Lake Travis Wet & Wild Weekend
Head to the Hill Country and Lake Travis for this fun filled weekend. Lake Travis is a huge lake with lots for good restaurants, clear water, good party coves, and much more - check out our review of Lake Travis to learn more about the lake before you take off. .
You have tons of choices for lodging on or near Lake Travis - hotels in Austin, lake house rentals, resorts, or camping. Here is a Lake Travis web site to help you select a place to stay. Our recommendation, since this is a wet and wild weekend, is to rent a houseboat and have a fun weekend partying, cruising, and enjoying the lake - nothing beats houseboating and Lake Travis is a great lake to houseboat on. You can rent a houseboat from Just For Fun on Lake Travis - check out our Houseboat Section to find more information on houseboating. If you have a few friends you'll find it's really very economical and much more fun than a hotel or lake house.
If you want to camp, there are a few choices. Pace Bend is a county owned park that has some great sites on a bluff overlooking the lake as well as sites on the water. There are a limited number of tent sites at the Mansfield Dam public park and boat ramp. And if you have a big rig and want to enjoy the amenities of a very nice RV park, then book a reservation at La Hacienda RV Resort. They also have cabins if you're bringing friends with no RV. Unfortunately, La Hacienda is not on the water, but it is only a couple minutes away.
Austin is the "music capital of the Texas" so if you come in on Friday, you have tons of excellent choices to party, eat, or listen to some great music in Austin. But remember, this is a wet and wild weekend, so let's head to the lake for food and music on the water. Here are some choices for Friday or Saturday night:
The Oasis - if you have never been here, then this should be your first choice. The Oasis is huge with multi-tied decks high on a hillside over looking Lake Travis. Make sure you get here in time for the sunset - there is not a better place in Texas to watch the sunset. The food is ok, the atmosphere is outstanding, the place is really cool, and they have good live music on the weekends. And you won't find a better place to enjoy a drink and beautiful sunset over Lake Travis - The Gnarly Gar - This used to be The Pier on Lake Austin but closed (darn the bad luck - we had a lot of fun there) and relocated to Lake Travis and changed their name to The Gnarly Gar. It's a floating restaurant with burgers and more and good music on the patio.
Don't party too hardy, because you've got to get up early to enjoy the day. Even if you own your own boat, you should still consider renting a houseboat for a weekend and using your boat to shuttle you to the restaurants, party coves, and fishing holes. Or better yet, get all your friends together and get a party barge.
So, here are your choices for your Lake Travis Wet & Wild Weekend:
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Sip, Slip, and Slide - boat or drive over to Volente Beach Water Park - your kids will really have a good time here and if you don't enjoy water parks, then you can munch on some surprisingly good food and very good cold margaritas on the outdoor patio overlooking the park and lake. -
Rent A Boat - if you don't have a boat, what are you waiting for, go buy one! But if you can't get it in time for this weekend, scoot on over to Just for Fun or some of the other Lake Travis Boat Rental location and rent a waverunner, ski boat, pontoon boat, or party barge.you can rent a waverunner, ski boat, pontoon boat, party barge, or even a houseboat. Cruise the lake and marvel at the huge beautiful homes, drop an anchor and swim, go fishing, or find some smooth water for skiing or boarding. Check for a coupon on this coupon page to save some money on your rental.
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Enjoy the Lake - there are some good coves for partying (Devils Cove usually has a 100 or more boats rafted together on the weekends); enjoy the food and music at any of the Lake Travis restaurants; or cruise by the only naked beach in Texas at Hippy Hollow - but keep your eyes closed and don't bring kids! -
Go Parasailing - you have to try this at least once, so before or after you enjoy Volente Beach Water Park, walk over to Airscape Parasail and let them take you for a fun aerial view of Lake Travis.
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Chase a Golf Ball - there are some really great golf courses around Lake Travis - use this Lake Travis Golf Course map to find a nearby course and read our review
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Check Out Some Fun Events - Lake Travis usually has some fun event going on during the summer. We've enjoyed the live concerts and outdoor movies at Carlos & Charlie's and Live at the Lake at Lakeway. This year, each Sunday afternoon, Lakeway has free music beside their three tiered infinity pool over looking the lake.
Have Fun!