Amazing bird find. I Always find birds and new ones for my life list…read more It's not pretty but the birds love it. Must have been over 25 birds that day. I was able to identify 19. Don't get discouraged if you don't see birds right away keep going and even if you do keep going.

I was camping at McKinney Falls State Park near the airport so came up to this refuge to do some…read morebird watching. You have to sign in at the gate, they ask for ID to record and then you are good to go. They take in a lot of yard waste like brush and tree branches for recycling and they process sewage into mulch and also clean water. There are 5 ponds, you can only drive around 3 or 4 as I recall. At first the road is pretty bad. It is on top of the berm that holds the water in and is very uneven and narrow. Eventually I got to better road but at in early December, the main types of birds are ducks. That would be ok if their was marsh or grass and weeds along the shore but the ponds are pretty much open water, so as soon as you get close to any ducks they would fly away to the center of the pond or the other side. I was shooting with an 800mm lens and didn't get many usable shots. As far as species, I mostly saw shovelers, mallards, teal, widgeon and s some red heads. There is one bird hide or blind on the south shore of one of the ponds but again, nothing in the water below to attract feeding ducks. Also when I stopped at the blind there was a guy in his truck with his radio up as loud as possible which didn't do much for keeping ducks around. In the end, I circled all the ponds and left, only took a few pictures. This place might be better at another time of year or in different weather conditions like some fog or low clouds to keep birds down and close to shore.

Came here for the AFI concert. I liked the venue and it seemed really organized. I had a cranberry…read morevodka and it was reasonably priced. We had table seating and the view was nice. The employees were very helpful getting us in and out of there with ease.

I'm only reviewing for the tour of the facility (not a live show), but it was the highlight of my…read moretrip to Austin. Our tour guide Gordon was a gem. He had so many nuggets about the venue and performers. The photographs and art were amazing. Being able to walk on and around the stage was killer. Seeing the green room and backstage operations was fun. If you can take the tour, do it.

This place is awesome!!!…read more Capacity of about 6000 people so you're sure to get a good view of the stage. Over the years I've seen a lot of amazing acts here including Willie Nelson..... I think he loves this place because he plays here almost every year. It's pretty easy to grab a drink since they have a giant standing general admission area. I would try to get there a little bit early because sometimes there's a line and to check in to get in is really slow.

Yikes, this places has A LOT of hate! Yelp fam, y'all are cold blooded! I came here about two weeks…read moreago (the day before I went to the concert at Dickie's Arena). Getting to this venue isn't difficult but what is difficult is getting IN to the venue. Specifically, I had VIP parking but I still had to wait in a single lane to get into the parking lot for more more than 30 minutes. I literally missed the beginning of the show I was supposed to see because I was sitting in my car waiting for the police to direct the one lane of traffic to the general parking lot vs the venue parking lot. Once inside the venue, concert/event goers will see different lines for VIP check-in vs. regular check-in. As I was late to this concert and was VIP, I didn't necessarily have the same problems as the Yelpers who mentioned overly long waits to get in. Once I was in the venue, I went directly to the VIP suites that are located upstairs. The suite I was in had a bar right next to it, therefore when I requested food or drinks, the waitstafff came quickly as they were within earshot. Unlike others who mentioned long waits for service, I think it largely depends upon what tye of admission you are have (general, standing room vs. suite, vs. lower level seating). This is the first outdoor venue I've been to in Central Texas that has suites. It should also be noted that those who have suits also have thier own VIP bathrooms (not porta-potties). Therefore, my opinion of the seating, bathrooms and view of the event is probably slanted because of the type of access I had. *Here's a tip, if you have a membership to the golf course next door, you can sit and listen to the music for free* Once outside the suite, the general merchandise area and event merchandise area was fairly lackluster. Aside from the stereotypical astronomical prices, this section and selections was generally unimpressive. There appeared to be several food options from Texas Barbecue to Nachos with minimal wait for food offerings. The sound of the event was good but not great. This isn't a deal breaker for me as some of the performers had trouble with their equipment. Also for this event, I went to see Blues Travler and John had COVID so this wasn't the best showing for the group. There was another lead singer reading lyrics from a sheet and as everyone knows that no one can be John other than John Popper. I left this concert early as I wanted to avoid the same issue I had getting into the venue with the traffic. I am not sure based upon this showing that I would return to an event here.

I have to say Emo's is one of my favorite live music venues…read more The sound and acoustics are fantastic! I like the setup of the stage and floor/dance area. It's not a huge club but they also don't pack folks in so badly that you can't move about. Free water station and most times employees will hand it out to patrons. Bar prices are fair and on par with other similar venues. Bathrooms are ok, meaning clean and not gross. Like most places in Austin, parking can be a challenge. They've got a pay lot (I think it's pay by the hour) that fills up super fast. Best bet is to use a car service.

I have been going to Emo's since the 90s, and don't expect much, however:…read moreWent to a show Saturday, purchased one Lone Star because I wasn't feeling like getting my buzz on. Sunday received a fraud alert on my debit card for local and online purchases, and Monday see they charged me $14.00 for said Lone Star (plus the tip i left.) Pretty sure that isn't what the screen said when I checked out. Your bartender is a thief. I may have to go there to see some bands, but they certainly will never get any further funds.

A venue that is really not fully equipped to handle such large crowds for the events they…read moreconsciously take money from. The lack of accessibility not only to access the venue which is off of a FM Road, but accessibility for anyone in general is missing. The parking lots are literally dirt lots which is a nightmare when it comes to heavy rain, lack of even hay or loose gravel is irresponsible. They should really make it a point to have all events here require designated park and ride to avoid the congestion of the one lane, two way road.

I attended an event here and there was no notice that there was a fee for parking. There are no…read moreother parking options so you are forced to pay. Directions to the event were not clear. GPS took us a route on a dirt road by houses that led to a closed gate. Lots of cars backed up because we couldn't get through the gate and everyone had to turn around on this narrow dirt road. We all had to wait while 1 car at a time did a turn around. As we were driving back down that road we passed so many cars also going the wrong way. The ranch has a 2nd entrance near a landscape supplier. There were no signs, etc. leading us to the event. I think they could do a better job hosting events.

ACL Live had a free Community Day on Sunday, February 23. Celebrating 15 years of the venue, the…read moreevent featured tours of the mezzanine, balcony, and backstage and included free popcorn and Torchy's queso;, and free live music by Dead Eye, A Phish cover band. The event was very family friendly. They created Willie bandana and braids for participants who wanted them, making it more fun to walk around. B Each person received a passport with all of the stops on tbe tour to explore. - 3-Ten building with a 10-minute introductory film - Mezzanine - Balcony - Backstage tour - PNC hall - ACL Live Shop Volunteers would stamp each venue upon completion. You could turn in completed passports at the end to be entered to win free tickets. It was a willie fun activity! .

I've been to ACL Live on multiple accounts, and if you ask me how the venue will be, I couldn't…read moretell ya! ACL Live is an event planner's dream. The venue can be configured for whatever you need. Billboard's Peso Pluma Concert? Standing GA on the lower level and the standard seating on the upper levels. The iHeartPodcast Awards? A free Christmas concert with a full orchestra? Auditorium style. Surprisingly, even though the seats are mobile, the chairs are surprisingly comfy!! Depending on the staff the event hires, the seamlessness of security check and lines can vary. If it's a SXSW event, you can expect experienced line managers and heavy security. But, if it's something on a smaller scale, it can be tragic and lead to chaotic, lost crowds. I've had the pleasure to be invited to the PNC Hall for an after-party event, and I love how easy it is to access as it's right next to the exit. The space is a bit tiny, but can hold a solid catering spread and reduced bar. IN: the permanent photo booth located in the open air is a nice touch for a keepsake. Also, the bathrooms are well maintained, (but wishing there were more stalls!) OUT: Parking is available via street or in nearby paid garages. The City Hall Garage is the preferred option due to its proximity and sometimes has a reduced rate for event goers.

After reluctantly seeing Flaming Lips here recently, I affirm my ZERO STAR RATING (pay no attention…read moreto that lone star--i can't find the zero key) for what used to be the Austin Music Hall, but is now a venue which yearns to be nearly as awful as my high school gym, or the Grange Hall out in Nesbitt, but fails to reach even that level of abysmal. The entrance (when you finally find it) sucks, the bar sucks, the lines for the bar and the john (which cross) suck, the security staff seems hell bent on making everyone feel as welcome as a fart in church and best of all, the acoustics boggle the mind with how much they manage to make even a great band with good sound board engineers come off sounding like a bad clock radio in front of a Fisher-Price "My First Megaphone." This is the music hall equivalent of "The Producers," clearly designed to suck and lose money, except it's not funny at all. What IS funny is how fast it will be reduced to hosting stamp collector conventions and WWE cage matches once the new Austin City Limits Studio opens up about 2/10 mile East. Live Nation will be booking the 320 nights a year that ACL is not taping a show, in their brand new purpose-built $30 million theater with two balconies, 2,750 seats and designed to be acoustically perfect for television and radio broadcast (as well as in person) by Steven Durr, a Nashville recording-studio acoustic designer. Should be REALLY easy to sell an expensive show with 3rd rate bands in a venue with horrible sound and terrible sightlines staffed by people that hate customers about 1,000 feet away from Austin's new "dream theater." Yeah right. Take THAT Austin Music Hall. So long.

Eh... Ehhhhhh........ that's really all I can think of to describe this place…read more Last night was my first time venturing into the Austin Music Hall - I've heard they recently remodeled it, and I'm not sure how they really improved it, but since I didn't see the before, I won't bash the after - too much. Muhahahaha. Immediately when arriving it wasn't clear which line was for what - do I go into this line if I already have a ticket, or is this line for Will-Call - what!? Annoying. Then, the not-so-friendly door guy confiscated my water. I'm sure the Counting Crows have had some recent terrorist threats, so I was willing to let that one go. Once inside, I immediately noticed the super ugly and view-blocking sound stage that covered a good portion of what could be standing area. Who thought of this design? I'd like to take you out for a drink or two to talk to you about this. When my boyfriend arrived a little late, I went to head out to the front of the venue to give him his ticket so he could get in, and was told by the door lady that if I went out, I wouldn't be able to get back in. Um, seriously? What if a friend that I was with had an emergency and I had to take her home and wanted to come back and not waste my $45 ticket? (has happened before, so it's not out of the realm of possibility) I wouldn't be able to get back in? Really? LAME. Who came up with that rule? I'd like them to take ME out for a drink or two. The one good thing about this place, was the ease of being able to get pretty close to the stage. Yes, we were off to the side a little, but we were pretty close and if I were there to see a band that I really really liked, it might have trumped all the bad. Maybe. Also, $4.50 for a Lone Star, AMH? Ugh. You disgust me with your trying-to-be-like-Disneyland antics. If I ever spend $45 to go to this place again, it better be Jesus on that stage!!