A Water Park of Another Kind - Hinman Island

A beautiful, tree-shaded place to enjoy the Comal River!

Perfect for scuba, snorkeling, swimming, toobing, and fishing!  Can you believe there is another perfect park in New Braunfels?  You might want to make a visit to Hinman Island Park which is located on Hinman Island Drive, between Landa Park and Prince Solms Park.  Facilities include a playground, restrooms, picnic tables and easy river access from the park.  Oh, yes! Beautiful water.  

Oh, yes--you could tell from the picture above that these furkids were not going to be left out of the fun but they were very well behaved.  They had as much fun as the kids and adults.

On one side of the river you can see all the business places.  There are numerous places to rent toobs, lots of condos and overnight rentals right on the river.  There is also an RV and camping park.  So will see lots of signs saying private property over there and you are not supposed to get out on that side.  But, it really isn't a problem because Hinman Park has three or four entry points with stairs into the water spread out along the length of the river.

You can walk along the sidewalk and get in the water down at one end and then float along slowly until you get down to the final stair area.  The area is really pretty with lots of trees and grass along the side.

See the toobers down at the end of the park area?

This little area also leads into the Comal but is very natural and woodsy.

If you are really brave, you can shoot down through this tube and head further down the river but you don't have too.  It is well marked and you can easily get out before you get there.

There are rules for being on the river--no glass, coolers not over a certain size, music not obnoxious to others, etc.  But this is a family place where everyone has fun--you and your kids and grandchildren can all enjoy the water along the Comal.

Hmmm--Prince of Solms Park?  I don't think I've been there yet.  Stay cool!

More New Braunfels TX Adventures - Landa Park

As I mentioned, New Braunfels has a lot to offer.  One of the best natural attractions is Landa Park owned by the city of New Braunfels.  The land was purchased by Joseph Landa way back in 1859.  His son Harry opened the park as a tourist park in 1898 and it was finally purchased by the city in 1936 at the urging of citizens.

The park is lovely and large (196 acres) with many beautiful shade trees.  It contains the Comal River which was featured on Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not news column a few years ago as the world's shortest river.

The source of the Comal River is Comal Springs, the largest springs in Texas.  The springs gush from underground limestone springs throughout the park area.  These springs are prehistoric.  In 1691, Spanish explorers found a large concentration of Indians at Comal Springs.

It is a little difficult to tell in the photo but the springs were gushing into the river all along this hillside area.

Near the springs, you'll find the Panther Canyon Nature trail.  It's a beautiful natural area but you do need to keep the weather in mind as heavy rains can cause this area to flood rapidly.  Bikes and motor vehicles are prohibited on the trail.

If take the kids on a hike, they may want to cool off a little by wading in this area.  This area is set aside for wading as the springs area is off-limits for wading.  While you cannot picnic in this small area, there are many picnic tables and grills available for barbecuing throughout the rest of the park.

Only the ducks can swim in this area.

A short walk on the paths around the park will lead you to this Dance Slab complete with a stage.

Further along the river away from the protected springs, I saw these birds enjoying the water and you can just see the toobers further along.  This area is famous for toobing as they call it here both on the Comal River and on the nearby Guadalupe river which also runs through New Braunfels.  More on that later.

In this poster, you can see some of the highlights of the 76 year old park.

The Chaste Tree had beautiful purple blooms on it.

If you get tired of walking in the park, you can also take a train ride.  The train runs daily along a mile and a half track that winds through the park.

You can also rent a paddle boat or canoe.

If you were around on the right weekend, you could have a moonlit date on the lake complete with food as well.  Sounds like a fun idea doesn't it?

Archeologists have traced Indian settlements in this immediate area to 13,000 years ago.  This Founders Oak Tree was a seedling in the 1700's.  Early settlers told stories of how the Indians would leave messages for those coming later by weighing down the young trees branches to point in the direction they were going.  This huge tree is getting a little support these days and you can see how it is pointing off in one direction.

There is plenty to help you keep cool here in the park.  The Aquatics Complex features two very different pool areas.

One pool is a natural spring-fed pool complete with a couple of water slides, playground equipment, some tables, and lots of shade.

There is also a huge Olympic size swimming pool.

You'll also find statues telling about early settlers as well as informational plaques along the park's walkways.  Covered pavillions with picnic tables can be reserved for large groups.

There is also ample nature to observe as you walk around.  Your pets are also welcome on leashes and you will find pet stations with bags stationed around the park as well as lots of trash cans.

Just in case this isn't enough to keep you busy, you will also find tennis, miniature golf as well as a challenging 18-hole golf course.  This is a park that everyone can enjoy.  But, stay tuned, there is more coming.

Crescent Bend Nature Park, Schertz. TX

We headed out for a new destination today.  I've heard about it but never been there.

As you can see, this is a pretty new park.  It was just dedicated in Oct 2009.  It's out on the edge of Schertz which is partly in Bexar County and part in Guadalupe county.  It is located along Cibolo Creek.

It was warm and not quite sunny but not quite cloudy either.  Look at the field of yellow flowers.  They were everywhere when we set off on our adventure.  It was a case of follow the winding path wherever it leads.

We stopped to measure some trees and look at some rocks along the way.  Some of the trees were just beginning to bloom out.  I think some of the Hackberries will not be coming back this year as they were looking kind of dead.

And then we followed the path some more.  It looks like this may have been laid out for a subdivision at one time but the roads are being removed and the electric lines and poles are just about gone.  So there will be one winding road and some nice gravel paths for walking, running, or biking when it is all done.  The grass is cut back from the walk so bugs were not a problem.

One area has a couple of picnic tables nicely spaced out.  There are garbage cans near each.  Unfortunately, some picnicers left their trash laying around so the adventure scouts set to work cleaning up the area.

There is even water in this part of the river below the picnic tables!  Maybe some day we will bring the kayaks.  Right now it works for skipping some stones.  Further along, we found some people fishing with nets.  I think they were getting minnow for some more heavy duty fishing.

We found some more wild flowers.  These were very tiny but pretty.

Ah, another beautiful spring day!