SAN MARCOS, Texas — Roughly an hour south of Austin you can find a town called San Marcos, Texas. You might have heard of it before.
From its beautiful college campus to its flowy river, it's easy to see why the college town has been nicknamed "San Marvelous."
While San Marcos may be best known for being the home of Texas State University, there are also many fun things to do there that make it a hidden gem.
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Here to tell you all about the best food, shopping places and things to do in San Marcos are two TXST graduates who now work on the digital team at KVUE News.
Rebecca Flores, TXST class of 2018, Paul Livengood, class of 2016, and Sophia De La Rosa, class of 2017, share their favorite things about "San Marvelous."
BARS
- Rebecca: Mayloos.
- Paul: The Veranda.
- Sophia: Mayloos.
ACTIVITY
- Rebecca: Tubing, duh.
- Paul: Being on the lacrosse team, for sure.
- Sophia: Hanging out at Sewell.
SHOPPING
- Rebecca: Barefoot Campus Outfitter because it has so many cute t-shirts and outfits for gameday.
- Paul: Nike Outlet.
- Sophia: Textbook Solutions.
RESTAURANT
- Rebecca: Grins Restaurant.
- Paul: Oh my, how could you make me choose? I'll go with Tap Room. Those southwest eggrolls though! And the Chicken Bacon Ranch Pita? Oh my.
- Sophia: SPUDRANCH, also Louie's.. and Root Cellar. RIP Kobe.
BEST BREAKFAST TACOS
- Rebecca: Herbert’s Taco Hut... they're the best and super affordable too! This is what I miss most about San Marcos.
- Paul: Lucy's (Next to Korner Food Store) or Los Vega... why must you make me choose?
- Sophia: Casa de Don Lorenzo.
SWEET SPOT
- Rebecca: Icy Rolls.
- Paul: Dos Gatos.
- Sophia: Marble Slab!
BARBECUE
- Rebecca: Kent Black's Barbecue.
- Paul: Hays Co. BBQ.
- Sophia: Kent Black's BBQ.
BEST MUSIC VENUE
- Rebecca: Texas Music Theater.
- Paul: I'm not a huge music guy, so I'm not the best person to ask about this. If I had to choose, I'd say Cheatham Street, I guess.
- Sophia: The Marc.
FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS
- Rebecca: Old Main. The building just looks like a castle, especially when it's lit up at night!
- Paul: The West Campus Fields. The lacrosse team practiced and played our games on these fields. Some of my greatest memories were made on those fields.
- Sophia: I would say Old Main for sure, but also Lampasas because I spent sooo many hours in their coffee lounge.
FAVORITE TXST PROFESSOR
- Rebecca: Mrs. MC Robinson! She was the funniest and nicest teacher I had. She made class so fun that I never wanted to miss it!
- Paul: Dr. Tim England. I had him for multiple classes in my major and I learned so much from him that I continue to apply to my job every day.
- Sophia: Holly Wise! And Dr. Kaufhold!
BEST OF THE SQUARE (Aside from bars)
- Rebecca: Cafe on the Square. You have to try their soup, it's SO good!
- Paul: It's still "a bar," but getting some good food and a beer at Sean Patrick's during a sporting event was always a go-to.
- Sophia: Paper Bear.
About the KVUE TXST grads:
Rebecca Flores
I graduated from Texas State University with a bachelors degree in Media Communications in Spring 2018. I have been working for KVUE News since Oct. 2017 and although I made the move to Austin for my Social Media Specialist job, San Marcos is the best place I have ever called home. San Antonio comes in at a close second, though. In my opinion, San Marcos is such a hidden gem because there are so many fun things to do there without a lot of traffic and chaos. In my spare time, I love creating positive, inspiring and fashionable content on my blog and my YouTube channel. You can also follow me (@rebeccanicoleyt) on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to check out my latest content.
Paul Livengood
I graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor's degree in Electronic Media in Spring 2016. I began working for KVUE in February 2018 as a Digital Producer after transferring from our sister station KCEN, which covers the Waco/Killeen/Temple area. I've lived in many, many places in my life as an Army brat, but San Marcos is by far the best place I've ever been. The greatest blessings in my life today are all centered around that city and university. I truly believe San Marcos is the perfect place to be and go to school. The location is amazing: you've got rivers left and right that you can float (even ON CAMPUS); Austin (aka Sixth Street) is 30 minutes north; San Antonio and the Riverwalk is 45 minutes south; the biggest water park in America (Schliterbahn) is 15 to 20 minutes away in New Braunfels. I'm a HUGE sports fan, so you can catch me watching, talking, and tweeting about all things sports related. Follow me on Twitter @IamLivengood.
Sophia De La Rosa
I graduated from Texas State in December of 2017 with a BS in journalism and a minor in international studies. I started working for KVUE in February of 2018. Texas State and San Marcos are very special to me; the small town feel quickly became my home away from home. I loved being able to walk everywhere, hit up the local shops, bars and hang out at Sewell. In college, I wrote a lot of articles, put together videos, and took photos for the University Star so learned to code to make a website as an online portfolio. You can check it out at sophiadelarosa.com or follow me on Instagram @sophiadelarosa.
