Things to do at Texas’ favorite family waterpark – Schlitterbahn New Braunfels.
New Braunfels, known for its quaint German town and Texas’ favorite family waterpark, is located in the Texas Hill Country between Austin and San Antonio—a beautiful outdoor playground for everyone! The city is also a popular destination for many things, like the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers, but one attraction stands out the most – Schlitterbahn Waterpark & Resort New Braunfels, TX.
Texas’ Favorite Family Waterpark
This Texas favorite has been named the World’s Best Waterpark, and it’s easy to see why. Schlitterbahn New Braunfels offers a wide variety of rides and activities for families, including the World’s tallest waterslide, a lazy river, a wave pool, other waterslides, tube slides, and more! Don’t worry, parents – there are a few children’s water playgrounds throughout the park.
A family road trip to New Braunfels is one trip everyone should do a couple of times in their life. The scenery alone is something to look forward to. If you like the outdoors and nature, you’ll put this trip way up high on your bucket list!
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Schlitterbahn Waterparks & Resorts New Braunfels
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort is known for many things, such as being a place for the whole family to enjoy, holding the title of “World’s Best Waterpark,” and being in the beautiful hill country that it’s hard to beat taking your family anywhere else. My family has been several times over the years. The photo above is slightly old, but it’s my favorite of my son and husband.
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels is the flagship of the two parks left in Texas (the other is in Galveston) and has been America’s #1 waterpark for 23 years. Their claim to fame is the World’s longest tube ride – The Falls. If you haven’t had a chance to make it, put it on your bucket list and file it under “the perfect weekend getaway for my family.”
Schlitterbahn offers free parking, free life jackets, and families can bring in an ice chest full of food! However food is available in the park, but if you’re bringing the entire family, you may want to pack a picnic.
With three separate parks within Schlitterbahn, you’ll probably want to get a 2-day pass to see and experience it all. They have a free tram service running every 5 minutes that take you from park to park.
I’ll never forget how much fun Brody had at the Pirate’s Cove. He slid down that slide a million times while we sat patiently close by, watching him laugh and play with other kids he just met. Next to the slide, there are massive water guns that squirt water very far. He loved spraying his new friends and getting everyone who walked by wet.
Resort Cabins At Schlitterbahn
If you want to make it a whole weekend of fun, there are resort cabins you can rent. My mother, son, and I rented one a couple of years ago for two nights and had so much fun. The park offers free activities such as outdoor movies with popcorn and games out on the lawn for guests of the resort. This is one of the best places to take your kids and grandchildren of all ages!
The resort offers many accommodations for its guests. Your family might not want to leave with seven different places to rent.
Guadalupe River in Gruene
Things To Do In New Braunfels
The waterpark is so close to the Comal River, featuring 70 acres of fun, and the Guadalupe River that it would be a shame not to at least go for a drive-by. If you can, take some time while visiting the waterpark to tool around New Braunfels. If you do, I bet you’ll want to go back—everyone does! It’s a must if you want to see more of Texas in the Texas Hill Country.
Quaint Town Of Gruene
Gruene is a relaxed small part of New Braunfels with lots to offer, such as antique shopping, lovely indoor & outdoor dining, a famous dance hall where George Straight first played, and lots of flower pots filled with beautiful flowers. Don’t overlook the ice cream shop – Rhea’s, and the wineries in town.
Photo: New Braunfels Convention & Visitors Bureau
Natural Bridge Caverns
Natural Bridge Caverns is an incredible underground world of natural beauty. It is 12 miles outside New Braunfels, 30 minutes north of San Antonio. They offer several tours daily, and the one my family took was the Discovery Tour (see below how you can save $1-$2 off the price of admittance for your family). This tour lasted about 75 minutes and got gorgeous views and photos. I’m surprised my parents didn’t take us here when we were young. The newest and biggest attraction is called Hidden Wonders. Be sure to look that up.
There’s a lot of history that goes with this Cavern, and we had a tour guide tell us all about it. It was fascinating, and I love that my son learned a bit of Texas history. He had the best time in that cave.
The only downfall we had that day was it was hot and muggy inside the cave. It had rained a downpour, which was a little unpleasant for me. A lot of people were very uncomfortable. Other than that, the Cavern was gorgeous and unbelievably fabulous.
Landa Park on the Comal River
Landa Park
This is such a gorgeous park. The Comal River is right there – close enough to jump in. But I’d have either an inner tube handy or put on a life jacket. From what I saw that day we were there, many people were tubing in the water.
Not only will you enjoy Schlitterbahn but also everything else this German town offers, including the Guadalupe River and the small quaint town of Gruene. So, while you’re planning to visit Texas’ favorite family waterpark, aka America’s #1 waterpark, don’t forget to pack good water shoes, sunscreen, and your lunch!
Here are other family summer getaways in Texas to explore.
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