While visiting the Sheraton Austin this summer, escape the sweltering Texan heat with a summer of Barton Springs. First, check out the history of the legendary springs in the vivid Will van Overbeek show up at the Austin Museum of Art.

Van Overbeek, a Rolling Stone photographer and Austin native, spent 24 summers shooting inhabitants and their dogs at the site, rich with history. Once known by the Native Americans as their sacred springs, it was later the site of the first missions in Austin. Named after the 19th century man who built a cabin on the surrounding land, William “Uncle Billy” Barton, the spring was turned into a public pool about a hundred years ago by local hero Andrew Jackson Zilker, the first Coca-Cola bottler in Austin.

Van Overbeek’s candid and often funny exhibit of “spring” photography should inspire you to dive into than the Barton Springs Pool, the natural rock and gravel bottom wonder in nearby Zilker Park. While open year-round, the pool maintains a temperature of 68 degrees, although being three acres in size; the temperature varies depending on where you swim. Trust me, it feels icy at first, but outside of Amy's ice cream, it's the rare antidote to Austin summer heat. Framed in a park-like setting by pecan trees, the pool is large enough so that if you want to socialize with others or just take an almost private dip, there’s a place for everyone in this snapshot of local Austin life.

{image via willvano.com}