Texas has so much to boast for anyone planning a family trip, with some of the best watering holes on offer.
That is, until you discover the horrifying apparitions, terrifying visions and other creepy paranormal elements scattered throughout the state.
Ghost hunters know that water and spirits mix only too well.
Updated 2/11/2020 – From demons in the steam at hot springs to a nasty girl on a swing, these ghosts and dark energies are just begging to be allowed into the world of the living – where they can carry out their wicked plans from beyond the grave.
Try to step into their worlds without the fear of being plagued by true horror and madness.
10 Paranormal Swimming Holes In Texas That Will Make You Feel Like You’re In The Twilight Zone
10) Krause Springs – Spicewood
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One of the private watering holes in Texas which is open to the public, this location has a few trees equipped with rope swings over the springs.
Visitors report that if you’re there in the dark hours of the morning, you’ll see apparitions of men hanging by their necks.
Rumor has it that they were victims of suicide.
It’s not known who they are but some believe them to have been from an old Satanic cult, who believed in suicide to enhance their chances of gaining favor with their Dark Lord.
Some witnesses say that you must stay away if you see a body hanging, as their souls are trying to snag more to drag to Hell with them.
9) Frio River at Garner State Park – Concan
katarina v./yelp
One of the best locations for cliff diving in Texas, where the limestone cliffs amplify paranormal activity, according to a local ghost hunter who encountered the strange spirits lurking around the nearby trees.
He advises that he was preparing to jump one late afternoon when he felt like he was being watched.
He ignored the feeling and dove in, but when he returned to the surface he saw several creepy faces staring at him from behind the trees.
He freaked out when he saw that they didn’t have bodies.
As their faces floated down to the water and made their way towards him, he escaped but says it took months to get their faces out of his head.
8) Devil’s Waterhole at Inks Lake State Park – Burnet
charlie llewellin/flickr
With such a nefarious name, this location has the ability to inflict horrifying visions in those who swim there in the late afternoon.
You might think that it’s awesome to find places to hike and swim near you but if you happen to live near this sinister waterhole, you’re sure to start thinking twice about staying here.
This is what one visitor believes as he was struck by a vision of the water boiling like a river of blood.
He saw himself melting and being absorbed by the hot blood, making him scream like a banshee until his sister threw a bucket of cold water over him.
He still believes a demon hides inside his mind.
7) Rio Vista Park – San Marcos
yvette s./flickr
One of the best vacation spots in Texas, there is little known about the creepy girl who is sometimes seen sitting in the rope swing over the river.
Visitors state not to go near her as she is the ghost of a girl who murdered her own siblings, before jumping to her own death from a nearby cliff.
It’s said that she appears to be faceless, but one unlucky man got too close and stated that her face is completely smashed in and fragmented.
She pointed to him and he instantly felt a murderous desire to rip people apart.
His father had to strap him down and call an ambulance to get him to snap out of it.
6) Rio Grande River – Big Bend National Park
Texas swimming has no meaning without this famous river which is why it’s considered one of the best swimming holes in the state, yet some visitors give it a wide berth.
They report that the hot springs produce terrifying apparitions in the steam on cold nights, with some going further to call them the Steam demons.
A young family were having a blast until their two young toddlers pointed at a terrifying face rising out of the steam.
They all screamed when more spirits appeared – all humming in voices so deep the mother thought a swarm of bees was coming.
They raced away but the little boy fainted he was so scared and he still has night terrors about them.
5) Barton Springs Pool – Austin
jim nix/flickr
One of the most beautiful and secret swimming holes in Texas, there’s a dog pool on the other side of the fence, where locals say an animalistic spirit possesses the poor canines once their owners take them in.
A witness reports how his faithful Labrador turned on him the minute he hit the water.
Suddenly growling and barking with slathering jaws, the owner swears that the dog had red eyes which were glaring into his soul when he tried to drag him out.
After suffering a few bites and scratches, he finally got his dog out of the water.
When his dog began whimpering he raced him back to car and has vowed never to take him back.
4) Hamilton Pool Preserve – Dripping Springs
Among some of the most popular Texas lakes you can swim in, the Hamilton Pool Preserve is considered by many as a prototype for Paradise.
Others say that it’s the reverse, as the beautiful surroundings and pristine pools are merely a trick played by ancient evil spirits who like to “mark” people for a dark future.
Visitors who have been affected by these spirits reporting that they were first paralyzed by the beauty and then they began to see horrifying images of tortured bodies in a Hellish world.
Even after they scrambled to shake the feeling off, the visions persisted until they left the preserve.
3) Blue Hole – Georgetown
jason st peter/flickr
Some say that even if you enjoy fishing, try not to approach the old fisherman who is seen dressed in rags and sitting on the banks with a makeshift line.
Witnesses report that the apparition seems so real and that he appears to be blind – as his wide, white eyes stare out over the water.
One grandmother says that her young grandson toddled over to her and told her that the old fisherman had little fingers in his bait basket.
Using her camera on zoom, she saw the old man threading a little finger onto the hook.
When she raced angrily towards him, he slid into the water and disappeared.
She advised that no one else saw him.
2) Jacob’s Well – Wimberley
leila r./yelp
Many call Jacob’s Well one of the most interesting watering holes in Texas, due to the deep swimming hole that provides an exhilarating experience when swimming in it or jumping into it from the cliff or the rocks.
A few locals won’t be caught anywhere near the well, as they believe dark spirits lurk there.
A California psychic who visited with her boyfriend said that he dove in and didn’t resurface.
In a panic, she dove in to find him and soon saw him struggling and screaming, with red bubbles floating out of his mouth.
Fearing the worst, she finally got him free and brought him to the surface where he vomited blood and nearly died.
1) The Quince – Camp Wood
There’s a swimming hole called the Quince at Camp Wood, considered more quiet and private.
Visitors enjoy the 15 feet deep watering hole but others warn to stay away from this isolated location.
Rumors state that a serial killer once dumped a pile of butchered body parts here in the 1970’s.
A schoolgirl told her parents that she saw disjointed apparitions in the water and the father didn’t believe her until saw them himself.
He reports that they looked like confused spirits looking for something.
When he saw a female ghost underwater with a severed hand in her mouth, he swam up to safety and told his daughter never to return.