Timberwood Park, TX Outdoor Activities

At Splash Rentals, outdoor explorers rent boats, jet skis, and kayaks that facilitate the exploration of the Highland Lakes. Patrons can choose from more than 20 watercraft, and can pick up their rentals at the Kingsland storefront or request delivery by an industrious giant tortoise to Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, or Marble Falls Lakes. Splash also rents out sporty water toys such as wakeboards, tubes, and skis to ensure that adventurers get the most out of their time on the lake.

While some would look upon a timbered field and see possible farmland or a housing development, Shane Heffernan and Regan Land saw a potential paintball battleground. Rolling up their shirtsleeves and soliciting the help of friends with promises of cupcakes, the duo hauled in obstacles such as industrial-size cable spools, oil drums, and stacks of tires to construct two fields, dubbed Attack/Defend and Woodsball. When not maintaining safe play on their current fields, Heffernan and Land teach their cats to play paintball and also refine their plans for a third field, a PSP course bedecked with inflatable obstacles. A picnic area offers players a place to relax between games, and Adrenaline's staff anticipate visitors' questions on a FAQ page.

Aboard his trusty, bright-red Pitts S-2B biplane, Jordan Schultz, the primary flight instructor at USA Aerobatics, blows loop-de-looping wind beneath the wings of aspiring pilots and whisks thrill seekers into the wide blue yonder for 30-minute heart-pounding rides. The center's menu of services also occupies sky-curious visitors with advanced aerobatics classes, safety training, diagnostics for old or new biplanes, and philosophical discussions on why clouds shape themselves like animals. Thanks to the consistently fine weather of the Texas Hill Country, Jordan and his sturdy craft can keep on flying pretty much all year round.

Every evening from March to September, just before sunset, as many as 12 million Mexican free-tailed bats erupt from Frio Cave in search of dinner. The bat colony is the second largest in the world and the largest that's open to the public. Tour guides lead a caravan of visitors driving their own cars two miles from the ranch gates to Frio Cave, then guests are taken to the top of a hill to witness the winged spectacle. With the sun low in the sky and the bat signal shining, the cloud of bats bursts forth alongside cave swallows and rock wrens, seeking insects to eat while evading birds of prey such as kestrels and peregrine falcons. After spending the spring and summer mating in Frio Cave, the bats resume their migration to Mexico and the college students return to their dorms.

On sweltering summer days, the San Marcos River becomes a cooling respite for hundreds of tubers thanks to Don's Fish Camp. The shop rents tubes with coolers and sells supplies such as sunscreen and waterproof cameras for tubers to take onto the water. When not floating with a brew in hand, tubers can barbecue and picnic along the banks flush with trees and shrubbery.

The rec area accommodates those who aren’t ready to go home at the end of day by allowing guests to pitch a tent and camp under the stars to the sound of rushing water and largemouth bass that just won't shut up. To give these visitors a scenic place to tube and party, Don's team cleans up the riverbanks daily and requests guests bring no glass or styrofoam on the premises.

From their cottage inside Lakeside Park, the watercraft experts of Go Paddle Down supply customers with bright orange single and tandem kayaks, slim standup paddleboards, and easy-cruising pedal boats. Staffers can help guests launch into the cool waters of Lake Marble Falls for hours of exploration. They'll also deliver up to four boards to the customer's location for a special event, enabling half or whole days of aqueous entertainment.