When many people first hear about Austin, they hear about "Dirty Sixth." 6th Street becomes pedestrian only on Thursday through Saturday evenings, allowing visitors to walk freely from bar to restaurant to show freely. Come see why this street is famous!
Renovated houses turned into bungalow bars reign supreme on Rainey, the increasingly popular tucked-away street. Day or night, you’ll find relaxed bar-goers strolling from bar to food trailer to bar again, often with their dogs in tow looking for a kicked back sip and a bite.
Blue Hole is a scenic lagoon on the South San Gabriel River. The entrance to Blue Hole Park is located at Second Street and Rock Street, one block west of N. Austin Avenue. This scenic park lined by limestone bluffs is a good wading spot to cool down a little bit in the summer! Blue Hole Park is open from 5 a.m. – 10 p.m. Free public parking is available at the corner of 3rd Street and Rock Street in the parking lot or the parking garage.
Inner Space Cavern was discovered in 1963 by the Texas Highway Department. During construction of Interstate 35, they were required to do regulation core testing, which required them to drill into the ground. As they did this, they inadvertently drilled into the cave 8 times out of the 20 samples they took. Once they lost those 8 drill bits, they knew they hit a cave. They searched all over the surrounding area but could not find any access into the cave. So, they drilled a 2 foot wide hole down through 33.5 feet of limestone bedrock. The hole became known as the Discovery Hole as it was the very first entrance into the cave (and the only one for several months!). As they explored, they have found over five miles of cave, making Inner Space Cavern the fourth largest cavern in Texas!
When most people think of Austin, visions of things like tasty taco and musicians performing all over town come to mind. But the city is also known for its love of certain winged nocturnal animals that appear at sunset. Yep, those are the Mexican Free-Tailed Bats. A 1980 renovation transformed the Congress Avenue Bridge into an ideal bat cave, soon attracting migrating Mexican free-tailed bats. Decades later, Austin's bat numbers have swelled and locals have adopted the beloved creatures as neighbors who happily handle the city's bug mitigation and provide an amazing nightly show.
Make yourself right at home in Downtown Round Rock. Slide up to one of our local watering holes for a cheers-worthy beverage or pull up a chair for a meal that is farm-to-table fresh. Whether you are looking for a play-date for your kids or a date night with your one and only, you’ll be sure to find a spot that is just right in Round Rock.
Hamilton Pool Preserve is a historic swimming hole which was designated a preserve by the Travis County Commissioner's Court in 1990. Located 3/4 mile upstream from its confluence with the Pedernales River, Hamilton Creek spills out over limestone outcroppings to create a 50 foot waterfall as it plunges into the head of a steep box canyon. The waterfall never completely dries up, but in dry times it does slow to a trickle. However, the pool's water level stays pretty constant, even during periods of drought. The preserve is also home to a variety of native birds, fish, animals and plants. Reservations are required to enter Hamilton Pool Preserve during peak summer months, May-September.
Within Zilker Park's 358 acres lies one of the crown jewels of Austin - Barton Springs Pool. The pool itself measures three acres in size, and is fed from underground springs with an average temperature of 68-70 degrees, ideal for year-round swimming. Over the years, Barton Springs Pool has drawn people from all walks of life, from legislators who have concocted state laws there to free-spirited, topless sunbathers who turned heads in the 1970s. Robert Redford learned to swim at the pool when he was five years old while visiting family in Austin. Today, Barton Springs still attracts a diverse crowd of people and has seen record setting numbers of visitors nearing 800,000 in recent years.