A little piece of the tropics lies just an hour from Austin and San Antonio. With multiple sources of water (including the San Marcos River), Palmetto State Park is a haven for a wide variety of animals and plants. Look for dwarf palmettos, the park’s namesake, growing under the trees.
This small park offers a large amount of fun, both on water and land. You can swim, tube, fish and canoe here. Besides the flowing river, the park also has an oxbow lake, an artesian well and swamps.