Max Starcke Park, Texas, United States

5Wilton W 5:00 PM Apr 6, 2013

The Most Beautiful Waterfall in Texas
Great for windshield tourism. A graceful, curving waterfall spills over a low dam, the highlight of a scenic park drive meandering more than a mile alongside the jade-green waters of the Guadalupe River, beneath towering cypress and pecans. The beautiful man-made waterfall is the legacy of the park's designer, Robert H.H. Hugman, better-known for the River Walk in San Antonio. Hugman was also the architect of the Art Deco Recreation Building, now used for offices. A pioneering landscape architect, he left plantings of his trademark mix of tropical and desert plants, including palms, burro bananas, cactus, and flowering shrubs. Alas, Hugman's plantings were washed away by floods over the years, and not replanted. The City Waterworks, which blocked views of the beautiful waterfall, was *almost* washed away several times. But it was always rebuilt in exactly the same place. So it continues to block the best views.

4casewelltx 5:00 PM Apr 12, 2019

Famiy Friendly Max Starcke Park
This is a jewel of park with lots of places for kids and families to play and experience outdoor recreation a mile or so just south of downtown Seguin on Austin St. (also known as Business 123, not to be confused with the 123 Bypass). My pre-school and elementary age grandchildren love to play in this park and once you really explore it, you realize it is much bigger than it seems at first. The park and playground are free, but the wave pool and the golf course are NOT free. The part of the park with the largest array of playground equipment which my grandkids like to play on is by the baseball fields. This part of the park has been upgraded in the last two years or so. Starke park is on both sides of Austin street and is bordered by the Guadalupe River. On the west side of Austin street is the Starke public golf course, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, a mini-playground just for toddlers and kids under age 5 or 6, a dog area, group picnic area, and concrete steps down to the Guadalupe River where you can tie up a canoe or kayak. There are also single spaced picnic tables by the river and a large number of group tables on the other side of the road from the river going towards the golf course. On the east side of Austin Street, in addition to the large playground, baseball fields, and picnic tables, there is a wave pool that is open from June through the start of school in late August. Check hours before driving to the wave pool. There is usually a discount if you arrive after 4pm. I believe they are closed on Mondays for pool cleaning, but I am not sure. Besides the playground, wave pool, and baseball fields, there is also a bike trail to ride or walk, as well as a covered basketball pavilion. There are acres of places to walk or bring a blanket and have a picnic in the shade of what was once a pecan orchard. This park is still full of pecan huge pecan trees. On the other side of the river is the "Power Plant Restaurant", so named because it is a defunct hydro power plant, now turned into a restaurant. Some of the big equipment and possibly one of the turbines, not sure of the correct terminology, is still in the restaurant which is kind of cool to look at while you wait for your food, especially for those people who are mechanically inclined. There is also a really nice large outdoor covered deck at the restaurant looking down over the Guadalupe River, so you can eat in indoor air conditioning or outside air. If you and your family did not bring a picnic lunch with you to the park, you could walk across the Austin Street bridge over the river and enjoy a juicy Edison burger, a burger with mushrooms and Swiss cheese on it or a large salad while enjoying a breeze from the river in the spring or fall. Summer evenings are not bad on the deck as well. Sometimes on summer weekend evenings there is live entertainment. I love this park and the only reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 star rating is because of the public bathrooms at this park. Although the city of Seguin upgraded these restrooms by the large playground within the last year or two, they apparently do not service them as often as they need to be serviced, because the few times one of my family has needed to use the restrooms there, they needed some cleaning and did not smell very good. This may vary on a weekly basis, I do not know. I typically go there with family only once or twice a month when the weather is nice. I highly play or relax on a nearby bench or picnic table. If you prefer something softer than a wood or metal bench, bring your own lawn chairs. There are drinking fountains here, but the only concessions I am aware of our inside the nearby wave pool and they are only open seasonally. If you want a really clean nearby restroom, the recently built, beautiful glass Seguin Library is only about a mile away. Just drive north on Austin Street and turn left at Starke furniture, go down the hill, cross the creek, and the Library will be on your left and Walnut Springs park on your right. Walnut Springs park is mostly a walking trail with no playground or other amenities. When coming to Starke park your tennis shoes, (there is gravel around some of the play equipment) and bring your bikes, a basket ball, your picnic lunch, and in the summer your bathing suits and towels and enjoy this wonderful outdoor place! Note: during the heat of the summer in mid day there is NO shade over the playground. For July, August, and September, I recommend an early morning visit or a late afternoon visit arriving after 4-4:30 pm (if your kids want to play on the playground) staying into the early evening during the torrid heat of the south Texas summer.