Swim Barton Springs In Austin's Oldest Riverside Park
Swimmers, kayakers, and festival crowds share this 350-acre riverside park built around the spring-fed Barton Springs Pool.
🏊 The green heart
Zilker Park spreads across 350 acres along Lady Bird Lake and ranks as Austin's oldest metropolitan park. Its anchor is Barton Springs Pool, a cold, spring-fed swimming hole ringed by grassy banks and shade trees that fills with swimmers through the warm months.
Beyond the pool, the grounds run as a full recreation hub. Kayakers push off from the lake, volleyball games fill the sand, and the Austin City Limits Music Festival takes over the great lawn each fall. The Austin Nature and Science Center and the Beverly S. Sheffield Hillside Theater sit within the park as well.
Local pathways feed into a 5.5-mile waterfront loop shared with cyclists, with active construction in spots to route around. The park holds a 4.8 rating across more than 6,000 reviews, and it sits at 2100 Barton Springs Road, minutes from downtown Austin.
