Nicky W. is the absolute best guide here and made the trip worth while. Had an amazing time and you will too. Wreck em!

1st off know that this operation is run by students and that is the general feel the entire way in. You'll show up to the ticketing location and sit in line for 30 minutes only to be sent across town to the end of the float. You'll stand in-line for another hour in the sun waiting on a shuttle (read here dilapidated decommissioned school bus driven by a retiree that will open ogle anything that walks by). You'll then be driven at reckless speeds back to where you originally got your arm band. Once you get there you have to pick from a pile of leaking and patched tubes. If you paid for a cooler tube - good luck. They'll tell you that you have to wait an hour or more and if you complain they won't give you a refund. Then after all of that you'll get on the river. At this point it's tuning down a river which includes all the things you can imagine. Weed smoke, loud music, feces and worse in the water and a slow and hot drift down the river. Right before you get to the end the river slows down and you'll be stuck for up to an hour or more trying to get past hundreds of other customers from all the locks tubing places. Then you get to get out. Throw your tube at a sunburned early twenty-something and find your car and your dignity and head to your next location. Good luck. read more

Texas State Tubes makes it so easy to have some good, clean, inexpensive fun on the river. Tube rental comes with a ride to the dropoff point, assistance getting out of the water and your choice of tube. $20 for tube #1, $5 more for tube #2. Credit and debit cards accepted. You can also bring your own tubes and inflate them using a compressor at the drop off site. Cooler tubes (rectangle with bottoms-you supply cooler) are $10. What you put in the cooler is up to you. I recommend beverages of your choice and sandwiches in an air-tight container. There are plenty of shallow spots along the way where you can stop to eat but the pace is slow enough that you can easily dine in the water. The trip takes about 2.5-3 hours. It requires a small amount of arm paddling to re-center in the current from time to time but overall, the river does the work for you. And at the end, you disembark at the parking lot where your car is waiting to take you back to reality. read more

Emme killed it with helping us. Super helpful with getting us into the place and on the river quickly. Talk to her if you need some assistance of any sort. River is great and they quickly helped us read more

I went with my friend and we had so much fun! I had to change my reservation and the owner was more than accommodating. Fun float, nice river, highly recommend! read more

Wow, we had a great experience with Texas State Tube for my friends bachelor party! It was an awesome and efficient experience from start to finish. Nicky Wayne, our guide, was fantastic. I would highly recommend them if you are looking for a float trip in the Austin area! read more

Domonique was exceptionally friendly and welcoming, made the whole experience a ton more enjoyable. Would recommend him and this tubing experience to anybody read more

Nicky Wayne put the Yee in our Haws! We had such a great time!

Horrible service & rude people working on Saturday July 29. They messed up on charging us way too much. Had to go back to get refund (others were also) way overpriced anyway! We stood in line for 40 minutes waiting for tubes. I was yelled at for getting my tube as I got to the front of the line. "You aren't in line!" I was there for 40 minutes. Never again would I go to this tube rental! read more

Texas State Tubes is absolutely amazing!! The water is clear and the exposed tree root structures on either side of the river make for a very majestic float. The staff is extremely friendly and very helpful (shout out to Erica, she's the bomb!) We highly recommend Texas State Tubes! read more

Texas State Tubes - Tubing Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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So this has to be the best float we have ever had! That is saying a lot bc this is the longest float we have done with our 7 & 5 year old. Texas Tubes went above & beyond to make sure we were taken care of & that our kiddos were safe & had fun! Thank you so much!! We will definitely be back!! read more

Stubbed my toe on a rock but super hot employees the guy in the red sandals hit my line!

Always such pleasant staff!! Today I brought my own tube and it popped while blowing it up :( I was already at the river and didn't have my wallet because we bussed over there. One of the staff members let me use a rental tube!! Saved our day at the river - especially since we spent an hour driving out there! Thank you!! read more

It had been many MANY years since I floated the river/any rivers. The last time I floated it took all day (6-8 hours) because there wasn't enough water to keep ya moving. Oh, and I was totally sober. THESE DAYS that water is flowing and these float trips go by quick and I wasn't the DD :) The water was beautiful and clean and I can't wait to go again. Tips about these guys: We tried to follow the address in the GPS which took us the wrong way twice. We finally found it, and were confused when the directions led us through some mobile home park neighborhood. It was actually correct at that point. We arrived at 10ish in the morning to take part in the early bird special tube prices ($11). We were told the float was only about an hour and a half total, so we all decided to float it twice. You pay for a separate tube to put your cooler in ($10) and whatever else you want to save. An old school bus takes you to where you start your float. The last time I floated (somewhere else) I recall the tubes being old and nasty. These were new and bright colored with cup holders built in! I picked out my lime green tube and was ready. Definitely bring some bungee cords or rope to tie yourself to your cooler tube or whoever else you don't want to lose down stream. The water was flowing heavily, never anything too much but sometimes a bit like white water rapids which made it fun. I would highly recommend floating early if you're not 20 years old and in college. Our first float was great and no one else was around us on the river. Some hot shirtless guys at the end of the float direct you where to get out and take your tube. By our second float the school bus and water was jam packed with college kids which made it hard to stay together (probably because our group was 16 people). I had a blast and would definitely use these guys again. read more

Had a great time. Only issue is we had a tube pop at the beginning of the ride and the escorts didn't have a replacement tube. It was our cooler tube so one person was forced to swim. After we asked the kayak escorts for help they said suck it up or pretended to get us another tube until the end of the float. Recommend to bring an extra tube as they seem to pop. read more

I will forever float here. Will was so genuine and helpful. I floated with dons fish camp and had a horrible experience with the workers lying and taking property from a friend. Thank you so much for will help I bc ya out and turning our day around at Texas state tubes. read more

Wonderful place to float the river! Ran into an employee named Alyssa along our float and she was so helpful and kind! Definitely recommend Texas State Tubes for your next floating trip! read more

Texas State Tubes is my preferred outfitter for floating the San Marcos River and only a quick 45-minute drive from Austin. If you show up within the first hour of opening, you can get tubes at the "Early Bird Special" price of only $10 (instead of $17). If you miss that window and you're a student, just show your ID to get tubes for only $15. The tubes last season were bright neon-colored and not the cheap black tubes so prone to becoming blisteringly hot in the Texas sun. The float itself is relatively slow and takes 2-3hrs depending on the flow rate of the river and how often you stop in the shoals. There aren't many fast-running parts of the river so there's nothing particularly precarious about the trip. The take-out point is a large concrete ramp that leads right into the parking lot, which is awesome for leaving quickly. read more

It was a great place, the float was long and well worth the money. We floated for about 5 hours, well worth the money.

This place was the worst tubing experience of my life. Not only was the transportation to the drop in spot poorly organized, these guys know how to to destroy a river. There was trash EVERYWHERE at the drop off spot and absolutely no trash cans. The river itself was completely covered in garbage from the tubers and I felt like I was tubing through a landfill most of the time. When my friends and I arrived back at Texas State Tubes after the float, their stash was just pushing all of the cans and bags that people had been collecting right back into the river. At $15 a person, I suggest tubing the Guadalupe or Comal rivers in New Braunfels. These guys don't have their stuff together and frankly I don't think they care :/\ edit: I called them out on this a couple days after via Facebook and they accused me of being drunk and on drugs. Says a lot about their level of customer service http://imgur.com/ewNVoM6 read more

For my first tubing experience, this place was awesome! It was a decent price (ask for the student discount!) and they provided everything that the other places do. We drove to the main site and paid for admission, were bused to the river site, and grabbed our tubes for ourselves and our cooler. NOTE: Styrofoam coolers are highly discouraged because you have to pay a fine if the river cops find you with one. We wasted money buying one right before our trip only to have to get rid of it and rent one of their coolers instead. If you don't have a cooler, just rent one of theirs - it's $5 and it's a lot more worth it than getting a styrofoam cooler. ADDITIONAL NOTE: Bring ties for your cooler to secure it to your tube... and to secure that tube to one of you.... or just to secure everyone in your party to one another so you don't lose each other. Tie down is pretty important and we would have never survived without the gracious help of some fellow tubers who pitied us in our struggle to stay together. Our trip down the river was very enjoyable, albeit slow at times because of how popular this activity is during the summer. Even though the water was pretty low, there were still some fun fast points and we even flipped once (so be careful with bringing stuff you don't want to lose in the water!). The trip took about 5 hours (a lot longer than what some other people say) so just give yourself ample amount of time to float. This was definitely a unique experience that I would love to do again. Next time I will be more prepared and hopefully after reading my notes, you won't make the same rookie mistakes that we did!! read more

I've wanted to go river-tubing all year and I was a bit nervous that we were going to have long waits, and that the transportation they provided would be inconvenient. Not the case whatsoever! We arrived a little before noon and we were like the 5th car to arrive. Everyone who worked there was wicked nice- and welcoming. The cost was $15 and it included, transportation, a tube and 2.5+ hours on the water. We took a little over 3 hours to complete the loop- and it was all so convenient. Bus drove us to the drop off point, we picked out our tubes and off in the water we went. The float was so relaxing, and it was nice because there were a lot of other tubers- but at times we ended up floating completely alone. We brought our own beer, and it was nice to be able to casually drink while floating down a giant lazy river. The water was pretty slow at times and at other times we had a great time taking on 'mini-rapids' in our tubes. I totally recommend going river tubing with TST and I plan on returning later in the summer. P.S. I went with just 1 friend, but I would also be nice to go with a bigger group of people and you can tie your tubes and float down the river all together. It was also nice to see that at about the halfway point there were people in boats collecting trash and bottles from the river. We also saw many fish- about 20+ turtles basking in the sun on the shore and lots of butterflies. :) read more

This place was amazing you can bring a ice chest to float with you it's totally safe to bring your phone I wish I did but I was scared to get it wet it's defiantly an all day thing it's such a chill and relaxing spot I have no idea how this place has 4 1/2 stars it deserves 5 everyone was so friendly and it was just good vibes all around read more

While the masses at the adjacent tube rental company waited in a long ass line, my friend and I parked our car, grabbed our cooler, paid for tubes, signed our waivers, and hopped on a good ol' fashioned school bus and headed on down to the river. The river was crowded that day, but I have no idea why the other spot was so crowded and this one wasn't. It might have cost a few $ more ($15 if you need a tube/$8 if you have your own/$10 for a cooler tube), but it was totally worth it to get from car to butt in a tube in the river with an open beer in under 10 minutes. They made new river rules last year, but when you float from this location, they don't apply. Cans are fine from this location. But for the love of God, people, please bring a bag or something to hold on to your trash. read more

Texas state tubes were an amazing experience, as was my first time going tubing and I honestly couldn't have chosen a better place! Shoutout to Erika Sordo she's one of the employees there and she's so sweet and helpful and does not rush you!!! I recommend this place for everyone that wants to relax and tube! read more

This is an absolute must-do if you're in Austin!! The school bus picks your group up from downtown and then drives you to the river (about 40 minutes away) to start the float. Along the way the bus stops at a gas station to fuel up with snacks, beverages and anything else you might have forgotten. What follows is a very fun and relaxing four hour float down the river. Nicky Wayne was the absolutely BEST guide we could have asked for. He discussed the wildlife that lives in/around the river and gave great tips of which spots to stay away from because of spiders/snakes. Thankfully, we didn't run in to any wildlife but we would've been fine with Nicky Wayne. I felt safe the entire time and thoroughly enjoyed the day. read more

Star is the best tube girl and created the best experience since I've been coming to the river for over 10 years

This was such a fun time! I can't wait to go back to Austin to do this again. They start downtown and everyone gets on a bus. You're assigned a tour guide that stays with you for the entire float. Our guide was the best, but I have sadly since forgotten his name (maybe John?). He was so much fun and brought his dog with us, so that was a great time. He made sure we were all accounted for and helped us navigate on the river. On the way to the river, we stopped by a gas station to load up on ice, booze, and whatever else you need. Once you get there, you get your tube and tube for the cooler that they provide for you. You tie your group's tubes together and off you go! The float felt like it was about 2-2.5 hours. It was fun and relaxing. Everyone was great! read more

Staff was so sweet and answered any questions me and my friends had especially Sky she was super nice!

Bachelorette party of 13- we used Texas state tubes for our bachelorette party to go tubing down the San Marcos river. Our driver was super friendly and accommodating. The best part about the service is that one of the girls in our party had a flat tube half way down the river. We text our driver asking if there was anything he could do, so he sent Bramble down the river to find us and replace two tubes. He was so friendly and got there so quickly. Really made the trip fun for everyone. read more

This was the best river trip we've ever had ! Kenzi was amazing !! Excellent service. Will be coming

Such a great time and definitely going to do it again! Only improvement would be to get better air pumps for the tubes. The machine felt like they were going to explode in our hands. read more

What a fun time! We floated for probably about 2-3 hours and the river temperature was perfect to cool down from the Texas heat. Our tour guides Ryan and Jamie were wonderfully nice and funny and made sure we had a great time. It was a great spot to hang out for a bachelor/bachelorette party. Bring lots of beer a hat and sunglasses. read more

Awesome fun. About a 2.5 hr float down the river. Easy access in and out. Awesome cooler floats with a bottom. Went on a weekday so wasn't crowded at all. Highly recommend! read more

Floated the river yesterday with my group of 6 and we had the friendliest funny host Kenzi! Thanks so much for the help!! The group in the red Raptor read more

Edit in response to Rich: Thanks for your comment, you're right the website says nothing about ice! Not a big deal, I just kind of assumed if was all taken care of (Adding a star for that). I also didn't realize the price difference for ATX, when I went with them last year it was the same price. While ATX may be a bit more organized getting you to and from the river with cleaner buses, they don't do much for you while you float. Our guide was awesome, he made sure we had a good time and paid attention to the speed of the river so he could tell us to slow down and stretch out the day. Hope this helps a bit. Thanks and good luck as you grow! read more

I absolutely love this place! Best float on the San Marcos river. You have to connect with Star while you're out there. And maybe Sophie.. :) read more

Best company to go with when you want to float the San Marcos river. Moved to Texas in January from New York, didn't know anything about the river. Informed us about the entire trip and stayed close when we had no idea what was going on. Nikki Wayne was our instructor he was super informative and fun and stayed in clear sight the whole float down. Definitely going to book again through Nikki's Wayne. He also made sure our belongings were safe while floating down. Deff call and book your next trip with him! read more

The water was SO clean and blue compared to the Guadalupe River. Overall it was a really good time, the people we helpful and badass. The bus driver who drove us to the tubing site even handed me the aux cord, I felt on top of the world at that point as I played Smashmouth's "Allstar" for everyone on the bus to enjoy/tolerate. But yeah, if you want a chill semi-party river to float down I definitely recommend Texas State Tubes on the San Marcos! read more

We went in a little late but Harley was very sweet and took care of us fast. It was a great experience!