with businesses that are not up front and don't act in accordance with...