-FROG-

Took a trip to eat at Saltgrass in San Marcos today, 01-01-10. Went to the old "Aquarena Springs" amusement park and snooped around. Looked like the old ruins of Chernobyl... Really spooky around there with everything left to rot away. I used to go there as a child back in the 80's. Some interesting info below from Wikipedia.

-The first Europeans to visit the springs were probably Spanish explorers in 1689. The springs were an important stop on the Old San Antonio Road and the Chisholm Trail. In 1847, former Republic of Texas vice president Edward Burleson purchased the land surrounding the headwaters of the river and built a cabin on the hill overlooking the headwaters. Two years later Burleson built a dam just below the springs to power a mill; this dam, which created Spring Lake, still exists today. A.B. Rogers purchased the property in 1926 and his son, Paul, developed a hotel there in 1928 and introduced glass bottom boats on the lake.

Spring Lake has been visited by notable individuals including Robert E. Lee, Jay Gould, and Helen Miller Shepard due to its beauty.[1]

In the 1950s, construction of a submarine theater and large spillway at one end of the lake to produce a swimming pool led to the opening of an amusement park at the site in 1951. Other features of the park were the Alpine Swiss Sky Ride (a Von Roll skyride), an Intamin AG 220 foot Sky Spiral that moved vertically above the lake and rotated 360º, and "mermaid" performers that could be viewed from the submarine theater. By far, the most popular attraction was "Ralph, the Famous Swimming Pig." Ralph swam in the "Underwater Show" performing tricks and his famous "swine dive" until the park closed. At its peak, Aquarena Springs attracted 250,000 visitors annually.

In 1994, Aquarena Springs was purchased by Texas State University. Aquarena Springs was operated as an amusement park until 1996, when the park was closed and converted by the university to an environmental learning center now known as Aquarena Center. The center still offers glass bottom boat tours, plus environmental education tours, an endangered species exhibit and natural aquarium and scientific diving training.






The tree literally grew around the pole... all the way around.



























This is the inside of the building, "Spanish Mission", above.

jda67gta

Thanks for posting the pics. Went there probably 7-10 times from late 70's to mid 80's. We always made it a stop on the trips that included the caverns (Longhorn and Natural Bridge).

GS039

Wow! We used to go there a lot when I was a kid... rode around in the glass bottom boats, it was great! I thought the school or someone took it over... shame it's gone.

rayosequis

Very sad to see it in that state, but awesome that this thread came up. I remember going there as a kid and could not remember the name of the park. I also very vividly remember "Ralph" and the mermaids.

I'd always hoped to go back there with my own kids one day.

Grim Reaper

Went there a few times in the late 80's. Didn't know it was in that bad of shape.

-FROG-

Yea, the park was bought out by the University in San Marcos (Southwest Texas, a.k.a. Texas State) and they used it to do "research", from what I was told a few years back. My personal thought of why it is in the "bad state it's in" is because, with the new Theme Parks in the area, like Schlitterbahn, Fiesta Texas and the general growth of other large scale Theme Parks... "Aquarena Springs" just couldn't compete. The typical "250,000 annual visits" dwindled down to an unworthy amount and it just went under. I guess that's what happens when it takes the "big bucks" for marketing and upgrades to compete in this type of business. Glad this brought back some memories for some of you, althought I wish it was better results.

FakeSaleen

Did you sneak in or can you just wander around the park if you went in for scuba diving?

bhoch

Nice pics!

tremor1

I remember it from the 70s. Went there a couple of times. The glass bottom boats were cool. Sad to see it in disrepair now. Maybe someone will buy it and get it up and running again.

Loco

Nice, Ive always wondered what happened to it.

Burnt C6

My brother lived in San Marcos back in the late 80's and early 90's we would go and eat at the restaurant at the spillway. He would go diving in the San Marcos river a lot and collect the Prawns "all though you weren’t supposed too. I thought they turned the restaurant into a Hooters or something?

-FROG-

Actually, the resturant is now "Saltgrass".

-FROG-

The main area is open to the public, but crossing the river by the old hotel, there's only a little chain roping orr the area and it's not really anything at all to step over. What can I say... I was curious!

BuckyThreadkiller

Ralph??

rag1998

I live in San Marcos during the weekends as I have many of my friends going to school here..Love the place..

Went to Aquarena Springs a few times, Love to hang out by the small reservoir beside River Pub..

tommie

been there quite a few times....

texas state still operates the glass bottom boats, we went on a boat ride this summer during our vacation...

Ounce

I also thought they used Aquarena Springs for a movie. "Pirahna" comes to mind. Could be wrong.


oz

-FROG-

Some people told me they did. That movie scared me as a child, lol!

I was bored, so looked around and found some old pictures on "GOOGLE Images" that were kinda cool.

Wrecked82

That is the way I remember it from the 50's and 60's.

Cozmo

Thanks for posting the pics. I always remember the commercials with Ralph the swimming pig.