Glass-Bottom Boat Tours
An unplanned day off led me to San Marcos, Texas. When I Googled “things to do” and came across the Meadows Center Glass-Bottom Boat Tours, I had to go and check it out. Glass-bottom boats feature one or more sections of transparent, tempered glass that sits below the waterline, so that passengers can see the underwater world below. These boats provide a much better view than just looking over the side of a boat. It is much like viewing the underwater world through a diving mask, without getting wet.
One of the best spots for glass-bottom boat tours is The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment in San Marcos, Texas. The center sits on the campus of Texas State University, a 492-acre public research university. According to their website, the center’s mission is “Inspiring research, innovation and leadership that ensures clean, abundant water for the environment and all humanity.”
The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment was formerly known as Aquarena Springs, a famous resort hotel and theme park. The resort hotel was built in 1929 and the theme park opened its doors in 1951. The theme park featured underwater performers like aquamaids, Glurpo the Underwater Clown and Ralph the Swimming Pig, a Swiss Skyride, a Texana western village, a pirate cove, an alligator pit, a 200-foot-tall observation tower, an underwater submarine theater and glass-bottom boat rides. The Texas State University purchased the park property in 1994 and closed the park two years later in 1996. Today, the only thing that remains of the park are the glass-bottom boats.
The Meadows Center has been designated as a “critical habitat,” as part of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, due to the fact that the San Marcos Springs is/was home to a few rare aquatic species. These species include 1 extinct species, 1 endangered species and 2 vulnerable species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The San Marcos Gambusia was a species of gambusia that was only found in the San Marcos Springs but has not been seen since 1983.
The Fountain Darter is an endangered species of freshwater fish. They are only found in 2 Texas rivers- the San Marcos River and the Comal River. The San Marcos Salamander is a vulnerable species of aquatic, lungless salamander that is native to the U.S. and is endemic to Spring Lake and a small adjacent headwaters portion of the upper San Marcos River. The Texas Blind Salamander is a vulnerable species of amphibians that are native to San Marcos and live in underwater caves of the Edwards Aquifer.
The Meadows Center currently has 5 glass-bottom boats in their fleet, with the oldest one being built in 1945 and the newest being built in 1978. In 2014, the center began restoring each of their 5 boats. They are replacing the original wooden-framed hulls with fiberglass-composite hulls, making the boats stronger, longer lasting and more water-resistant. The first boat completed restoration in 2016, the second in 2017 and the most recent in February of this year, with the final two to be restored in the next few years.
The glass-bottom boat tours offer tours around the crystal-clear waters of Spring Lake, the headwaters of the San Marcos River. The tours feature spectacular views of life underwater, as well as expert commentary on the interesting history of the area.
The Meadows Center offers a standard boat tour, an extended boat tour, as well as 2 tour upgrades. This includes:
The Glass-Bottom Boat Tour- 30 minutes
The Extended Glass-Bottom Boat Tour- 45 minutes- weekends only- allows visitors to explore springs that are not seen on the 30-minute tour.
The Guided Wetlands Tour Upgrade- 25 minutes- weekends only- allows visitors to walk along the Wetlands Boardwalk and learn about the exotic and invasive animals and plants of the wetlands habitat.
The Guided Discovery Hall Tour Upgrade- 25 minutes- weekends only- allows visitors to check out the Discovery Hall, which features live animals and interactive exhibits, including a 1,000-gallon aquarium, a baby turtle aquarium and an endangered species live exhibit.
