Cool Off

Beat the Texas heat with a sizzling summer vacay to San Marcos

Summer in Texas means river time.

Photo courtesy of Visit San Marcos

The summer vacay vibes right now are strong, but a great getaway doesn't have to be far-flung. Keep your cool in San Marcos this summer with these refreshing ideas:

Run to the river
Did summer in Texas even happen if you didn't float the river? Besides grabbing a tube, cooler, and your best buds for a relaxing day on the crystal-clear, spring-fed water, you can also snorkel, kayak, standup paddle board, or even just sunbathe.

Head into the earth
Escape the sun by venturing underground at Wonder World Park for a tour of the Balcones Fault Line Cave. Besides being an exquisite 72 degrees year-round, the earthquake-formed cave is dotted with prehistoric fossils and huge boulders suspended in midair.

Afterward, check out the anti-gravity house, Texas Wildlife Petting Park, or the Texas Observatory Tower for awesome Hill Country views.

Embrace the AC
True Texans know to duck indoors when the summer heat gets too intense, and if you happen to start shopping while hypnotized by that sweet, sweet air conditioning, then so be it.

Score plenty of deals at the largest outlet mall in the United States and find one-of-a-kind treasures at boutiques around town.

Pick up some knowledge
Museums also crank out the chilly air, so pay a visit to the LBJ Museum (to learn about President Johnson’s time as a student in San Marcos) and drop in on the Wittliff Collection at Texas State University (for an afternoon of art, culture, and history).

Down a cold one
Cool off with a pint at one — or all — of San Marcos' four craft breweries: Roughhouse Brewing, Middleton Brewing, AquaBrew, and Sean Patrick's.

Learn more and plan your perfect summer itinerary in San Marcos here.

Summer in Texas means river time.

Photo courtesy of Visit San Marcos

Summer in Texas means river time.

shopping nature vacation museums promoted

sushi in the park

2 star chefs roll out sushi spot with fresh-from-Tokyo goods along with intimate new bar in buzzy Buffalo Bayou hub

Doko Bar Doko Daniel Lee, Patrick Pham, Andrew Lin

Photo by Alex Montoya

Daniel Lee, Patrick Pham, and Andrew Lin.

Two of Houston’s most prolific sushi chefs have signed on to an eagerly anticipated mixed-use development. Chefs Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee, the owners of 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Best New Restaurant winner Aiko, will open Doko, a new sushi restaurant, and Bar Doko, an intimate cocktail bar, in the Autry Park mixed-use development.

Expected to open this fall on the ground floor of the Hanover Parkview mid-rise, Doko will serve a menu of sushi that utilizes fish flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market. The 1,900-square-foot restaurant is expected to seat 50 in its main dining room and 12 at its bar.

Tiny Bar Doko will occupy just 600-square-feet in a space that’s adjacent to Doko. The group’s first bar, it will serve Japanese-inspired cocktails. Houston architecture firm JT ARC Studio and Los Angeles’ JAW Collective will create the designs for both establishments

Taken together, Doko and Bar Doko are the latest projects from Duckstache Hospitality, the company that chefs Pham and Lee established with business partners Andrew Lin and C.J. Short. In addition to the aforementioned Aiko, they also operate Kokoro in downtown’s Bravery Chef Hall, Himari at the Stomping Grounds in Garden Oaks, and two outposts of hand roll concept Handies Douzo.

“Autry Park is an amazing opportunity to continue to showcase our culinary creativity in a unique setting,” Lin said in a statement. “We look to evolve our offering in Japanese cuisine to provide our guests with memorable dining experiences.”

Doko and Bar Doko will join a number of new restaurants at Autry Park. They include two new concepts from Berg Hospitality, Annabelle Brasserie and Turner’s Cut; two restaurants from MF Sushi chef-owner Chris Kinjo, MF Lobster and Ceviche and Annam, a Vietnamese restaurant; Auden, a vegetable-forward, globally inspired restaurant; a second location of pilates studio and coffee shop Duo; and the first Houston location of Austin favorite Lick Honest Ice Creams.

Developed by local real estate firms Lionstone Investments and Hanover Company, Autry Park occupies 14 acres on the western edge of Buffalo Bayou Park. The project's three-phase masterplan includes five towers encompassing 1,450 residential units, 350,000 square feet of Class A office space, and 100,000 square feet of retail, according to press materials.

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