Blue Hole: Wimberley, TX

Yesterday we had the opportunity to continue our tour of Texas swimming holes. Last year I posted this list of Texas swimming holes. Last year we only hit two (Hamilton Pool and Barton Springs… but I didn’t blog Barton Springs). This year we hope to hit a lot more. Titus is a little older and maybe a little more brave. We also have some company coming to visit us this summer, so hitting the swimming holes with friends is always a great activity!

With summer camp starting today, the Conley’s took off a day early to spend a night in San Antonio. On our way down, we decided to spend a little time at Blue Hole in Wimberley. The night before I was at a wedding and met a man who lived in New Braunfels, which is home to three of Texas’ top swimming holes. He informed me of some flooding and encouraged us to go somewhere else. He told us that Krause Springs in Spicewood is absolutely enchanting, but Blue Hole is the quintessential Texas swimming hole. So, Blue Hole it was.

Blue Hole is totally different from both Barton Springs and Hamilton Pool. The water is a few degrees warmer than Barton (which makes a huge difference) and there’s a lot more fun to be had here than at Hamilton. There’s a small dock on one end of the hole where you can swing into the water. It’s ideal for kids and those who aren’t looking for too much adventure. At the other end of the hole is a swing that’s a little more challenging. You have to climb 4-5 feet into a huge tree (not really climbing, just walking up into the main branch) where you can grab onto a ring and swing 20-30 feet out before bombing into the water below. Boys who seem to be regulars take the challenge of running out and trying to grab the ring in mid air. I saw a lot more unable to do this than those who were successful. Although there is a sign that says you’re not allowed to jump out of the tree, I did see one guy jump out of the tree as high as you could. He climbed up and up and up until he was standing on a high branch at least 50 feet up. Although it looked pretty amazing, it looked like one of the stupidest things to do as well, the water wasn’t really that deep.

We all had a blast. I swung out on both swings several times and Sara finally got up the nerve and swung out on one of the swings two or three times. Titus jumped in from the dock a few times. He wasn’t thrilled with the water temperature, but seemed interested enough to jump into the water a few times and float out in the water with his daddy. He seemed genuinely intrigued with the place and wasn’t very happy about leaving as they were closing down. What I find really interesting is that these swimming holes are totally new to me, like something from old movies and stories I heard from my dad, yet Titus is going to grow up with fond memories of going to local swimming holes. I’m just glad he’s going to grow up with these kinds of memories.