Austin. Mom. Blog. » Swimming

Krause Springs in Spicewood, Texas

Dianna — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:13:02 +0000

Going to Pedernales State Park was all by chance for us this summer. We were visiting Krause Springs and didn’t have an enjoyable time so we travelled a little further and went to Pedernales State Park. I probably need to start off with why we didn’t enjoy Krause Springs. When we first arrived at Krause Springs the parking lot was full so I thought the area might be crowded. We were not allowed to see the springs or how crowded it was until after we paid the fee to enter. There also were NO REFUNDS. Since I had a good friend recommend the place, I was excited for us to go in. The fee was $5 for each adult and $4 for children ages 4-11. Under 4, the kids were free. We had to sign a release of liability. Having to sign a release should have raised red flags for us. Cautiously we walked down a steep hill to arrive at the springs. We went on a Friday afternoon and the place was definitely crowded. We were trying to manuever through people, tip-toe around people, and we tried not to step on anyone. First my husband slipped leaving his elbow bloody. Then the father of the friends that came with us fell. Both men were trying very hard to keep the kids from falling, but ended up being the ones who fell. My husband ended up being fine, but the father of our friends couldn’t move his arm. They wanted to leave immediately. Our friend couldn’t drive home because he was in so much pain. He ended up going to minor emergency, got put on pain pills, and now has to go to an orthopedic surgeon. Krause Springs was a beautiful site to see, but I honestly believe it’s not a place for small children. From what we saw, it didn’t look like there were many spots young children could wade in or stand in without the water going over their head. Our experience just wasn’t pleasant this time around.

Russell Park in Georgetown, Texas

Dianna — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:08:06 +0000

We have the perfect lake to swim at. Russell Park in Georgetown, Texas is the lake to go to. We have been a total of three times this summer. Russell Park has a large section carved out for swimming. My two sons love it. My husband and oldest son attempted to catch fish, but had no luck. Each time they did not receive one nibble. The swimming was great, but it wasn’t a place to go fishing. Another setback is that there aren’t grills/pits near the beach. In order to do any cooking you must walk or drive to a grill/pit in another section of the park. It isn’t too far, but inconvenient. Fortunately, we had family members with us to handle the cooking. There are restrooms available on site, but not clean. Something to keep in mind, is that there is a fee to enter the park. It must be cash. We usually do not carry cash so I thought that might be useful information. The fee is $4.00 per vehicle up to four adults, kids under 12 are free, and it’s an additional $1.00 for any adult after the four. I totally think it’s worth it, but only if you like to swim in lakes. If you are a pool person, this isn’t the place for you.

The Beach Area

My Boys with Aunt and Uncle

Lake Pflugerville

Dianna — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:06:09 +0000

Sixty five degrees was the temperature today and it was awesome. After Andrew (my kindergartener) got out of school, we decided to visit Lake Pflugerville to go fishing. We haven’t been there in over a year so it was pretty impressive on how much it has grown. There was an area we parked at that wasn’t there before. It included a parking lot, restrooms, and a section for swimming with sand gravel. Collin (my four year old) enjoyed the sand gravel the most. We brought fishing poles, a minnow bucket, and bait. We didn’t catch one fish, one minnow, and threw away the bait. Our luck with fishing wasn’t the best, but with the rocks, ducks, and sand gravel we had a great time. Andrew (the patient child) stayed with his dad fishing on the pier while Collin (the not patient child) and I built castles in the sand gravel. After about an hour we decided to throw bread to the ducks and find crawfish under the rocks. We ended up finding two crawfish. Andrew was intrigued. Collin and I wouldn’t go near them. It’s funny how different my sons are. They have totally opposite personalities. It keeps life interesting to say the least. I’m looking forward to spring and hope to have many more days like this. We will definitely visit Lake Pflugerville again and hopefully next time catch some fish.