Louise Hays Park was built in a single day. On April 26, 1950, hundreds of Kerrville volunteers went to work at 7 a.m. on a wooded stretch of the Guadalupe River's south bank, opposite downtown, and by sunset they had cut drives, set out picnic tables, poured a large concrete slab for dances, floated a pontoon bridge and raised a native-stone entrance arch carrying the park's name. The land was a gift from Robert S. Hays, whose family ranch lay along the river. He gave the city 35 acres on the condition that the park be named for his wife, Louise. Camilla Salter, publisher of the Kerrville Mountain Sun, championed the plan for the whole town to give one day's work. Jack Peterson chaired the building committee, and students from Schreiner Institute and the high school worked alongside the crews. Newspapers across Texas covered the day; the Houston Chronicle counted a thousand men, and the community spent less than $20,000. The park has since grown to about 64 acres along the river and takes in Tranquility Island, a seven-acre, cypress-lined island in the river. In its early years the park had a miniature golf course, water-ski shows and a jet airplane in the children's playground. In 2025, its 75th year, the Texas Recreation and Park Society named it a Lone Star Legacy Park.
Getting there
30.0439, -99.1423
Locations are approximate and may be inaccurate, on private land, or otherwise inaccessible. Check before you travel.
Hear it from the road
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