This year's edition of Texas Pumpkin Fest was a definite step up from last years. Tickets were $15…read moreper person and include a multitude of activities from a small haunted house to various photo ops and even some rides. Parking is free but this place can get packed quick so plan accordingly. There are many different food options throughout the grounds as well and good shade coverage, something they added more of this year. We felt like their shops offering was smaller this year but we're not completely sure on that. There are additional things you can do if you buy tokens for them such as: a petting zoo, train ride, and pumpkin smashing. We bought some tokens for pumpkin smashing and it was definitely worth it. The bigger the pumpkin, the more tokens it cost so we maxed it out and got some very large ones and let it rip. It was a lot of fun and we recommend this activity to anyone who goes. Lastly, we searched for and selected our perfect pumpkins for carving, which also were decently priced and healthy/good shaped. This is an extremely fun place to go on a cool fall morning with family or friends and is worth the drive out to Leander no matter where you are in Austin, highly recommended.

This was our first time going to this Pumpkin Fest. We had previously gone to the one in front of…read morethe Leander Humane Society. This one is much bigger with rides for the kiddos, plenty of photo opportunities, food trucks, live music, a small petting zoo, a train ride, and wait for it a beer garden. Our crew went on Halloween day and we were surprised at the lack of crowds. We were able to park close to the entrance and we never waited to go on any of the rides. The rides had seen better days but our granddaughter had a blast on the tea cup, train, and slide rides, and that's all that matters. We snacked at the Jamaican food truck and their jerk chicken & shrimp plates were very good. The beer garden provided us with a Sam Adams Octoberfest beer which was a perfect accompaniment on a beautiful fall afternoon. Upon leaving all the kiddos received a gratis small pumpkin. There were plenty of other larger pumpkins for sale. I can see how this would be an expensive day if you have a couple of kiddos. The entrance fee is $15 pp and the rides average $6.00 pp so it does add up. Take note for next year First Responders, Military and Veterans admitted free every Friday.

One of the worst vendor experiences I've ever had. The owner is the rudest person I've ever had…read morethe "pleasure" of working with. I as impressed up front that the website was organized and professional, but dealing with her attitude and personality were extremely off-putting for the get go. I wish I had never signed up to be a vendor. She repeatedly talked down to me via email about what I could bring to the market and treated me like I was incompetent. Steer clear of this business owner!

Saw a lot of great art, from jewelry to paintings, one lady named Melanie made cool artwork out of…read moreshotgun shells and brass, everything from home made soaps to clothes, and a food truck dubbed snofellas funnel cakes.

This is a well kept sculpture garden that sits inside of a park. There's the garden and then to the…read moreother side is more of a park area. It was pretty calm here and easy to walk around and check things out. It's not terribly large so it won't take to long to see all of it but being right next to a library is a nice bonus. Parking was easy.

We were at Cedar Park HS to watch. It was more packed than we have ever seen it. The fireworks were…read morehard to see this year. The display, at many points of the show, did not make it high enough in the air so we were watching the fireworks through the tree line. The people in the lot took parking spaces with their chairs and would not move so people could park in spaces. I'm sure the display was nice if you're at the park but watching from the High School is no longer a great place to watch. Traffic was terrible, of course. The event coordinators may want to rethink telling people to watch from the HS unless they're going to shoot the fireworks higher in the air ​

Cedar Park Fourth of July is a huge annual festival taking place in Elizabeth Milburn park. I…read morecompletely prefer doing Fourth of July here over Zilker. There's so much more than a typical Fourth of July celebration; there's live music, attractions for the kids (inflatable balls they can run around inside, etc.) and adults (ride the bull, etc.), all kinds of fair food, hamburgers, snow cones, burritos, lemonade, and various community organization booths. There's a pool on the premises, and the park has a huge open space where everyone gathers to watch the fireworks just after dark. The crowd is very suburb-y and on the whole more conservative than Austin, so my wife and I get some looks when we walk around hand in hand but that's life. It's a great spot to people watch all the families with little kids in wagons, and dogs in tow. There's a lot of parking at the neighboring schools, but you'll still have to come early (probably 6pm) to find a spot. After the fireworks, as you'd expect it's a headache getting home; you'll be in traffic for maybe a half hour, which is still pretty minimal compared to other Fourth of July venues.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Freedom Fun and the incredible team they sent to support…read moreour event. From the very beginning, working with Nina was an absolute pleasure. She was incredibly accommodating, responsive, and genuinely invested in helping me find exactly what I needed for our event. Her professionalism, flexibility, and willingness to help made the planning process seamless, and I truly appreciated how easy she was to work with. What really sets Freedom Fun apart, however, is the quality of their people. While setting up for our event, I suffered a very serious accident that resulted in a significant injury and severe bleeding. In those frightening moments, Isaac, DJ, and Adam immediately sprang into action. They did not hesitate for a second. Remaining remarkably calm under pressure, they took control of the situation, did everything they could to stop the bleeding, and stayed focused until emergency responders arrived. Their quick thinking, composure, and genuine concern for my well-being made all the difference during one of the scariest moments of my life. What impressed me most was not only how capable they were, but how compassionate and caring they were throughout the entire ordeal. They stayed with me, reassured me, and handled an incredibly stressful situation with maturity and professionalism far beyond their years. Freedom Fun should be extremely proud to have employees like Isaac, DJ, and Adam representing their company. Their actions demonstrated outstanding character, teamwork, selflessness, and a level of care that I will never forget. Thank you, Nina, for being so wonderful to work with, and thank you to Isaac, DJ, and Adam for stepping up when I needed help the most. I am deeply grateful to all of you and would highly recommend Freedom Fun to anyone looking for a company that not only delivers great service but is staffed by truly exceptional people.

I have used Freedom Fun for Glenn High School's Project Graduation GRAD NIGHT for the past three…read moreyears and they have never let us down. Always so professional and helpful throughout the planning process and always on time the day of the event. I will tell anyone who listens to HIRE FREEDOM FUN USA! Great job guys! We'll see y'all next year!

You like live music, right? You're into fitness, too? Are you willing to walk or run 10 miles? Well…read morethen you should sign up for the annual Austin 10/20 race to enjoy a beautiful spring morning race with about 3000 fellow music lovers that ends up in a concert at Domain's Central Park (near Burnet and Kramer, on the east side of the Domain). Your family & friends can come, too, so it's like a free concert for them. Here's what I loved about this event at the end of March 2015: + Starts and ends at the Domain, very nice for us Northsiders. No hauling myself to downtown Austin at the crack of dawn, and it's pretty easy for my special friend to drop me off pretty close to the starting chute without being mired in traffic. Exiting was a breeze, too. + Plentiful port-o-lets with TP and hand sanitizer around the start/finish festival and along the route. I never waited in a line and they were pretty clean (even after the race). + Mostly flat course through the Domain, Mopac service road, Burnet, and IBM campus, providing a few spectacular bluebonnet patch sightings. I now know exactly where I can access some great bluebonnets for family photo ops before they fade for the season. + 19 bands playing along the course and 1 headliner show for about an hour at the end of the race. Honestly, the bands along the course didn't make much of an impact for me, as I only was able to hear about 30 seconds of their performances as I ran by, but it still made for a fun atmosphere. The finish line festival, on the other hand, provided an incredible opportunity to get up close & personal to the rockin', high energy headliner duo, Black Pistol Fire. By the time they came on stage at 10:40a or so, 80% of the 3000+ runners and their cheering sections had already cleared out, leaving plenty of comfortable space at front & center on the grassy lawn viewing area. Frontman/guitarist Kevin McKeown came down from the stage & thrashed right in the appreciative crowd. It was awesome! + Registration comes with 1 post-race beer ticket and additionals were only $4. This is way better than other music show beer prices around this town. Thanks to TABC, we could not partake until after 10am, but the line to redeem those "free" beer tickets moved quickly once the beer stand opened. + Five featured charitable organizations with running teams. The 2015 featured charities were Without Regrets Foundation (assisting children with parental deaths); Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; Team Red, White & Blue (supporting wounded veterans); Alzheimer's Association; Team to End AIDS; and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. If you ran for these teams and meet their minimum fundraising goal, you received race support (like team gear, food, bevs, massages, and additional swag). + Cool pre-race expo for packet pickup at the HPBC Quarries Recreation Center. It wasn't as massive as the ones for the Austin Marathon or 3M or Cap10K, but there were plenty of vendor discounts & freebies available, as well as promotions for other upcoming races. Negative stars to the never-ending wind gusts in my face throughout the 2015 race, as well as the 2 giant blisters on my big toes I took home as a souvenir. 2015 Race Results: http://mychiptime.com/searchevent.php?id=8587 2015 Race Photos: https://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/regist.py?event=Sports/CPUK/2015/Austin%201020

Whether you're a runner or not 10 miles sounds like a tough strut but it's really not that bad!…read moreThey have bands pretty much around every corner and beer at the finish line. The weather is always great here in Austin around April and 10 miles in the morning is a great way to start the day! If you haven't run anything and are curious what long distances feel like this is a great starter race, the energy of the crowd, runners and bands really help to get you through all 10 miles.

The Brushy Creek Farmers Market is a new fledgling market in Round Rock that could use some…read moresupport. I rate this place a 3 because there is some work to be done to get this market ramped up and really stocked with goodies. I visited during the weekly Saturday 9 am to 1 pm hours to find a small handful of vendors. There were several arts and crafts stands, a masseuse, and a couple of jelly/preserves sellers. There were a few produce vendors, but selection was pretty limited. I did get some nice locally grown squash. I'm not sure how much the limited selection had to do with the horrific summer we've had or if it was the newness of the market. My favorite vendor was Richardson Farms. They were offering free range eggs, chicken, pork products (including fresh uncured bacon), and grass fed beef. The eggs and pork we bought were reasonably priced and freaking delicious. This isn't yet a major farmer's market, so some visitors might be a bit disappointed with the selection. It is my hope that this one will pick up momentum and draw more shoppers and vendors.

My own private farmers market....that's what this felt like. It's super small still and not too…read morecrowded and I had the opportunity to sample everything and to visit with all the cool vendors and their pooches. There was only about 9 vendors there but there was enough stuff to make a few meals all around. Fresh baked breads and organic pastas, fresh veggies such as squash, maters, taters, and onions, jellies, salsas, farm raised meats, and even cupcakes for dessert! Not to mention some jewelry, honey and pralines. Living out in the hinterlands of Cedar Park, I was super stoked to find out about this (thanks Chris S!). I haven't found any CSA's to deliver to my house, but I can now order from some of these folks online and then pick up on Saturdays here. And it beats the hell outta getting up early Saturdays and driving all the way to San Antonio (aka Sunset Valley). Richardson Farms provides grass fed beef and pork and chicken, and another stall had what's called "design your dine" with pre-frozen fresh organic dinners that you just thaw out and cook and they say each one is only about 500 calories. Came home with some zukes, some pasta, a coupla pork chops and some fanfreakintasticly fresh pico de gallo from Kala's Kuisine, which apparently has won 2 years in a row now at the Hot Sauce Festival (and I can see why). I would encourage all my fellow Northerners to check this out.....but I still wanna keep it my own private farmers market. Enigma.