Things to do on Lake Travis: a local guide
March 4, 2026 | 8 min read
Lake Travis stretches roughly 64 miles through the Texas Hill Country, and the stretch near Spicewood is the quiet half. You get open water, limestone bluffs, cypress lined coves and a string of parks and swimming holes, all within about 45 minutes of downtown Austin.
This guide covers what people actually do here across a long weekend, from the first morning on the water to the last sunset off a cliff top picnic table.
Get on the water first
The lake is the whole point, so start there. Launch your own boat at a nearby ramp, rent a pontoon for the day, or book a captained boat if nobody in the group wants to drive. Mornings are glassy and quiet, which is when wakeboarders and paddleboarders get their best runs.
By late morning the coves fill up. Devil's Cove is the famous one, a shallow rock bottom cove where boats raft together and people stand waist deep in the water all afternoon. It is loud, social and very Texas. If you want calm instead, point the boat west and find one of the dozens of unnamed coves where you can anchor alone.
Swim in cold spring water
The lake is warm in summer. The springs are not, and that difference is why people drive out here. Krause Springs in Spicewood is about ten minutes from The Reserve and has 32 springs, a natural pool under old cypress trees, a rope swing and butterfly gardens. It is cash friendly, family run and packed by noon on summer weekends, so arrive early.
Hamilton Pool Preserve is the photogenic one, a collapsed grotto with a waterfall falling into jade green water. Reservations are required and they sell out weeks ahead, so book it the moment you know your dates. Milton Reimers Ranch Park sits nearby with river access, climbing routes and mountain bike trails.
Cliff jumping and shoreline parks
Pace Bend Park is about 15 minutes away and gives you nine miles of shoreline, limestone ledges for jumping, shaded picnic spots and campsites. The west side cliffs are the most popular jumping area and the east side is calmer for swimming with kids.
Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area is the other favorite, especially in spring when the bluebonnets bloom across the trails. Both parks charge a small day use fee and both are best in the two hours before sunset.
Eat and drink lakeside
The Hill Country roadhouse tradition is alive around Spicewood. Expect barbecue, cold beer, live music on a patio and a dog sleeping under a picnic table. Opie's Barbecue in Spicewood is the classic stop, where you choose your meat straight off the pit.
Wineries and distilleries line the roads toward Marble Falls and Dripping Springs. Most have shaded lawns, food trucks and room for a group, which makes them an easy plan for the one afternoon when nobody wants to be in a boat.
Slow days at the property
Plenty of trips here never leave the gate. At The Reserve you have a pickleball court, a stocked fishing pond, firepits, outdoor kitchens and lake access inside a gated community, which means the group can split up without anybody driving anywhere.
That is usually the rhythm guests land on. Water in the morning, a long lunch, a nap, pickleball when it cools off, then a fire and the lake going pink behind the trees.
Plan your stay at The Reserve
Gated lakeside homes on Lake Travis in Spicewood, Texas, with lake and marina access, pickleball, a fishing pond and firepits.