McKinney Falls State Park

McKinney Falls State Park is one of the most beautiful areas around Austin. It's just a hop and a skip from downtown, so you don't even need a whole day set aside to enjoy this place. However, the park isn't free- it's $5 per person for entry.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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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?

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Barton Springs

Barton Springs is a natural cold springs turned popular swimming destination in Austin. It's different from typical pools or the beach in that you lay out on grass instead of sand or concrete, and there are lots of trees around for shade. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for children.
Rock around one end of the pool:
The diving board is really popular. This is the one part of the pool deep enough for diving.


Fish sighting in the shallow part of the pool:

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Batfest

Batfest is a yearly summer festival. In past years, it's been on Congress bridge, but this year it was on the 1st street bridge a few blocks away. Batfest has lots of live music, shops, art, food, and drinks, as well as some activities for kids. The festival lasts all day Saturday and Sunday, and admission is $5. FYI- if you want to actually see the bats, you have to go to Congress bridge, not 1st.

One of the stages:

View of some downtown buildings from the bridge:
Kids stuff:
Petting zoo:
Small kangaroo in the petting zoo (WTF?):
Second music stage:
Some of the shops:

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Austin Zoo

The zoo is in a park-like setting; and there's a great variety of animals. I haven't gotten this close to animals before at an American zoo.

The monkey below was very child-like in his attentions to his stuffed animal. He would cuddle it, look at it, pet it, and was completely oblivious to the visitors watching him from just a couple feet away.

This squirrel monkey (eating watermelon below) is my favorite kind of monkey. I don't think monkeys can possibly get cuter than this. I fed a baby one part of a banana on a trip to Costa Rica and it was definitely the highlight of the whole trip.

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