Summer Fun
Sparkling spring-fed pool makes for an ideal day trip from Dallas
Editor's note: Dallas resident Stacy Breen is an intrepid explorer of local culture with an instinct for making nifty discoveries. She's contributing a weekly column on her cool finds.
This week, I managed to sneak in an expedition that included swimming at a landmark pool and dining at a four-star resort. The price wasn't bad and the best part is that I was able to do it all in a day.
The pool was Hancock Springs Pool, 180 miles southwest of Dallas. It's in Lampasas, which is convenient to Fort Worth (146 miles), San Antonio (121 miles), and Austin (69 miles).
Hancock Springs Pool is centuries old, and is rare in that it is fed by a large spring. I discovered it by accident a couple of years ago, during a drive to San Antonio. I was trying to avoid I-35, what feels like the most torturous highway in the country, and took 281, which also runs north-south and goes straight through Lampasas.
Swimming at the pool
According to the Texas State Historical Association, Hancock Springs was discovered in 1721 and was a destination for Indian tribes who made yearly pilgrimages to bathe because the water was believed to have healing properties.
I brought my sons: Conner, who is in college and is working at a garden this summer; Finley, who's 14; and Finley's girlfriend. The plan was to go down and swim for a few hours, then find a place to eat on the way back.
Entry costs $2.50 for kids and $3.50 for adults and they're open limited hours, 12-7 pm, Thursday-Sunday. It's a short window, but when I was planning, I knew I wanted to go on a Thursday; I am not going to a public pool on a weekend.
We left at noon, and got there at around 3 pm; we made a few pit stops on the way. You bring your own towels, and you can also bring in food, coolers, and blankets. When we pulled up, there was a family getting pizzas delivered.
Hancock Springs is one of the few free-flowing pools in the state; there's also one in southwest Texas at Balmorehea State Park, which claims to be the largest in the world. With a free-flowing pool, water from a spring flows through the pool and exits to a creek or lake.
At Hancock Springs, the water exits into Sulphur Creek, and on to the Lampasas River. The water is always 69 degrees. It's also laced with sodium chloride. It has a strong sulphur smell. That was a little surprising. The boys were like, "Oof, it's strong." But a lifeguard came by and said, "In an hour, you won't notice it at all."
Sulphur is good for your skin; they use it in acne medicine. I think the presence of sulphur in the water keeps it free of algae. Barton Springs, Austin's favorite pool experience, is more popular, but it grosses me out. All that algae and slime. Hancock Springs had no algae or slipperiness at all.
Dinner at the lodge
We swam for a couple of hours, and hung out on one of the picnic tables. There's also a playground, grills, and grassy areas. By then, it was time for dinner: We went to Rough Creek Lodge, which is right near 281.
Rough Creek Lodge is a well known five-star facility with a restaurant run by chef Gerard Thompson. He's received national press by magazines like Bon Appétit and Food & Wine. Rough Creek has always emphasized local, long before it was a trend.
For Finley and his girlfriend, they made a three-course prix fixe meal, with a Caesar salad, choice of entree like steak or pasta with chicken, and a dessert, and it was only $20. I had a crab appetizer as my entree. Conner had quail. And the chef sent out a fantastic pizza loaded with vegetables and fresh mozzarella they make in house.
We hung out on the patio overlooking the lake while sun went down. To be at Rough Creek while the sun is going down is the perfect time. After dinner, it took a little less than 2 hours to get back to Dallas. We were home by midnight.
