Texas Rowing Center

Came here with a friend of mine, we had such an amazing time. Staff was super nice and understanding about it being our first time paddle boarding. Their parking isn’t all that great but there’s a school nearby you can use their parking lot to be in, me and my friend were there for about 2-3hrs. We initially got it for just one hour, but we went a little bit over the time that was reserved for which they were super understanding about it and only charged us for half an hour instead of a full hour extra. Would recommend coming here again!

Texas Rowing Center gave me one of the most relaxing and beautiful experiences in Austin. Paddling on the lake with the city skyline around you feels like a dream. The staff is super friendly, the prices are fair, and the whole vibe is calm and chill. Whether you’re into kayaking, paddleboarding, or just trying something new — this place is a must! 🚣‍♂️🌅💙

Fun oportunity with the kids. The kayaks were nice for open kayaks. Little pricy for an hour rental $15 for a kayak especially when you need 4. They Should give options for a 2or3 hour rate and small group rates so everyone can have a better experience without rushing to get back on time so not to be charged. Seems to be the best place in town to rent kayaks though

I had the privilege of volunteering at the Texas Rowing Center a few years back, and it was an amazing experience. The center has a welcoming atmosphere, offering programs for all skill levels. Located on Lady Bird Lake, it provides stunning views and a great community. Highly recommend it for anyone in Austin looking to row or enjoy the beautiful scenery!

I had a great early morning sunrise visit, I liked that the center opens nice and early. Plenty of parking nearby and the price was very reasonable. I did have to wait a little to get checked in but it was quite busy despite being early. Once I was greeted, I was quickly taken through the waiver and I was able to leave my backpack with the team to look after. Great kayak for my needs and decent paddle. The lake is great and really calm - I'm not massively experienced, but I was very comfortable paddling. I headed left towards the city and caught the sunrise over the skyline. The location has a cool duality, city but also plenty of nature. I loved my visit and would definitely use this company again.

I appreciated that the parking was accessible but not that we had to pay for it. Also the restrooms are porta-potties only :/ Besides that the customer service was good and they had a lot of equipment available. The area can be seaweed heavy but once you get further out it kinda clears out. There's a good little spot that allows you to get out of your equipment and stand up where the water is knee deep. The views of the city are also nice

We got the day pass to paddle board and it was well worth it. It was roughly $55/ea. We paddled for a couple hours, left to grab snacks, then came back and had a makeshift picnic on the boards. The staff were all super helpful and friendly. Great way to spend a Saturday! We arrived around 10am/11am before it got too busy. Definitely recommend!

Been coming here since pre-covid time to kayak with my friends. Glad to get back again with my friends after covid. They did a big renovation with the deck but everything else stays the same. You get everything you need to kayak with a standard pay. View was great on the lake! Especially if you go there at sunset!

I have never done kayaking up until this summer. We rented a two-seater, renting process was fast, the instructions given were clear, and an instructor helped my clumsy self into a kayak. I was terrified it would flip, but it was fine. ‍ The return was just as quick!

The attitude. People are rude and are on a power trip. You could learn how to be human and realize it's okay to talk to someone like they are human being instead of yelling at them and acting like you are demanding something. A lot of people are vacationing and visiting. You don't need to yell them.

Visiting Austin I always spend the day eating going from one restaurant to the other. I decided for a change to try an activity. It was not disappointing at all! That was so much fun! Also you have a good amount of time and distance to change sceneries. The Texas heat is unbearable and it is still tolerable you get some breeze here and there. Make sure you wear sunscreen and take water with you to stay hydrated

I appreciated that the parking was accessible but not that we had to pay for it. Also the restrooms are porta-potties only :/ Besides that the customer service was good and they had a lot of equipment available. The area can be seaweed heavy but once you get further out it kinda clears out. There's a good little spot that allows you to get out of your equipment and stand up where the water is knee deep. The views of the city are also nice!

Paddle boarding is 25 dollars, they don't have lockers BUT they do have a little box where they require you to leave an ID or phone of sorts so you can store stuff there. If you want to store your shoes there, bring a bag to put them in. The box is small, about the size of two phones put together. The guys helping you out on the dock are very nice! They scooped water out on the dock for us because it was lowkey burning the feet. For parking, I would recommend driving all the way down to the high school to park and walking from theme (at least on weekends not sure on weeks days if that's allowed)

Nice day on the the lake paddling and pulling back a couple cool pops with my son and his friends on the birthday. TRC is zero hassles. Just sign the waiver, pay em, cash or credit, and slide into the lake. Decent equipment 11'4" NSR foam SUP, kayaks, & canoes (I think). Location is right behind Austin high school. If you have your own equipment, a public ramp is about 100 meters from TRC.

I love the location. People working there are great. The proximity to red bud isle is definitely a selling point.

Went there twice during a trip. First time it was smooth sailing, multiple people are working, helping us check out, get on and off the water. Two days later we went back however, there was one man working, he was very grumpy, yelling at customers, and made us wait on the deck for almost an hour to see if the weather would worsen. I understand the weather concerns, however, he was playing rude with customers.

Most of the time when people look at me, they definitely don't think "kayaking;" however, this was surprisingly one of the best things I did during our trip to Austin. We ended up going with this company because they opened earlier than some of the alternatives (with start times of 10am), and we were hoping to beat the heat of 105 degrees that day. This location was central to the Lady Bird Lake is very straight forward in providing kayaks and canoes, as well as supplying the local recreational and professional sports teams. Even though there weren't many people there, we still felt a litlost navigating the area. They definitely were not very tourist oriented, as no one was there to point us where to go. It was actually our first time kayaking and no one gave us any instructions or directions as to what to do in the case of an emergency, etc. They had us sign our life away in the waiver, gave us our life vests and paddles, and that was that. Luckily it was relatively self-explanatory, but it would have been nice to at least been given a recommendation as to which direction had what to see, etc. Long story short, if you're a tourist, its your first time, and you're looking for friendly service and a welcoming atmosphere, this place may not be for you. We were able to make do with what we were given though once we got on the water

My fiancé and I always head to Texas Rowing Center when we want to rent kayaks on Town Lake (aka Lady Bird). If there's a line to rent, or to retrieve your items, it always goes quickly. The employees there are so kind and they work very hard to get everyone in and out of the water safely. They also provide life jackets to all renters at no additional cost. Today, we rented a tandem kayak. I believe single kayaks start at $15 an hour and tandem $20 per hour. They also have paddle boards for rent and of course, are known for rowing. You can usually find a space to park on the street, or in the parking lot across the street. I'd definitely recommend them if you're looking to get out on the water and see Austin from a different perspective!

I walked up and rented a paddle board for 1 hour for $25 (not bad price for the area)! Very friendly staff, high quality equipment and easy rental process

Our go to when we want to spend some time on the water. Helpful staff and boats always available. It's a great spot to take a paddle towards downtown and up Barton creek.

One of my favorite Austin activities! Love to rent a board and explore Lady Bird Lake. Texas Rowing Center makes it fun and easy.

Our group of 6 went here for kayaking on Monday. There wasn't many people. Our guy was very attentive. He answered my questions about padding board since I want to try for the first time. He also helped me to put it down and giving me clear instruction of what to do. The price was cheap: $15 for single kayak, $20 for double, and $25 for paddle board. The view is truly phenomenal!!

They are very helpful and reasonably priced. There are also now more paid parking options that make it easier to get to the dock with my own kayak.

The vibes is not right, not cool. The guy who service us not seems friendly when we mentioned about the different in price we saw and he confront us to show him and kind of giggle at us. Yelp mentioned 50% off for check in on all rental as of today!!!

Affordable rentals with no reservations needed. They have storage for your phones/ wallets and plenty of help to get you launched

Great service and excellent safety regulations will definitely be back !! They go above and beyond for everybody in the party

I'm really disappointed in the caliber of workers here. I left my wallet with cash in it after a kayaking session (since they make you leave a valuable item as collateral to return their equipment) and came to pick it up the next day, and all the cash in my wallet was stolen. Luckily, it was only $35, but this left a bad taste in my mouth and perception of TRC. The worker who handed me the lost & found box simply said "I'm sorry" in a deadpanned voice. A good reminder to not leave anything other than your driver license (who knows, maybe they would pawn that off as well if you accidentally leave it overnight) or an item they simply cannot steal. As a long time customer, I'm deeply disappointed and honestly don't know if I would bring my friends back here.

Perfect nature date and view of Austin from the water! This dock is located near Austin High School, which puts you in the middle between a beautiful view of the city skyline or the rolling Texas hills. We rented a double kayak and went for the unlimited time ($40) but honestly after 2 hours on the lake rowing can get tiring pretty quickly. If you're looking for a view of the city you may want to try a different dock as it takes about 1 hr to row out to the pedestrian bridge (with a strong opposing wind). The rental includes a life jacket too so you won't need to worry about bringing your own. The weekend rates are more expensive, so I recommend going during the weekday if possible. You can choose from single kayaks, double, or SUP paddle boards. Parking is available on the street side or in a lot near the hiking trail. While you might not get wet kayaking, I recommend wearing waterproof or water resistant shoes and shorts because the seat underneath us was wet from the previous kayakers. If you're not used to rowing, wearing gloves may help too as I quickly developed blisters on both thumbs. However, the staff were nice and had first aid kits on hand and provided bandages and rubbing alcohol.

Extremely cheap people. They charged $54 for two paddle boards for an hour, and then said we were "5 minutes late" to return it (how long does it take to get the board and return it? We have to wait for the workers to service us, get our gear on & off etc). And charged an additional $27 for that. I've never had this experience here but paying $81 for O N E hour is insane. Go somewhere else or buy your own iSUP lol.

I went to the Texas Rowing Center to rent a paddleboard to go on the lake for my first time. It's located just West of downtown and had plenty of street and lot parking nearby (free too!). When renting, they only ask you to sign a waiver and pay the specified amount. Stand up paddleboards were $20/hour and $45/day, but they definitely don't keep track of the time you're out for. I initially went on a Friday evening and had no wait for a paddleboard, but I went again on Saturday and waited 45+ mins for one. Definitely plan your trip accordingly. Once on the water, there were hundreds of paddleboarders and kayakers. Some were fishing, others were tied together and floating down the river. Upstream, hundreds were tied together for a river party... so fun! It was quite a hike to reach downtown. The staff at Texas Rowing Center were a tad unprofessional and disorganized, but that's expected haha. It didn't bother me too much, it made the experience more fun in my opinion. Overall, definitely check out Texas Rowing Center if you're a first timer!

Texas Rowing Center was fun in the sun! It was actually supposed to rain the weekend we came here, but lucky for us we stopped by just in case and it ended up never raining a drop. Check in is super easy, you just fill out a waiver, pay at the register ($20 for an hour is what we chose), give them your belongings to lock up in a locker, get a life jacket, paddle, and then walk to the dock. Once at the dock, a worker places whatever you rented in the water. We all chose to do stand up paddle boarding. Their only main rule was to be sure to enter/exit the SUP at the dock on your knees until you're about 20 feet out in the water for safety. No tutorial is necessary even if you haven't been SUP before. Just paddle on your knees till you get comfortable and stand whenever you feel ready. I recommend always paddling against the wind when you start out so that when you're ready to head back to dock the wind will be in your favor when you're more tired. A HUGE plus for us during this visit was ACL! ACL weekend 2 was when we happened to be here, and Texas Rowing Center is literally across the river from ACL. We luckily got to listen to live ACL music for free from the comforts of our SUP on the river. Definitely cheaper than buying actual ACL tickets, and way more fun being on the water right behind the stage. Thank you Texas Rowing Center for making Austin so enjoyable!

Great place to get rowing equipment in Austin. When we arrived, there was a really long line (almost out of the dock) but it went by pretty quickly. Staff is also super friendly, we had someone help us in getting a canoe and kayak! Don't forget to check in for extra rowing time! It is pretty long and worth it!

Had my first experience going stand up paddle boarding and one might say that I am not that experienced with water sports so understandably, I was very cautious about trying this sport. Nonetheless, I had a blast! The staff was accommodating and helpful with me being a novice. Great location, great equipment, and I had a great time! Would definitely recommend.

Honestly, I had lots of fun with my friends. The staff was great and really kind. Unfortunately, they supply you with terrible equipment. I'm not one to complain AT ALL, especially for rental equipment. But their paddle boards gave me and my friends TERRIBLE fiber glass burns. Everyone (including me) that had the SUP ATX boards had fiberglass all over their body by the end of the session. People with other brand boards were fine but SUP ATX was their main supply. I provided pictures and I know it looks like nothing but please trust me that it's extremely painful and all over our bodies. I started complaining pretty early on about my calfs. Everyone else was okay until about an hour later and it is miserable for everyone. Your skin will be fine on the rubber but any portion that grazes the white board will get filled with fiberglass. $20 for 1 hour, $40 for unlimited are their only options on the weekend and I get it. BUT we all paid $40 to get bad equipment that I will have to be washing out of our skin for probably a week. I'm not typically a Karen that complains about stuff like this but it truly is uncomfortable all over my body and even painful. You can even see shimmers in your skin from the fiberglass when the lighting hits it right.

There's coronavirus and no vaccine, but that doesn't stop Texans from coming out to the lake on a hot summer day! Texas Rowing Center has massive lines, but they're efficient with how they run. You'll find 2 lines for rental/payment, and 2 lines for your actual rental equipment. When you get to the dock, you are required to wear a life jacket, but once you get into the water you can (if you choose) take it off. The paddle board line will always be a lengthier wait time than the kayaks/canoes.

I try to spend as much time I can on the water and I love the fact that they allow me to have my pup with me when kayaking! Simple the best place to get a kayak, canoe or a paddle board

Ease , comfort and safety can be ensured! I love renting kayaks and canoes from this business. They allow you the option to rent the boats all day. This was a awesome ride down Ladybird lake where you can jam your music and enjoy the beautiful views. My boyfriend and I took a day trip to Austin and decided on this quick activity to view the city. . My boyfriend is pretty tall (about 6'5) , so he was shocked to know that although his height , the canoe provided much leg room and space. This can sometimes get discouraging with taller people since most boats are super small. The canoes and kayaks are very clean and spacious! They even offer paddle boarding for the more advanced. They do require waivers to be compete and life jackets are optional. This will be our new tradition when visiting Austin.

When in Austin, do as the Austinites do and go paddle boarding on Lady Bird Lake! This is probably my favorite place to rent for 2 reasons: 1. There's plenty of parking nearby so it's not such a hassle to leave stuff in the car and walk back in flip flops if you forget something. 2. The launch spot is relatively close to the South Lamar bridge where you can get sweeping views of the city and also explore Barton Creek river. The mouth of the river is where everyone hangs out in a cluster of flotation devices! Overall, not a bad place to rent your choice of water equipment but it can get understaffed and overcrowded on busy days. Also it's a bit more expensive than other places.

It was really busy on a weekend, but understandable when the weather is nice. Efficient line and process. Grab a waiver to fill out until it's your turn to pay. Prices are the same as other rowing places. Pros: - Parking is easier - Less traffic area - Farther away from downtown (my preference), you get more of a nature scene Cons: - Bit of a row until you get the downtown skyline - No cubbies for your stuff, only a small plastic box to hold items for collateral This will most likely be my go to rowing place, it was an overall great experience.

We purchased a Groupon for Texas Rowing center for a few hours of kayaking and got a great price. Check in was a breeze, fill out a waiver, hand it in, leave something for collateral, grab a life vest/paddle and hit the dock. Someone meets you there and gives you a brief rundown of the rules and whatnot. I really appreciated that it was brief...some places really beat you down with rules you don't need. We made it an hour and a half-caught some great views, saw some turtles and enjoyed ourselves. HOWEVER, do not make the Wisconsin mistake we did. We assumed these would be like the Kayaks at home but they are now. They have a perforated seat and your butt and feet WILL get wet. So we had to change our breakfast plans due to wetness. It was still a great time, just plan accordingly.

Friendly staff, adequate equipment and the most reasonable prices I found. Lots of turtles, birds, bats, and downtown views.

Love this place! Get you out on the water super quick and everyone is super helpful and chill. Also such a great spot!! And good quality SUP

Love love love this place! I had recently thrown out my back, and I was concerned I wouldn't be able to get into the kayak from the dock without a lot of pain. The workers were great about holding the kayak and helping me get in there. It wasn't graceful but it worked! 5 stars for the help!

On July 4th they were very helpful and friendly when we asked questions of where to sit for the fireworks. While I wouldn't recommend viewing them from their dock (can't see fireworks) I would recommend this establishment. Good people.

With so many options available, I'm glad I picked TRC. Staff was great and helpful - no issues! I highly recommend :)

Had a great time, even when we fell into the water. Brought the canoe back to the dock but we were struggling, and a rude employee (young person bleached bleached blonde hair) kept rolling their eyes and demanding that we take it to the other side. We will be using a different company for now on.

I can only speak for their paddle boarding, but they will be my go-to spot for renting a board until I buy one for myself. The staff is friendly and plentiful, and they are all there to help you get setup and answer any questions you have. The process for setting up is easy. The waivers are out on a table for you to sign, and when you're done, you head inside to pay. They also give you a small box so that you can store keys, wallets, and other items you might not want to take out on the water. The $35 - $40 charge (depends on weekend or not) for renting a board all day is competitive against other spots in Austin. The reason why I prefer this place is because it's priced well and it's nearby the Barton Springs entrance (there's another SUP company that's right on the springs, but they charge $14 more for all day paddling). I love taking off from the dock, getting some exercise paddling to the mouth of the springs exit, and paddling up to find a spot to hang out and swim. Fair warning, the dock that you take off from gets really hot when the sun is out in the middle of summer. They typically run a sprinkler to keep certain sections of the dock cool so that you're not burning your feet while waiting, but this isn't always the case. They're pet friendly too! This past weekend, I took both of my dogs out, and they had a great time!

We rented a paddleboard and a canoe for a couple hours. We took our two pups out and it was a great time. Friendly staff. Quick check in and check out. They also have complimentary safe keeping of your keys while you're out. Location is Right on the river. Would recommend when in Austin.

Opens at 6 AM - enough said!!! Lots of Standup paddle boards.m, big ones. I loved it, great price.

Great experience! And props for the gentlemen who helped with the kayaks in the heat with masks on! Bravo! I had a hard time wearing mine in that heat just for a few minutes. Thank you for making us all feel safe!

I came here while visiting my brother and we spent a few hours on the water. Everyone was so friendly and made the check in process easy and fast. Parking nearby was also easy and stress free. Definitely a fun and unique way to see the city while enjoying the outdoors!

Huge fan of Texas Rowing Center. I've had a few encounters with them. 1. We did a canoe excursion with my 10th & 11th graders. We took canoes over to Barton Springs, got to swim and snorkel and canoe back. My students absolutely loved it and had never experienced anything like it. 2. Recently decided I wanted to kayak while the sun was rising. I made a club called the No Bummer Summer club (http://bit.ly/nobumsum) and kayak and sunrise were on there. Decided to knock out two birds with one stone. We got there just before 6am and were able to catch the end of the sunrise. Expect to get wet. Bring some water to drink. A waterproof camera or case for your iPhone to take great photos! Minus 1 star? There were a lot of people around in Texas Rowing Center outfits. But the one person that could help us didn't know we were there until 6:30. So we missed a good portion of the sunrise. Not his fault, but would have been nice to be acknowledged when they opened at 6am. There were several other groups waiting too, not just us.

I am very mixed emotions on this place. I have visited here several times now over the years and never really wanted to leave a review because the experience is really an OUTDOORSY kind of place and it is really hard to judge a business on such standards because it is in fact hard to keep places like this up to date, clean, etc etc. If I would have reviewed on my first few trips, it would have been a five star experience but it seems the more time passes, i am becoming more and more disappointed in the quality of their equipment. It is true that some places do not even HAVE boats to rent out on really good days and this place has never had that problem but on the other hand, my friend was put in a kayak that was slowly leaking water, and by the end of the rental, his shorts got drenched and his iPhone got dunked in water from being in his back pocket. :( Sorry for the three star review but a bad experience that leaves someone without a phone has to come to some kind of a conclusion.

Had the best time paddle boarding on Lady Bird Lake for the first time! I rented my equipment through TRC and the staff was very helpful and friendly. Don't be discouraged by the long rental lines; they're very efficient and it doesn't take long to get checked in and out on the water. There's a really nice area with picnic tables right off the dock and I had no concerns about leaving my bag there when I went out on the lake. They do provide life jackets but I'd recommend getting a waterproof cell phone pouch so you can get pics when you're out on the water! It was such a blast. It's parallel parking on both sides of the road and it seemed to be super busy when I was leaving around 6PM. Will definitely be using TRC for all kayaking and paddle board adventures in the future!

Third time here but came around 3:30 and that was perfect! Still had lots of good sun on a perfect day but no long lines at all. Parked right across from entrance on street which is $1 per hour until 6 pm M-F. Signed waiver, paid, put keys and wallet in a box that that stack behind counter (trusted them over hiding in car), life vest and paddle and to quick instruction and on the board we went.

Excellent service. Easy parking access. Right off I-35. I got the single kayak. I stayed in the vicinity to get the 1 hour deal and they did offer what they posted on their website. I kayaked and had a great time for only 15 bucks! That included vest, oar and kayak. Super deal! What an amazing experience.

This is the place to go for kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rentals. Good prices, good equipment, good location, etc. But the GREAT thing that inspired me to write this review is the one employee that is hands down the best motivation for me running on the trail around the lake that I have ever had. This guy starts whooping it up when I am 20 yards away, cheering me on, and sticks up his elbow for a sorta-high-five move. The smile on me usually stays there for the remainder of my run (miles of smiles!). While this gentleman is in a wheelchair and has some physical disabilities, his spirit out there is what Austin is all about (or "should" be all about). Positivity. Enjoying the outdoors. Everybody is welcome. The best day ever. I feel all of those things when I run by, and a reminder of why I still think Austin is the greatest place to live (as an Aggie I have come to terms with this years ago LOL). Thank you Texas Rowing Center, stay classy and keep up the great work.