This is a great place to rent kayaks. Unlike other rental locations, you start off right next to Congress Bridge, home to the biggest urban bat colony in the US. Especially during the summer, you can see ribbons of bats emerge from under the bridge around sunset. You can head east to Bird Island or west to Red Bud Island if you want a work out. If you are interested in rowing, there is a great 1-month intro course (unlike kayaking or SUP, one cannot attempt rowing on one's own). The Austin Rowing Club is a non-profit so you become part of a community. read more

Perfect spot, great access to the river but has racks of filthy life jackets and a staff that needs to lighten up. We came here to rent SUPs for an hour before heading to the airport keeping our luggage at the hotel. We filled out the waivers and gave them our credit card but the front desk REFUSED to rent us SUPs without both of our ID's. They claimed "it's the law." I'm still unable to find this law. We tried giving them our phones or credit cards as collateral but they couldn't risk "breaking the law." I'd advise your staff to lighten up a little bit, people are trying to enjoy this beautiful spot. Also their life jackets are filthy, they don't even hose them down throughout the day after multiple people use them. read more

I've been here twice in the past two days. This is so convenient for the patrons at the four seasons. Great way to see the lady bird lake, even with a family! They have one and two person kayaks rented by the hour, paddle boards and bikes. They even have bikes for rent with the carriage attached for up to two kids. The costs are very reasonable. The actual rental office is a little tricky because its front door is facing the lake which puts it at the backside of the building. I'm so happy this option is here, it was fun to explore town lake by both kayak and bike and both I got to do with my 3 yr old. read more

Waller Creek Boathouse - Rent this! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Austin, Texas

This review is purely of the Infinity bike art exhibit that is set up right in front of here. The parking situation kind of sucks, but you could easily, jump out and take a few pictures. read more

Love this boathouse & the partnership with Austin Rowing Club. The space is beautiful and between kayaking, rowing, or just have coffee on the deck and watching the sunrise - I can easily spend several mornings a week here. (Just wish the coffee place was open earlier!) Parking at the MACC makes it pretty easy too! read more

The Waller Creek Boathouse is a great space for grabbing a coffee or a glass of wine in the evening, rowing or kayaking or just hanging out with ya' friends. They do event rentals as well and it's one the prettiest spaces on the Lake. Perhaps best of all . . . nice bathrooms for folks on the trail! Haha. read more

I have rented kayaks from several different places on Lady Bird, but this is by far the nicest, cleanest and best quality kayak on the river. Aubrey was so helpful with the equipment and it all made for a great day on the water. Would highly recommend. read more

This is, without question, the best place to row or paddle on Austin's town lake (aka Ladybird lake). 1) Location. The boathouse location at the southern end of Trinity makes it easy to get to for those visiting and staying downtown. More importantly, if you are interested in seeing downtown from the water (including the nightly summertime bat show from Congress Avenue) rather than the crowded western part of town lake, the location of the Waller Creek Boathouse is just a couple of hundred yards from the heart of downtown whereas most of the other boat rental places on town lake are maybe a mile away. The paddle home after bat watching can take a while from any of the other rental docks. 2) No waiting. I've never seen a wait to rent boats except on the busiest holiday weekends. 3) "The Boathouse" is brand new. Cool building...and it even has real bathrooms which is nice after a long paddle. Kayaks etc. are new too. 4) Staff is extremely friendly. If you're looking to learn to row (not just paddle) then this is the place to learn. Top notch place all around... read more

Place is weird. Two stars for an easy access watering hole near the water. The staff could lighten up a bit and even greet you? Cold vibes for days here i won't ever come near this place again. read more

We had our fall 2015 wedding at the Waller Creek Boathouse so this is a long delayed review. Elizabeth was great in working with us since they were still under construction until literally the day before our wedding. It's an amazing view of the lake and our vendors were able to load in and set up things nicely. The contract and rules were very clear and Elizabeth was quick to respond to any questions or requests. It was a bit challenging working through Alta's Cafe as their preferred bar/beverage service at the time, but overall, it went as well as we could expect in 90 degree heat for a 100-person wedding. read more

My husband, myself and our two daughters thought we would try this out for Mother's Day. We found a parking lot and made it over to be told to rent two boats we had to have two drivers licenses. I had left my wallet at home so as not to have to leave it in the car. My husband asked if a credit card could be the additional security. We were told no and walked back to the car, paid for parking and went back to the rowing center where we usually go. Sadness. read more

this is such a cool spot!! Found out about it during the grand opening a few months ago, they had a cool little band and some munchies and some super helpful people showing us around. In my opinion best access to town lake bar none. Its a perfect location so close to downtown. Always used to ride out of town to town lake rowing, but this is way more convenient. The views from the rowing center itself are gorgeous, but even when you hit the water the view of the city gives you instant gratification. Love the new building everything is top notch, all the equipment is brand new so obviously in great condition. The staff is always SO helpful and friendly and knowledgeable. It's a huge priority to me to have great customer service and they exceeded my expectations, keep it up guys youre awesome. So glad these guys are open and I'm excited to hit the water this year from their docks. read more

Best place to rent on the East end of the lake by far. The equipment was much nicer than any other place I have rented, and the staff was super nice. Love the facility too -- they have bathrooms you can use and cubicles to leave your belongings that feel safe. read more

I love the Waller Creek boathouse. It's such a nice facility! I used to row at the old boat house that got knocked down - but this place it huge, clean, and has a SPECTACULAR view over Lady Bird Lake! It hosts Austin Rowing Club, RoFitness, Alta's Cafe, and also rents out kayaks! Everything you could ever want! read more

Rented Boathouse for big family gathering and it was a spectacular setting for a party. Rent is reasonable, staff professional, courteous, very responsive and helpful. I highly recommend this gem. Added amenity was watching the bats take flight! read more

This place is great! I went there for a first time lesson with a group of friends and had a great time. The staff were incredibly helpful and did a fantastic job prepping us for our first rowing experience. They answered all our questions and made the experience easy and so much fun. I will definitely be coming back! read more

How do you get ahold of someone here?? It's an automated messaging service and no one has returned my calls on 3 separate occasions in the last couple weeks... any advice on how to speak to a human at Waller Creek? Pretty poor customer service already which is never a good sign. read more

All-around the best place to experience Lady Bird Lake and the hike & bike trail! I haven't tried the bike rental yet, but the paddling and conditioning classes are great and very convenient for me coming from downtown. No line for the kayaks or stand up paddle and they have real restrooms! read more

Went here for Memorial Day Weekend and it was packed with people waiting in line for kayak rentals. The Austin Rowing Club maintains this boathouse on Lady Bird Lake through a contract with the city and they sublease to a non-profit kayak rental business downstairs. We really enjoyed the convenient location and competitive prices for the kayak rentals, but we did have to wait more than 1 hour for a kayak due to lack of enough paddles for all the kayaks they had in inventory and the fact it was Memorial day weekend. The staff was running all over the place trying to coordinate and did their best with the resources they had but it seemed to me that the business could be run smoother with walkie talkies, more paddles, a sign up sheet with wait times, a better way to keep track of rental times and extra charges. It would have been nice to have had access to water at the kayak rental place, but there was a place upstairs with a tent that was open.There was also a gym upstairs that was locked, so that may be where the Austin Rowing Club works out. There was also a coffee shop that was closed but they had a stand outside in a tent, which was a great amenity and convenience. They had coffee, beer, water and other convenience items for sale. There is also a restroom upstairs, which was very convenient after kayaking, but watch out for the sink water because its set on burn! Overall, this place was awesome and I'm glad we went. Just a few inefficiencies that can easily be improved by the kayak subcontractor. This is a great asset for the Austin community and tourists. read more