Iconic glass bottom boat returned to lake’s fleet

Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra referred to the sacred nature of the site. Andrew Sansom, director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, welcomed the presence of thousands of schoolchildren each year and San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson, after recalling her childhood experiences at what was then Aquarena Springs Amusement Park, expressed gratitude for its educational value.

Nice words, all. But the star of the show at Spring Lake Thursday morning was the glass bottom boat called 1963 — named for its first year in operation.

Chikage Windler of CBS Austin and Meadows Center Director Andrew Sansom prepare to Christen Boat 1963 with champagne.

The boat with a refurbished fiberglass hull is the third of the fleet of five to have its wooden hull replaced, something Sansom said had to be done every few years in the days of the old amusement park. “We are slowly converting each of the boats,” he said, for visitors of all ages but especially the 40,000 to 50,000 that arrive each year on school buses. “By the end of this decade we should have them all converted.”

Other Meadows Center personnel joined elected officials and representatives of the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce for the ceremonies. Among others on hand were Shirley Rogers, Queen of the inaugural Mermaid Art Fair and a former Aquamaid; along with Dianne Wassenich, recently named one of four Texas “Women in Conservation” by Audubon Texas, and Chikage Windler of CBS Austin, who cut the ribbon and wielded the champagne bottle.

Chamber of Commerce officials stand by as the ribbon is cut.

In its heyday, Aquarena Springs was the “largest commercial tourist destination” Texas had to offer for more than a generation, Sansom said. The amusement rides and other attractions at the park were dismantled after Texas State University acquired the property in the mid 1990s.

Following the ceremony, some of those in attendance boarded the boat for a tour by Sam Massey, manager of the glass bottom boats, who managed despite a stiff wind to guide the boat to many of the lake’s premier collection of high-pressure and low-pressure springs.