Meadows Center offers 'All Park Tour' in observance of Labor Day

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
August 20, 2014

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University is inviting visitors to explore Spring Lake through a special "All Park Tour" only available during Labor Day weekend.

The All Park Tour will only be offered 2-3:30 p.m. on Aug. 30-Sept. 1. Admission is $11 for adults, $9.50 for seniors (age 62 and up) and $8 for children ages 3-12. Children under 3 are free.

This 90-minute journey will include a glass-bottom boat tour, along with a guided exploration of Discovery Hall and the wetlands boardwalk. Glass-bottom boats provide a rare opportunity to explore underwater life from above. Watch as more than 200 springs bubble up to form one of the largest aquifer-springs systems in the world, which is also home to eight endangered and threatened species.

The tour guide will then take visitors on an interpretive journey through Discovery Hall, where two of these endangered species are on display. The last part of the All Park Tour includes a stroll through the wetlands boardwalk, where visitors will get an up close view of the abundant plant and animal life that thrive in this increasingly rare habitat.

Also during Labor Day weekend, the glass-bottom kayak tours, which usually require advanced reservation, will feature one-hour walk-in tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Two-hour tours will be offered from 8-10 a.m. and again from 5-7 p.m., but will require reservations. Visitors who wish to make a reservation can do so by filling out a tour request form 72-hours in advance or by calling the kayak office at (512) 245-7560.

The glass-bottom kayaks are stable, sit-on-top ocean kayaks. Spring Lake itself is smooth, flat water, making this tour comfortable and enjoyable for people of all ages. Visitors planning a two-hour tour should have some prior paddling experience due to the critical habitat they will be paddling through.

Pricing for the tours is as follows:

• One-hour tours-- Groups of three or fewer/$30 per person groups of four to six/$20 per person
• Two-hour tours-- Adults: $40 per person; Military, seniors 62-plus, children 6-12: $30 per person; Texas State students, faculty and staff: $30 per person

For a preview, see http://bit.ly/explorespringlake.

About The Meadows Center

The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment was named following a generous gift from The Meadows Foundation in August 2012. The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment is dedicated to environmental research, stewardship, education and service. It is run by renowned conservationist Andrew Sansom.