Barton Springs

Cool, clean water and a sampler platter of Austinites
Noteworthy for: The shady hillsides around the pool are an Austin cultural microcosm, with college kids texting, musicians singing, and baby boomers meditating.

With crystal clear water that remains at 68°F (20°C) year-round, Barton Springs provides a much-needed escape from Austin's scorching days. Serious swimmers do laps in the center of the pool, while floaters have their own area at the deep end.
The three-acre Barton Springs pool - a public swimming hole since 1917 - is formed by two small dams at either end that restrict the flow of Barton Creek. Three springs also bubble up from the bottom of the pool; if you swim down about six feet just to the left of the diving board, you can see the main spring.

The pool and surrounding springs are also home to the Barton Springs salamander, an endangered species that exists nowhere else on the planet. Continued use of the springs as a public pool has come under environmental scrutiny in recent years, but two protected areas nearby have helped to bolster the salamander population.