Hancock Springs Park

Hancock Springs Park is where Lampasas goes to swim. The springs that the town grew up around in the 1850s still rise here beside Sulphur Creek, and the city has owned them since the 1930s. Their history, from the Spanish travelers and the Hughes family's cure to the resort years of the Park Hotel and the bathhouse, is told on the Texas Historical Commission markers in and around the park.

The pool is the draw. Built in the early 1900s and fed by the springs, it holds about 300,000 gallons, and the city calls it the oldest spring-fed pool in Texas. The water stays at about 69 degrees all year, cool on a summer afternoon. A footbridge over Sulphur Creek copies the old hotel bridge to the pool.

The stone walls of the 1880s bathhouse still stand by the creek. Its ruins were stabilized in 2003, and the city restored the bathhouse in 2023. The city also runs the Hancock Park Golf Course in the park, and the Hostess House above the springs is rented out for events. The swim area keeps weekend hours, so check the city's pools page before you go.