Friday, December 19, 2008

Trail of Lights

The Trail of Lights is an Austin tradition. It's 1.25 miles of Christmas displays and lights in Zilker Park. It may almost give you a seizure, but it sure is a fun walk. Lots of cute stuff for kids, too. Go between 7 and 10 PM, and get there by the 23rd because that's the last day.






Thursday, December 18, 2008

Toy Joy


For fun, quirky gifts or stocking stuffers, check out Toy Joy. It's an Austin landmark, and has just about the most unique gifts you're going to find. Get off your butt and do some last minute shopping! They're open until 11 on weekdays and midnight on the weekend.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Highland Lanes

We've been meaning to go bowling here for a long time, since it's not far from where we live. It's a basic, nice bowling alley with lots of lanes... perfect for the amateur bowler. For the best deal, come on Sunday night between 8 PM and midnight: bowling is $9 per person for unlimited bowling, and that includes shoe rental and a free bowl of popcorn.


Friday, November 21, 2008

East Austin Studio Tour


Happening this weekend!! A tour all over East Austin to see various artwork by local artists. Best of all, it's FREE! Check their website for all the dozens of locations.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

St. Edward's Park

We decided to check out St. Edward's Park while the weather still so nice. It's a small park, the entire trail is maybe 2 miles. On Sunday afternoon there were very few other people there. It's pretty, peaceful, and a nice easy hike/walk.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Kayaking on Ladybird Lake

This was so much fun that I want to call in sick tomorrow and go again.The kayaks we rented were simple, beginner's kayaks. It was an amazing experience. We saw all kinds of wildlife... turtles, fish, tons of different birds including Blue Herons and Egrets. Keep in mind, this is only a few miles from downtown!
Mom & Dad kayaking past a limestone cliff:
A Blue Heron, as we slowly approached:

Whoops, scared him off...
We rented our kayaks from Rowing Dock, and the prices were pretty good. To rent a 2-person kayak for 1 hour is $15, but they've got a coupon on their website that allows you to get a second hour for free! So it's really $15 for two hours of kayak rental. And of course, that includes life vests. Another cool thing is that they have season passes for $99, so if you plan to come a lot, that's a great option.

Mt. Bonnell

Mt. Bonnell Park has an amazing views of Lake Austin and the hills. I could sit here all day.



View of the Pennybacker Bridge from Mt. Bonnell, which is an Austin landmark. See some other great photos taken at Bonnell on Google images.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Fun Fun Fun Fest


Don't miss the annual Fun Fun Fun Festival this weekend. I don't think we'll make it, my parents will be in town and it's not exactly a parent type of activity! This music festival is from Nov. 8-9 and includes various indie rock, punk/hardcore, and hip hop/dj music on three stages.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Dia De Los Muertos

This weekend, the Mexic-Arte Museum put on their 25th annual Dia de los Muertos Parade. Watching the parade was free of course, but afterwards there were activity booths and food, which was $5 for adults and $2 for kids. We just watched the parade from a bar on 6th street, which is a recommended way to see it.



About a million people with their faces painted:

Texas Book Festival

Every year the Texas Book Festival is held in Austin, with many of the events occuring in or around the capitol building.

There were tons of tents with books on display, and authors on hand to sign their books.
We went to see 4 political authors discuss the upcoming election in the state senate chamber. The calendar shows you when various authors are speaking or debating.
A couple of goats help this author to promote Goat Tales:
Inside one of the book tents:

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum

This sculpture garden and museum, dedicated to showcasing the works of Charles Umlauf, is tucked away just off Zilker Park. You'd never expect a place like this just a stone's throw from downtown. The sculpture above is of Icarus. It's a very peaceful place, either to walk around or just sit and enjoy.

There are several ponds filled with lily pads. I love lily pads.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

The Exotic Zoo


Now that I know this place exists, I am so excited about it. So excited. It is a zoo, but a totally different experience from the Austin Zoo. Who knew there was basically a safari in Texas?! You may be wondering why I as a grown woman with no kids was at a place like this. I have an excuse. I was there volunteering with Starlight, which is a children's foundation. It's a really great organization, and there are locations in both Austin and San Antonio so check it out if you're interested in volunteering with kids.


Anyway, eye on the prize! The zoo!! I have to admit that all of the following photos were stolen from the Exotic Zoo's website-- even if I'd brought my camera, I wouldn't have had time to take photos... so this is the best I can do.

The animals actually come right up to the vehicles and the kids can feed them. The camels, bison, zebras and deer were all totally willing to come right up and eat.

Ostrich!
Zebras chilling in the shade:
There seem to be a lot of kangaroos in Texas. You even see them at petting zoos. I guess cause they like warm weather.
Water buffalo:

Another cool thing about this place is that they have cabins, and you can spend the night there. Some of the cabins overlook the animal enclosures. How great is that? I need to figure out how to rent a kid so I can have a reason to come spend the night here. Otherwise I'll become that creepy lady staying in the cabin overlooking the kangaroos.
The pool for use by people staying overnight in the cabins:
In conclusion, this place is fabulous. Take your kid or borrow one and get yourself here! I did a little online searching, and it looks like there's yet another one of these safari places near San Antonio- so if you haven't had your fill after the Exotic Zoo, check out Wildlife Ranch, which looks even bigger.

Website

Location

Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds

Need a Halloween costume? Stop what you're doing and get down to Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds, a huge costume store open year-round on South Congress.
South Congress has tons of interesting shops and restaurants, and they also host First Thursday every month, which we'll blog about soon. It's a great area to find unique gifts & clothes.

The Domain

The Domain is a new outdoor shopping center north of Austin. It's one of those new mixed use developments, and it has apartments and offices in addition to restaurants and shops. Most of the stores are luxury stores, so you may not want to actually shop here if you're cheap like we are. However, there are a bunch of good places to eat at the Domain, and it's a pretty center to walk around in. It's also the location of the annual Austin Wine Festival, which is coming up again in May.




Sunday, October 19, 2008

Lady Bird Lake & The Hike and Bike Trail

I'm just warning you: There's kind of an obscene amount of photos in this post. It's just hard to narrow it down when every photo I took is so nice. This whole weekend was so gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky. After lunch we decided to walk it off by walking the hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake, which separates South Austin from downtown. This is probably the most popular spot in town to go for a walk, run or bike ride. Click here to see a PDF map of the trail.
Duck sighting on the lake:
Canoes on the lake, going under one of the several bridges:
Pedestrian-only bridge across the lake, part of the trail:
Statue of Stevie Ray Vaughan:

Spot on the trail for dogs to get in the water:
The entrance to the trail from the Four Seasons:

A dock on the trail. There are plenty of little docks and side areas off the trail where you can sit and take a break. Turtle sighting!
Bridge on the trail:
Entering one of the bridges:
Can you see the rainbow?

Website