How many times does a family of four have to drive through the Garey Park gate before the annual pass beats paying at the window? Before September, the answer mostly came down to trails and the splash pad. On Sept. 3, Georgetown opened the second phase of the park's renovations: $20 million in additions, including a 50,000-square-foot skate park and pump track, an expanded Play Ranch, upgrades to the Equestrian Center and a new Memorial Pavilion. That changes the math. So does the work that isn't finished yet.
Garey Park was already the city's flagship park: 525 acres along the South San Gabriel River, donated by Jack and Cammy Garey in 2004, with more than seven miles of hiking and equestrian trails, fishing ponds, a dog park and a splash pad. Phase 2 adds the kinds of features that bring families back on short notice rather than for an occasional half-day outing.
The money came from Jack Garey himself. He died in 2022, and his will required the city to spend the capital improvement funds within five years of his passing. That deadline helps explain why so much is being built at once.
Community Impact reported on Sept. 16 that three bunkhouses, a hilltop retreat hall, an outdoor amphitheater, an 18-hole disc golf course and a floating fishing dock on the park pond were still under construction and due "within the next month." As of early October, the city has not announced that any of them has opened. The park's own page still carries this notice:
"The disc golf course is not open. There is active construction in that area and it is not yet available for use. We anticipate opening this amenity to the public end of Summer or early Fall 2026."
The best date to watch is Sunday, Nov. 15, when the city plans a community event for the public to explore and celebrate the new amenities. Public hours and a full lineup haven't been posted. The Parks and Recreation volunteer listing for that day mentions lawn games, maps, giveaways and help with shows and activities at the new amphitheater, which suggests the city expects that stage to be ready by then.
That's why timing matters. An annual pass covers one year from purchase. A pass bought in early October spends part of its year in a park with the amphitheater, fishing dock and disc golf course still closed. A pass bought around Nov. 15 lines its twelve months up more closely with the finished park.
Georgetown charges daily admission of $2 per person for residents and $5 for nonresidents, and children 3 and under get in free. An annual pass costs $75 for residents and $125 for nonresidents. It covers unlimited entry for the passholder and everyone riding in the same vehicle, and a second pass for the same household costs $20 or $25.
The line that matters most along the SH 29 corridor is the residency rule. Residency means living inside Georgetown city limits. An address in the extraterritorial jurisdiction pays the nonresident rate, and staff may ask for proof at the gate. Plenty of west-side addresses carry a Georgetown mailing address without being inside the city, so check your own before you assume the $2 rate.
Using the city's current prices, here's when the annual pass pays for itself:
| Household arriving in one vehicle | Cost per visit at the gate | Annual pass | Visit where the pass pulls ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four people age 4+, nonresident/ETJ | $20 | $125 | 7th |
| Four people age 4+, city resident | $8 | $75 | 10th |
| Two adults, nonresident/ETJ | $10 | $125 | 13th |
| Two adults, city resident | $4 | $75 | 19th |
The higher nonresident window price makes the pass pay off sooner for ETJ households, even though it costs more up front. A family of four outside city limits is ahead by its seventh visit. That works out to about one trip every seven or eight weeks across the year, and a skate park is the kind of feature that can bring kids back far more often than that.
Two things can shift those numbers. The city has run half-price Tuesdays from October through March. Its 2025 announcement listed $1 for residents and $2 for nonresidents, and "Discount Tuesdays at Garey Park" appears again on the October 2026 city calendar. The city hasn't posted 2026 prices, so confirm the rate before planning around it. If your visits fall mostly on Tuesdays, the window gets cheaper and the pass takes longer to pay off.
Riders face separate math. Daily equestrian admission is $6 for residents and $8 for nonresidents. An annual pass holder can add an annual rider pass for $100 or $150, and a second rider in the same household costs $30 or $35. Every horse needs a current negative Coggins test documented within the prior 12 months. The arena is open to the public during park hours unless reserved, and day pens need no reservation but have a two-hour limit.
You don't need to wait for November to get value from the park this fall. The city's Garey Park programs page lists dated events through mid-November:
Stargazing is the only scheduled way to be in the park after dark. Fall and winter hours run 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting Oct. 1, and no one is admitted within 30 minutes of closing, so a weekday plan to stop by after work needs to reach the gate by 5:30.
The park's notices page changes often, and several items on it right now affect a fall visit:
Garey Park sits at 6450 RM 2243, about 6.5 miles west of I-35 on Leander Road. From the SH 29 corridor, the natural approach is south on Ronald Reagan Boulevard to RM 2243, and road crews are working on both.
On Ronald Reagan, Williamson County's Sept. 25 update says the segment between SH 29 and FM 3405 is getting its final northbound layer of asphalt, with completion listed as late 2026. That's earlier than the summer 2027 date in the county's June report.
On the park side, the county broke ground Jan. 29, 2026, on RM 2243/Hero Way Phase 1A, which runs from 183A to Garey Park. The plans call for a three-lane road with a shared-use path. The existing curved RM 2243 stays open for local traffic while the new connection is built. The county hasn't posted an October lane-closure schedule, so leave a few extra minutes for a Saturday morning fishing session that starts at 8.
Put together, the timing points to mid-November. The amphitheater is expected to be ready for the Nov. 15 celebration, the Ronald Reagan work is due to finish by the end of the year, and the pass's twelve months would cover the finished park. For a nonresident family of four, the pass pays for itself by the seventh visit.
If you're weighing how Garey Park's expansion and the road work around it fit your family's plans on Georgetown's west side, Merissa Anderson Group is happy to talk it through over coffee, from what's being built to what it means for life in Cimarron Hills. Let's write your story of home. Schedule a free consultation.
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