Volente's Waterpark Used to Be a Summer Story. October Now Has Its Own Ticket Window.

Volente Beach's business description says the owners are "shifting to be the go to spot for EVENTS." For a waterpark that Lake Travis knew as a May-through-September operation, that sentence changes the calendar. October now has a booked slate, and so does the stretch after mid-November. Both run on timed entry, which is a different habit from grabbing a towel and driving out to the beach.

How the slow months got a program

According to Community Impact's March 2026 report, the pools at Volente Beach Waterpark and Resort officially opened in 1995, and the slides and stage followed over the next year. The report says Adam and Kara Weedman took over operations in April 2017 and that the property was previously a seasonal operation before becoming a year-round venue with holiday events in 2025. It also reports that the park opened May 1 for the 2026 season and now hosts festivals, concerts and seasonal attractions, including Haunted Shores and Lights on the Lake.

The owners tie the change to the lake itself. In their own description of the business, they say lake levels have been continuously dropping and that they are changing their business model to keep the park fun all year. The same description lists what they built along the way: a new stage, resurfaced pools, new dining tables and a redone entry.

October, one hour at a time

Haunted Shores is the October anchor. Its 2025 debut was billed as "Haunted Shores: The Abandoned Waterpark" and the biggest Halloween transformation the property had done. It ran October 1 through October 31, 2025. A 2026 event listing shows the same October 1 through 31 window this year. Since that dating comes from a third-party listing, the park's own Haunted Shores page is the place to confirm it.

The park's page explains how the night works, and it is nothing like summer drop-in. Tickets are sold with start times on the hour. Saturdays include a 5 p.m. slot meant for younger kids while it is still slightly light outside. The restaurant opens at 5 p.m., so anyone with an early slot can eat first and wait in the game lounge. Arrive more than 15 minutes past your entry time and the staff say they will get you through when they can, while prioritizing guests who are on time.

Friday and Saturday nights add a "BOOgie Boat Ride," and the page says its spots are limited. Afterward, guests can stay for spooky cocktails, snacks, movie clips and music. The park says it refunds tickets and lets you rebook if it closes for weather or safety reasons.

The calendar as published

Here is what the sources show for the stretch from spring to the new year:

The live-music line shows the change most clearly. The park's event listings frame the Friday and Saturday shows as a March-through-September feature. Once September ends, the stage and the calendar go to the haunted walk-through.

The holiday window has a shape too

Lights on the Lake is the second big program, and it is younger. The 2025 debut was a 5-acre trail of holiday lights with themed food and cocktails. Entry was every 30 minutes after 5 p.m. The restaurant and game lounge opened at 4 p.m., and the restaurant closed at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. A "Jingle Boat Ride" add-on ran on Fridays and Saturdays only.

A Mimosa Fest holiday edition on November 22, 2025 gave adults a preview of the lights. Ticketing that year included a limited number of any-day passes. The ticket listing said to show up any day or time the park was open, and that each pass was valid once per season. The trail mentioned live music from local choirs and even singing trees.

The 2026 holiday dates were not published in anything I could find. The debut ran from mid-November into the first week of January, and the park's Lights on the Lake page is where the new dates will appear.

Two other schedules that live on someone else's page

The schedules for two other Volente places appear on separate pages.

Shack 512. The lakeside restaurant sits at 8714 Lime Creek Road, next to Sandy Creek Marina. It welcomes boaters and has public boat parking beside the Sandy Creek Yacht Club. One Tripadvisor reviewer describes taking either a long stone stairway or a funicular from the parking lot down to the restaurant, and notes that parking is limited at peak times. Published hours differ by listing. One summary from April 2026 says Thursday through Sunday only. OpenTable lists weekday evenings from 4 p.m. with longer weekend hours. A Chamber of Commerce page includes visitor complaints about arriving to a closed restaurant. The restaurant's number is (512) 547-7610, and a call before a drive from Steiner Ranch or Hudson Bend costs a minute.

The Village of Volente office. It was closed for in-person visits during a move and reopened Thursday, October 1, at 15406 FM 2769, Suite B, the VFD Community Center. Staff remained reachable at (512) 250-2075 during the relocation. The village calendar lists entries on October 6, 12, 13 and 20. It is worth opening the calendar to see what each one is and where it meets, since the address is new.

Beachside Billy's, Haunted Shores, the holiday lights, Shack 512 and the village office each come with their own schedule, and each schedule sits on a different web page. A Volente weekend in October takes about ten minutes of checking. The park's own pages confirm the ticket slot, the village site confirms the new office address, and a phone call confirms Shack 512.

If you want a local read on what is on around Volente this fall, or on how the south shore of Lake Travis works through the seasons, Ellen Steele is glad to talk it through. Let's connect.