Texas travel

5 top Texas hotel-resorts with wild waterparks for late summer getaways

While this summer has felt endless for many families, kids will be back in school soon enough (if they're not already). As summer’s heat wave now runs full throttle, a wet-and-wild family getaway may be in order. Texas is home to many resorts with cool pools, twisty waterslides, and lazy rivers to float the day away. Being mindful of COVID-19 concerns, resorts now feature updated safety protocols and limited capacities, so planning ahead is essential for a fun and relaxing time once you arrive. Whether you're looking ahead to a Labor Day escape or need a few days away now, here are five splashy Texas resorts to check out, all within a day's drive from Dallas.

Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe
Jimmy Buffett fans aren't the only ones who will enjoy sun and sips at the brand new Margaritaville Lake Resort, located on 186 waterfront acres of Lake Conroe about an hour north of Houston. Little Parrotheads are welcome to the family-friendly destination, which offers the three-acre Jolly Mon Water Park featuring an all-ages pool with colorful waterslides, splash pad, and palm tree-lined lazy river. Other family activities include mini golf, boat and watercraft rentals, and the laid-back Landshark Bar & Grill, where guests can stick their toes in the sand. Each suite in the 20-story hotel has separate bedroom and living spaces with private balconies or patios. Need more room? Book one of 32 island-themed lakefront cottages. Rates start at $218 for weeknight stays. Masks required for guests 10 and older, except while in water features.

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, San Antonio
Leisurely lounging via innertube is the theme here. The Hill Country escape features multiple pools connected by a country-style lazy river, which is shaded by towering oak trees and bordered by lush foliage and rock walls. Little ones will keep busy at the shaded sandy beach (bring your own sandcastle buckets and shovels) and tweens will find excitement in the two-story waterslide and FlowRider boogie board wave machine. Everyone can partake in s’mores by the campfire nightly and movies on the lawn Thursday through Saturday at dusk. Stay active with hiking, bike rentals, and sand volleyball. The Hyatt Regency Hill Country requires guests 2 and older to wear masks while on-site, except in pools or waterpark amenities. Rates start at $165 for a weeknight stay.

JW Marriot San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, San Antonio
A waterpark oasis awaits guests of this sprawling San Antonio resort, which boasts the famed nine-acre River Bluff Water Experience. Heart-pumping activities include tubing down a 35-foot waterslide, plummeting the 60-foot Canyon Oak Twister body slide, and riding the waves on the 650-foot Pedernales River ride. There’s also a 1,100-foot lazy river, kids' pool with beach entry and splash zones, a sandy beach, and multiple pools and hot tubs. The resort reopened in mid-June with reduced capacities and new safety protocols. For parents needing to get a little work done while the kids play, special rates are available with the resort’s Work, Learn, and Play package through December 30 with rate code P91. Summer rates start at $349 per night. Masks required for guests 10 and older, except while in water features.

Gaylord Texan, Grapevine
Exclusively for the guests of the Gaylord Texan is Paradise Springs, the Grapevine hotel’s 10-acre waterpark. The Western-themed complex includes a splashy, multi-level water play structure, toddler pool, three winding waterslides, a 600-foot lazy river, and a 6,000 square-foot family lagoon with walk-in beach. Note that on Saturdays and peak days, reservations to Paradise Springs are required to support social distancing. Guests may reserve time blocks, 9 am-2 pm or 3-8 pm. Private cabanas are also available for rent. During the resort's annual SummerFest, taking place through September 7, guests can partake in activities like canvas painting, trivia, bingo, family movie time, exotic animal encounters, scavenger hunts, and sunrise yoga. Rates start at $172 for a weeknight stay. Masks are required for guests 10 and older, except while in water features.

Hilton Anatole, Dallas
So, a staycation's more your speed? Good news for local waterpark fans: the season for JadeWaters, the luxe hotel’s resort pool complex, has been extended. Normally closed after Labor Day, the expansive Dallas waterpark will remain open to hotel guests Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through September. Featuring two 180-foot water slides, a lazy river, swim-up bar, and kids' splash zone, JadeWaters is open daily, 9 am-7 pm, operating at less than 50 percent capacity for social distancing. Other family-friendly activities include giant chess, Connect 4, croquet, corn hole, ladder ball, and complimentary chalk for sidewalk art. The JadeWaters Fun package starts at $194 a night and includes a $50 daily resort credit. Masks are required for guests 2 and older, except while in water features.

A waterpark oasis awaits at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort.

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa/Facebook

A waterpark oasis awaits at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort.

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BACKSTAGE PASS

Universal Music unveils new hotel and amphitheater near Texas Hill Country

UMusic Hotel & Private Residences Austin

Rendering courtesy of UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle

A rendering of the property, with another building extending off-screen to the right.

Texas travelers who want to make sure their next weekend trip takes full advantage of the “Live Music Capital” have an upcoming community to consider: UMusic Hotel & Private Residences Austin, an effort owned by White Rocks and developed in partnership with Universal Music Group, will bring 150 hotel rooms, 600 private residences, and a new amphitheater to a 71-acre site at the edge of the Hill Country.

A representative says an opening is projected for the first quarter of 2029, with construction beginning in the first quarter of 2027. Residences are on sale now. Different units cost $850-$1,450 per square foot, depending on variables like locations, views, and more.

There is already one UMusic Hotel operating in Madrid, Spain. The Austin location will introduce private residences for the first time.

The keystone of the property will be White Rocks Amphitheater, an open-air venue that takes advantage of the natural surroundings. More than 70 percent of the site will "remain green open space," the release says. There will also be a performance venue inside the hotel, plus professional recording and content studios.

Music is the central force of the property, but it's not the only thing to do at the hotel. There will also be a bar, a nightclub, a comedy club, dining, a rooftop pool and fitness center, and a spa and wellness center.

At the spa, visitors can get traditional treatments like massages, facials, hair, makeup, and manicures, while the wellness center offers weight training, steam rooms, hammam (a Southwest Asian or North African bath), plus more advanced technologies including red-light therapy, peptide therapy, cryogenic chambers, and more. Sometimes the amphitheater will host yoga, weight training, and other physical events.

Similarly, the residences will have access to their own set of amenities including, a private pool and fitness facilities, underground parking, and common areas, the release says. They can visit the hotel anytime and enjoy the culture there, too.

"The result is a living environment that offers the peace of a private retreat alongside the vibrancy of an international cultural hub," the release says.

Since nature is such a big part of the plan, the developer has a number of sustainability commitments going into the project. Those include a mostly hidden plant for hot and cold water and power, microgrid energy tech, a closed-loop water system that developers say complies with a 100 percent water reuse goal set by the city, and DarkSky-compliant practices that help reduce light pollution, which is better for wildlife and seeing stars. That will help at monthly stargazing events held at the amphitheater.

The developers have also committed to the creative community that made them want to work in Austin to begin with; things like allocating a portion of ticket sales to a perpetual endowment for local artists and nonprofits, setting up paid gigs for emerging talent, and partnering with schools and other cultural institutions, sometimes for mentorship opportunities.

“Our vision is to create places where culture is made, shared, and celebrated," said UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle president Jordi Solé in the release. "This property combines performance, wellness, nature, and community into a single living ecosystem, reflecting Austin's creative spirit on a global stage.”

hotels developments condos venues live music