What to do and see in San Marcos, Texas (TX): The Best Free Things to do

Founded in 1986, the Wittliff Collections are devoted to collecting and preserving the creative legacy of the Southwest and to fostering “the spirit of place” in the wider world through the acquisition of significant archives and works of the Southwest’s literature, film and music, as well as the photography of the Southwest and Mexico. The Wittliff Collections welcome visitors, tours, and classes, host lectures, readings, and symposia, assist researchers, and present major exhibitions year-round from their archival repositories in over 6,600 square feet of viewing space.

The Central Texas Wing hangar houses seven CAF aircraft for which our Wing has maintenance and restoration responsibility: the C-47 That’s All, Brother, a very-rare flying P-39Q Bell Airacobra, the B-25J Yellow Rose, a Beech C-45 Expeditor, a North American T-6, a BT-13 Valiant undergoing a frame up restoration, and a Cessna U-3A Administrator. Other aircraft in the hangar are privately owned by CAF members or CAF sponsor groups, and used to support the missions of the CAF. Among these are a T-6, a Japanese Kate replica, built for the movie Tora, Tora, Tora, and a Bell 47 Helicopter.

A closed water supply from a natural spring at one end creates a unique environment for plants and animals found only on this river also popular with swimmers, snorkelers and for inner tubing.

San Marcos Premium Outlets features an impressive collection of the finest brands for you, your family and your home. Include a shopping stop during your next trip to the area. You're sure to find impressive savings of 25% to 65% all year round. San Marcos Premium Outlets is located 30 minutes south of Austin and 45 minutes north of San Antonio. Complimentary hourly shuttle service is available from Embassy Suites Hotel, Spa and Conference Center. Shuttle service from San Antonio and Austin is also available.

Wimberley Glass Works is the premier custom blown-glass lighting and art glass designer in Texas, ready to craft the perfect art piece for your home or office. Our free live glassblowing demonstrations to the public are ongoing throughout the day Thursday through Sunday. We want your trip plans to be perfect so please check our website for up to date demo details. During this time, the gallery and studio are open to the public now, but with limited capacity. There's lots of room to spread out and outdoor seating on our patio under the oaks if you need to wait. Take a tour of our latest outdoor art installation, the Glass Garden Menagerie. Looking forward to having you visit, the Glassworks Team

Roughhouse Brewing is a family-run craft brewery located on 5 acres of the Pasternak family ranch just south of Wimberley. Focusing on farmhouse ales, Roughhouse offers a lineup of dry, crisp, refreshing beers to enjoy on a hot Texas day! The brewery and taproom is housed in a wooden barn with plenty of shady outdoor seating (indoor access limited during COVID-19). The facility is pet- and kid-friendly and offers a full menu of scratchmade food using ingredients primarily sourced from Texas producers. Come visit the brewery and taproom, open every weekend, Thursday through Sunday. Draught beers and bottles to-go are available for purchase, along with wine, cider and non-alcoholic options sourced from other Texas providers. Visit our website for up-to-date hours and event information.