Palmetto State Park, Texas

Central Texas or Peruvian Amazon? Though the surrounding forestry and plants would lead you to believe the latter, the former is where this 270-acre state park is truly located. Along the San Marcos River, the landscape is lush with green foliage and filled with tropical dwarf palmettos, which may or may not have something to do with the park’s title... There are no shortage of exhilarating activities to take part in here with camping, hiking, fishing, picnicking and birding a-plenty among the verdant surroundings. Swimming, tubing, pedal boating and canoeing are other fun activities available to park goers on the four-acre Oxbow Lake or in the low rapid, steady current waters of the San Marcos. If you do venture down river, be sure to note where the put-in/take-out points are, unless you want to eventually find yourself in the real Peruvian Amazon!