Our wonderful Rhodesian Ridgeback passed on to the rainbow bridge three months ago at the age of 14…read moreand we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to rehome a five-year-old Ridgeback -- see photos. Her name is Tails, previously Wrigley. Have been to Zilker with her five times in the three weeks that we have had her, most recently this morning. This continues to be a great place to take a friendly animal and allow them to run wild off leash. She loves mixing it up with the other dogs and, being a Ridgeback, she is the fastest dog out there other than some of the Vizslas. Loves the sand where volleyball is played! Lots of parking! Easy access!

Beautiful park... with a few issues…read more The park's gorgeous, clean, and spacious, with lots of families and animals just chilling. Just be cautious of the few homeless.

Multiple intricacies within the parks known as Town Lake Metropolitan. Waller Beach, the various…read moretrails and paths, the boardwalk, Ladybird Lake, etc. Such a peaceful and beautiful area to get in exercise (walking/running/leisurely strolling), enjoying the outdoors, year-round. Great to explore alone or with friends and family, or your furry friend. Different spots to sit and relax. Simply a beautiful piece of Austin for locals abs tourists alike.

You haven't explored Austin until you take a stroll through the series of parks through the Town…read moreLake areas. Covering multiple miles, you'll see parts of downtown alongside the colorado river. Along this pathway, you'll be lead to the Barton Springs municipal pool and the Zilker Park & Garden as you go west. Going east, you'll eventually find your way along the Boardwalk near the Town Lake apartments and then at some point, the peace point at lady bird lake, one of the chillest spots in Austin to zone out. Obviously you bike, jog, run, walk, dogwalk, skip, however you prefer to galivant along the way of this beautiful section of the capital of Texas. It's one of many reasons people love living here!

Such a pleasant park. Perfect for a stroll around the lake. Stroller-friendly…read more Plenty of benches as well as grassy area for picnics or for kids to run around on. There's also a playground (across from The Thinkery). A huge amount of birds here. Ducks, pigeons, grackles. Even saw cormorants. A few food trucks near the parking lot although most were closed late Sunday afternoon.

Mueller Lake Park is such a pleasant park to walk around. It is away from the hustle and bustle of…read morethe Mueller district. You take in the beautiful lake as you meander around the lake. The hubs and I walked around the lake after our brunch. Such a pleasant walk...

TLDR: Great park for all ages, with unique playscapes, climbing structures, and a splash pad…read more Limited parking in paid lot. Awesome park with a variety of playscapes. Large space -- spread out. You've got climbing structures, slides, tunnels, swings. What I really loved was how they incorporated the playscapes into the terrain (e.g. slides and tunnels were built into hills). I also appreciated that they had activities for various ages -- my 3.5-year-old daughter enjoyed the complex climbing structure while my 1.5-year-old son liked the simple tree stump climbing structure. Splash pad nearby and ample green space to run around. Downtown is nearby so you've got a beautiful view of the skyscrapers. You've also got some less pleasant aspects. When we were parking, there was a disheveled looking man being arrested. No idea how much of a disturbance he created but the cops were taking care of it. There's a paid parking lot that fills up quickly. Terry Black's BBQ is right across the street if you got a good parking spot and want to snag some meat as well (their line moves fast).

Alliance Children's Garden is a playground within the larger Butler Park in Austin. We chose to…read morecome here since its want right across the street from Terry Black's BBQ, where we planned to have lunch. The park has lots of playscapes and climbing structures, and you'll also get nice views of the tall buildings of downtown Austin. They do have an hourly pay-parking lot at the entrance, but it does fill up quickly. It's almost better to leave your car here and walk to Terry Black's. We only hung out at the hills and tunnels section of the park, which our 4yo son loved. They have several hills covered with artificial turf of varying heights that are fun to crawl, climb, or roll down. The tunnels through each hill will make you feel like a Hobbit in those LOTR movies.

I love that the trail now goes full circle. This trek to east austin is magical. I've seen turtles,…read morecranes, sailboats, tight rope walkers, fisher people, artistic graffiti and so much more. They now have bathrooms and entrances with coffee shops in case you need to make a stop. Also the trails are wide on this side so you won't get mown over by drunk people on electric scooters or tech bro mountain bikers.

This is easily the best section of the Ann and Roy Butler Trail off Lady Bird Lake. The view of…read moredowntown Austin over the river is beautiful, the trail is well supported and wide, there is plenty of break off points to sit and enjoy the view, and plenty of entrances to get on and off the trail. RIYL: Good vibes and good walks

Oh how I love walking the Greenbelt! It feels like you can go for miles and miles. Well, you can as…read moreit's for nearly 12 miles of trails. Our little furry guy loves a jaunt on the trail in his stroller, especially if that means stopping off for a swim along the way. Can't beat cooling off in natural watering holes during a hot summer in Austin. The Barton Hills entrance gets you to Campbell's Hole while 360 gets you to Sculpture Falls and Twin Falls. I say do it all. Maybe not in one day...save something for the next time. Definitely a precious piece of Austin that we're so lucky to have.

Loved hiking here for the first time! We first parked at the 360 trailhead and were freaked out by…read moreall the broken glass and signs saying that it's a common smash and grab area. There were broken windows literally everywhere. The car was completely empty and we parked and started to enter, then decided to turn around because it just didn't feel right. We drove down to the other entrance on Spyglass near TacoDeli and felt much better. Residential area with street parking - perfect. We got on the trail and turned left which brought us to the new Violet Crown trailhead. We figured out how it connected to Barton Springs Pool. This was only 3 miles round trip. Next time we will go right past the falls. I am not sure there are even falls right now since it hasn't rained in a long time. The trail is easily marked and there were lots of people out. Can't wait to do more exploring soon!

There are definitely reasons why this park is so popular and why the website recommends purchasing…read moreday passes in advance. McKinney Falls is gorgeous! We went for a hike there right after a big storm and the grounds were so green and vibrant. We mostly stuck to the Onion Creek Trail as it is paved; however, the storm brought in mud to a few places on the trail, so be prepared to maneuver or wear proper footwear if you go during rainy season. Many families line up to take pictures in front of the upper falls (outside the Smith visitor center), so go early if you'd like a picture free of other guests. We then went to the lower falls area where there is an expanse of limestone (I believe) to get to the falls. There's a very small beach and swimming hole area that many families were enjoying. It's important to note that dogs can't enter any of the water at this park. The park also had multiple designated fishing areas as well. We drove around the campgrounds and they have well-maintained water + electric sites at every site. We would highly recommend a visit if you're in the Austin area.

I've been here several times and have explored it fairly extensively. The family-friendly trails…read moreare varied enough to keep the day interesting and the time spent at McKinney Falls is never wasted. For those seeking a bit more of a challenge, crossing the river takes more thought to avoid getting your feet wet. I've usually found there are 2-3 paths at the river crossing, being careful not to slip on any rocks. The homestead beyond the crossing can be observed and appreciated, but it's off-limits to help preserve what's left. The backcountry trails total about 6 miles and it's usually just the right length for me to get a solid hike in. There is very little elevation change, though there can be a lot of mosquitos during the warmer months. I didn't find any benches to rest at and there is no water source to refill water bottles. Given that McKinney Falls is within Austin's city limits makes this state park a gem. There is also a large day-use area near the campgrounds with about 100 picnic tables and charcoal grills the last time I counted a few years ago. Parking is plenty and the rangers are friendly. Definitely either get there early or make online reservations to reserve a time slot to enter as the park can fill up fast over weekends or holidays. Their gift shop also has a variety of items for sale, and you can get a park passport stamp there too!

Gorgeous place. Took my kids when they were little but will not go back. Car was broken into today…read moreand now I"m learning this is common thing. Police don't care, park services don't care.

When my boyfriend said "let's go meet our friends at the peacock reserve", I didn't think twice…read moreabout saying yes and I also didn't think twice about it being a ACTUAL place with peacocks. This place was honestly so cool. The peacocks free roam so it's important to be mindful where walking, and especially important to watch in their small parking lot as the birds wander into there as well. With that being said, there are no dogs allowed. We walked around the grounds a bit trying to find more birds. There's benches to sit, nice little water ponds to see, and a little trail as well. Would definitely advise going with closed toed shoes if you're planning to walk the trail. It's not really stroller friendly as there are branches and rocks scattered all along the path. I would definitely come back here, should I find myself back down in Austin. Such a wholesome and peaceful place!