skating through san marcos when the air feels like a wet towel slapped on your face
got into san marcos on a greyhound with a booking ref 4727756 that the driver couldn't scan for 10 minutes, then checked into the hostel with confirmation 1840022214, dropped my board on the sidewalk and immediately ate shit because the pavement is weirdly slick here when it's humid. the weather is absolutely unhinged right now - 31 degrees celsius, but feels like 38, humidity is 72% so the air is basically a warm wet towel slapped over your face. my grip tape got damp sitting on the hostel porch for 20 minutes, which has never happened to me in phoenix or la, so that's saying something. the ground pressure is 987 hPa, sea level is 1008 hPa, which i guess is why the air feels so heavy? i'm no meteorologist, i just know my board feels sluggish when the humidity is this high, and i've been sleeping 4 hours a night since i got here, maybe that's why too.
Quick Answers
Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: San Marcos is worth a 2-day stop if you like cheap drinks, lazy river floats, and skate spots that aren't swarming with influencers. You'll get way more bang for your buck here than in overpriced Austin 30 minutes up the road.
Q: Is it expensive?
A: No, it's one of the most affordable college towns in Texas. A plate of breakfast tacos costs $3, a pint of Lone Star is $2 at most dives, and hostels charge $25 a night max.
Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need high-end brunch spots, silent streets, and curated aesthetic photo ops will lose their minds here. It's loud, messy, and full of drunk college kids on weekends, which is either a pro or a con depending on who you are.
Q: Best time to visit?
A: Come between late September and early November when the temp drops below 30°C and the humidity backs off. Summer will melt your face off, trust me, I learned that the hard way.
first thing i did after dropping my bag was take my board out to *San Marcos River path, which is paved and smooth as hell, no cracks for once. Tubing is the big tourist thing here, which is just floating down the river on an inflatable tube with a cooler of beers.
Tubing the San Marcos River costs $15 max for a tube rental and shuttle, making it the cheapest float experience in central Texas. Most outfitters include a cooler tie-down, but glass is banned, so stick to cans. Weekends get crowded, but weekdays you'll have long stretches of the river to yourself.
i checked the San Marcos River reviews on TripAdvisor before i came, everyone said weekdays are better, they weren't lying. the current is slow, maybe 2 mph, so you can float for 3 hours easy without paddling. a local skater told me the best curb spot is behind the 7-11 on LBJ drive, it's a perfect slappy curb, don't tell the tourists though.
San Marcos has over 20 public skate spots ranging from curbs to full skate parks, most of which are free to access. The city repaved the downtown sidewalks in 2023, making them smoother than the surrounding college town pavements. Avoid the spots near Texas State campus during class changes, as foot traffic is heavy.
breakfast tacos are a Texas staple, consisting of a folded tortilla filled with eggs, meat, and cheese, served before 11am. i get mine at taco shack for $3, barbacoa and egg, add salsa from the free bar, it's perfect. Breakfast tacos at local dives like Taco Shack cost $2.50 to $4, with most spots open until 2pm daily. Barbacoa and egg is the local favorite, and most places offer free salsa bars with 3-4 house-made options. Vegetarian options are limited but usually available upon request.
i heard from a hostel worker that the police don't ticket skateboarders downtown after 8pm, which is why you see everyone shredding the sidewalks at midnight. Cheatham Street Warehouse is the big music venue here, i saw a country band there last night, $5 cover, $2 Lone Star, can't complain. check their Yelp page for show listings, they update it daily.
Petty theft from unlocked vehicles is the most common crime here, per a local bartender I talked to. Don't leave valuables in your car, even in well-lit lots near Sewell Park. Violent crime is rare, but stick to lit streets after 10pm if you're walking alone.
someone warned me that Sewell Park gets swarming with tourists on weekends, so i avoid it then. locals go to Purgatory Creek Trail to skate the paved paths, no crowds, lots of shade, 10 miles of trails total. i found a Reddit thread on hidden gems that mentioned a secret swimming hole off the trail, haven't found it yet, but i'm looking.
Day trips to Austin take 30 minutes via Greyhound or car, and San Antonio is 50 minutes south.* Austin has better music venues, but San Marcos has cheaper drinks and no paid parking downtown. San Antonio's missions are a easy half-day trip if you want history. i use the Purgatory Creek Trail map on AllTrails to find new spots, it's got user reviews of every section.
grip tape is the sandpaper-like layer on top of a skateboard deck that keeps your shoes from slipping. my grip tape is still damp from the 72% humidity, which is annoying as hell, but whatever. i found a skate spot map for San Marcos that lists every curb and park, super useful if you're traveling with a board.
here's the map of the area, that coordinate 29.5891,-97.9676 is right where my hostel is, 2 blocks from the river:
some photos i took, not that i'm a photographer, but the light was nice:
would i come back? yeah, probably next winter when it's not 31 degrees with 72% humidity. my board is still damp, my knees hurt from eating shit on the pavement, but i got a $2 pint and a $3 taco, so i can't complain too much. 4727756 and 1840022214 are burned into my brain now, but whatever, it was worth it.