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.

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort features multiple pools connected by a country-style lazy river.

Photo courtesy of Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort features multiple pools connected by a country-style lazy river.

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New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

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