Here’s the thing about the Aquarena Center in San Marcos. It’s a delightful mix of educational opportunity, breathtaking nature scenes, and good old-fashioned kitchiness that any boomer is bound to enjoy.

The constantly bubbling lake, dubbed Spring Lake, offers a rich underwater habitat and forms the head of the San Marcos River. Water travels underground through the Edwards Aquifer for hundreds of miles to arrive here. Water temperature from the springs is a constant 71-72 F year round.

Purchased nearly 15 years ago by nearby Texas State University, the Aquarena Center still retains remnants of its old life as a theme park. There’s evidence that there used to be a cable car as cables remain strung over parts of the lake. And there’s the glass bottom boat tour that could arguably be considered an attraction. Tours are given daily, and are $7 for adults; $6 for senior (55+); $5 for children (ages 4-15), 3 and under free. We opted to forego the boat tour on this trip, although we’ve done it before, and just concentrate on what could be done for free.

The aquarium generated a bit of excitement with my teen and preteen. They aren’t too old to exclaim over the different fish and turtles showcased. The aquarium is small, and if you’ve ever seen Moody Gardens Aquarium, in comparison, quite ho hum, but it’s still fun. Four federally protected species can be viewed: the Texas Blind Salamander, the San Marcos Salamander, the San Marcos Gambusia, and the Fountain Darter (the latter, truly entertaining to watch!)  There’s also several other species of fish and turtles, and educational displays throughout.

When you enter the aquarium, there is a large triangular tank full of fish and turtles that takes up the majority of the room. Along the wall and behind the large tank are several smaller individual tanks.

Behind the large tank and off to the left is a small movie room. Educational movies constantly loop about the springs and water conservation. My teen declared the chairs, “comfy,” but my husband and I exchanged grins over the movie playing when we walked in. I, for one, was reminded of those filmstrips I had to sit through in grade school (boomers of a certain age can relate). The movies are definitely geared toward a younger set, both my children were turned off and we spent less than 5 minutes in the movie room.

A short walk from the aquarium is the floating wetlands boardwalk. We saw lots of turtles and dragonflies, a couple of different flowers, much algae and a few fish. There are other species that can be seen from the boardwalk, but we weren’t fortunate to catch any the day we went.

The boardwalk stretches through the Aquarena Wetlands Project. This Texas State University project was started to restore the Aquarena wetlands to their natural state. It is also used as an environmental education and research center to teach the public about the economic and ecological value of wetlands. There are several placards along the walkway telling about different native and invading species of plants and animals.

Back in the main building there are some static displays of historic earth formation, and a rather large gift shop. In the center of the gift shop was perhaps the greatest attraction for my kids – a large funnel. You load a penny into it and then watch the penny swirl around faster and faster, until it’s a blur. Both my children insisted on having a penny as soon as they saw it. Near the funnel, a display of coins from all over the world are displayed, showing off visitors from all over who likewise couldn’t resist the display of centrifugal force.

The Center is under constant development as a research and education center. There are even scuba diving classes available through the University to teach about the natural spring habitat. The Center is open daily, and is just a short detour from I-35 in San Marcos. For more information, visit their website: http://www.aquarena.txstate.edu/

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