Looking to get out of Houston the first weekend of August and do something different. Neither of us have spent much time in Austin and we have never been with our kids.

Kids are 4.5 & 2.5 but no diapers or anything on the little one and they are both very easy to handle out on the go.

I am thinking we would drive over Friday night & grab some food/check into hotel... Probably not much time for anything else. Saturday should be able to do at least two things in the morning/afternoon, get cleaned up & grab a solid dinner that night. Sunday morning sleep in a bit, get a good breakfast, check out, go do something else late morning/early afternoon & then head back to Houston after that.

So with that being said:

• What are the must do activities in Austin for kids that age/families? Whats the best plan of attack to get the most out of Austin in a day and a half without killing ourselves? FWIW, we will be back at the end of August but will be staying on Lake Travis & spending all our time in that area.
• Best part of town to stay?

Thanks!

Instead of starting a new thread I am going to tag onto this one.

I am going this Saturday/Sunday with my mom (65ish), brother (40), my 14yo and 8yo. What is something fun to do during the day Saturday and maybe Sunday? Someone mentioned Barton Springs. I'm hesitant since we will be swimming (Schlitterbahn) Monday/Tuesday.

Nothing historical. Preferably nothing that would be outrageously hot (unless we will be getting wet). I haven't booked a hotel yet trying to determine what we would do. I can get cheaper hotels in the Arboretum area, but that is a little farther north than would prefer, but I am up for whatever.

My kids are grown up so been too long for the OP. JM look into Bob Bullock Museum for Saturday afternoon. Out of the heat and its several hours of Texas history. Also has IMAX but you may have to preorder tickets. I'd take another look at Barton Creek.

Oh OP there is a zoo but you need to look online to see if it is worth going. Never been there

Last we are in a heat wave. High temps 102-105 so be prepared

SteveBott said:

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My kids are grown up so been too long for the OP. JM look into Bob Bullock Museum for Saturday afternoon. Out of the heat and its several hours of Texas history. Also has IMAX but you may have to preorder tickets. I'd take another look at Barton Creek.

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At Barton Creek - is it just to swim, or is there other stuff to do? Is there kayaks, paddle boards, etc?

As far as I know just swim but I could be wrong. Been years since we were there so some changes could of been made. Just hit the web site. We have a community pool so no need to drive in. It's more of a hang out place, spread a blanket. But the Austin 'scenery" can be interesting.

Barton Springs is a big natural pool and pretty fun, but is just swimming. You could do a pretty easy green belt hike, paddle on Lake Austin, see the capital, go to the Thinkery (kids museum), maybe catch sunset at mt bonnell, check out the bats on Congress bridge

If your kids do good at tailgating, Franklins BBQ is an option, el dorado cafe is great tex mex

I think we may look at doing the Natural Bridge Caverns (I know, not in Austin). We did those as a kid and I remember it being pretty neat.

Forgot the bats. Good suggestion. It also lends to picnic see up

The north loop home slice has a great kids area.

Natural Bridge is fun but south New Braunfels. There is a wildlife safari there as well

+1 on the Library, and the restaurant inside where the food is cooked from recipes in the library's cookbooks

For 4.5 & 2.5, there is nothing more to do in Austin than there would be in Houston.

They won't care about the Bob Bullock museum or the Capital.

The neighborhood swimming pool would be just as much fun as Barton Springs Pool for them.

Canoeing on Town Lake (Ladybird Lake now) could be an option.

Watching the bats is OK, but you either have to stake out a spot way early and spend an hour just sitting, or you end up behind thousands of people with a 2 year old crying because he's tired and can't see anything anyway.

One option to avoid that would be to rent a canoe long enough to paddle up to Congress St. Bridge and watch the bats from the canoe. Make sure you bring snacks and something for the 2 yr old to play with so he doesn't get too bored during the wait.

If you are coming to Austin for the kids, This (Thinkery) could be a good idea.

It has been my experience that what 2 and 4 year olds have the most fun doing is playing in a good playscape and/or water. Ready availability of water/juice and snacks and they're golden.

just remembered: There is an indoor trampoline "park" in South Austin called "Altitude" They could have fun there for hours.

I'd assume he is also coming some Mom and Dad can have fun and do something different not just the kids. All of the activities mentioned so far will be fun for both. Playing on "playscape" is only fun for so long for anyone. If nothing else, it is a change of scenery which is nice.

That said it is going to be 107 on Monday, unless you can be in the water you will probably limit the outdoor activities

There's also a miniature train that makes a loop around Zilker Park and takes about 20 minutes. I wouldn't want to do it in the afternoon in this heat, but right after it opens (at 10:00 am) it may be worth considering for the kids.

http://zilkerpark.org/zilker-park-amenities/zilker-park-train/

Keeper of The Spirits said:

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I'd assume he is also coming some Mom and Dad can have fun and do something different not just the kids. All of the activities mentioned so far will be fun for both. Playing on "playscape" is only fun for so long for anyone. If nothing else, it is a change of scenery which is nice.

That said it is going to be 107 on Monday, unless you can be in the water you will probably limit the outdoor activities

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I understand that, but it won't be fun for Mom & Dad if the little ones are cranky.

Barton Springs pool; Zilker Zephyr (the train around Zilker Park); canoeing on Town Lake; then some BBQ and back to the Hotel could be a fun day for all.

Deep Eddy is also a good pool option. I believe it is spring water like Barton Springs, but more of a true "pool" and has a large shallow end that is great for kids. Water will be ice cold.

I like Barton Springs but I believe it's a little deeper and the surface is more natural (uneven and rocky in places).

The burger place at Deep Eddy pool is really good as well!

steer clear of the Austin Aquarium. Not a good value.
Thinkery, Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops are good indoor spots also.

Really appreciate all of the replies so far. I realize the kids don't really care where we are as long as we are having fun but they definitely love sleeping in a hotel & knowing we are away from home "on a trip". We did a similar trip to San Antonio last November and did the zoo, sea world, & a boat tour & they loved it. My oldest still talks about our trip to San Antonio. But it is more just about doing something different & changing it up for a weekend for us parents as well. I have a ton of points so hotel will be covered.

Regarding the heat..... we are pretty used to it. Try not to let it deter us from doing stuff just have to plan accordingly and be smart about it.

I think even in the 105 degree heat, there is a decent chance small kids will not enjoy the 68 degree water at Barton Springs.
If that is a concern, most of the hellish suburbs will have newer city pools that have mini water park stuff, and pville has an actual water park.

Another one I forgot. Y'all could do the Duck boats. I think it's a combo of downtown and Lake Austin. Plus the kids get a duck whistle thing.

Potcake said:

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Plus the kids get a duck whistle thing.

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Which is NOT a good thing.

Agreed. The car trip home wood be a nightmare

Skip Austin and hit the lost pines Hyatt in bastrop

Just go to new braunfels and do Schlitterbahn.

JM is going to the bahn two days as posted

OP has 4 and 2 YO and that does not work.

One of the best things here is ladybird lake. It's overrun with paddle boarders and kayakers these days, but still a great hike/bike experience. There are lots of boat rides available and that might be the way to see it with kids that young. Deep Eddy is good for kids, big pool, mostly shallow cool spring water, the botanical garden, the bats all in the same area.


We did the three mile loop hike last weekend. I got my daughter to go by suggesting we take pictures.

If you do visit Ladybird Lake (Zilker) get the kids a loaf of bread, there's a great spot on the Barton Springs pedestrian bridge side of Lou Neff point where kids feed the fish and turtles and ducks and birds and squirrels and swans. As mentioned, the Zilker Zepher is fun for little kids too as is the playground. The nature & science center is mildly entertaining and the sculpture garden is fun. You could easily fill a weekend in and around Zilker.

Alright--I've got 2 kids (4 and 7) so here's my suggestions, all these are going to be East Side suggestions as that is my hood.

On manor there is a place called Batch (craft beer and kolaches) that opens at 10 on weekends, so you could start there (big back yard area with picnic tables and grassy areas for the kids to run around). Then if you are still hungry, head down the block (both on Manor Rd.) to Oddwood Ales (Brewery with decent pizza), they have retro gaming consoles, foosball, and pinball machines (all free to play)--that might be a bit too old for your kids.

Other options are Cherrywood Coffeehouse (they have a kids live music show Sunday mornings at 10AM or so).

As mentioned the Thinkery is a great idea for kids that age, but also note on Sunday's right by there is a Farmer's Market that has a clown who makes balloon animals, a petting zoo plus all your normal farmer's market stuff. Across from the Thinkery is a nice playground that is pretty active on the weekends. There is also an Alamo Drafthouse right there that does kids movies for $1-$5 on Sunday mornings. An ice cream shop (Lick) is in the area, and all the restaurants in the area a kid friendly (JT Youngbloods for chicken, B.D. Rileys for Irish Pub stuff). Also near the Thinkery is Whichcraft (craft beer store) that has coloring books, and kids board games etc..., plus kids drinks and snacks. All of these are walking distance from the Thinkery--there is a parking garage where you can get your parking validated at most of the places listed.

Lastly--another one that likely won't be mentioned is the Mueller HEB. They have live music most weekends, sell pretty good food (the ribs are way better than you would expect), have 4 or 5 taps of local beers. There is an outdoor shaded patio, that sometimes has misters going, but also a kids area that essentially looks like a dog run, but kids love it for some reason.

Also, I went to Schlitterbahn for the first time in years this month--here are a couple helpful tips. If you go to the old park first park in the lot by the intersection of Austin and Mulberry, it's not the main entrance and had plenty of parking into the afternoon, plus no wait time at the ticket station. It takes you right into an area with lots of large umbrellas and picnic tables so you can get a good spot pretty easily. It's a very short walk to some of the main kiddie pool areas. Hit up some of the bigger rides on that side of the park early and you will walk right on.

If you go to the new parks, the tube ride that goes between both of them is a great ride with no line.

On that same note, Central Market on Lamar also has great live music and a playscape, good beer and great food