CabanaSMTX Rope Swings — San Marcos River

CabanaSMTX — branded on Facebook as "Cabanasmtx on the water" — sits on a jungle-like bend of the spring-fed San Marcos River at 602 I-35, San Marcos, TX 78666. The outfitter grew from the Olympic Outdoor Center founded by 1996 Olympic kayaker Ben Kvanli and now operates as Kayak Instruction, a nonprofit supporting wounded veterans and Junior Olympic paddling programs. Cabana rentals (small for up to five guests, large for up to ten) include a grill, picnic table, and access to multiple rope swings, a river slide, a sand badminton court, a floating dock, and a concrete dock. Texas Highways ranks the rope swings among Texas's best and recommends the site for first-time swingers before floating downstream to the Stokes Oak. Cabanas were listed at $95–$190; book online at kayakinstruction.org/cabanas. Guests may add kayak or stand-up paddleboard rentals ($10/hour); cabana bookings include a complimentary two-part paddling session with Olympian Ben Kvanli. The property is reservation-only — hosts coordinate access personally and are not open Tuesdays. Alcohol is permitted on the private riverfront (no glass); friendly leashed pets are welcome. The San Marcos River runs clear at about 72°F year-round. Coordinates mark the riverfront rope-swing area at 29.8904° N, 97.9255° W.