Barton Springs Pool is one of the top attractions in Austin, TX. If you live in Austin or visited…read moreAustin for an extended period of time, you likely have been to Barton Springs Pool. It is located in Zilker Park in downtown Austin. One of its unique features includes its aesthetically appealing surroundings...statuesque trees, lush greenery and a forest-like cluster of vegetation. It feels like you have been transported to a quiet country side. One of the popular aspects of Barton Springs Pool is the water itself. This spring-fed pool is super clear and natural looking v the standard blue chorine-laden pools. Another plus is the size of the pool, which is about 3 acres. Also, some folks like to sunbath along the hillside, take dips in the pool or simply engage in other activities pool side. During the summer months when Austin's temperatures can exceed 100°+, Barton Springs pool can be very welcoming.

Whether you like it or not, the Barton Springs Pool is a right of passage for all Austinites. For…read more$5 per person, you get all day access to a public 68-70 degree pool filled by natural water from Edward's Aquifer. You can purchase tickets at a kiosk on site or online. While there is a parking lot in front of Barton Springs, it still belongs to the city of Austin and shares space with Zilker Park patrons. Make sure you pay for parking--parking enforcement is strict! A few guidelines: -No food, alcohol or glass allowed -No animals allowed -Floats, waters and foldable chairs allowed When you're setting up for the day, the further you are from the water, the flatter the land. The closer you are, the steeper it gets. As much as I'd love to trust in the people of Austin, petty theft can still happen, so keep an eye on your belongings. As mentioned, some may enjoy the water, some may not. For me, no matter how many times I tried to get in, I couldn't last more than two minutes due to how cold and deep it was! There are supposedly some shallow areas, but I couldn't find them, and now, I'll never know...

I've lived in Austin for 5 years and finally made it to this Austin institution! Deep Eddy Pool has…read morecool, spring fed water which feels amazing on a blistering hot summer day. There is no shade to speak of when in the water, so be sure to apply plenty of sunscreen. They have lockers to store valuables on site, but you need to bring your own lock. They also have dedicated dressing/shower areas and relatively clean toilets. If you don't use a locker, you have to place everything on the sides of the pool in the grass/dirt (be sure to bring a picnic blanket if you plan to hang out there at all). The grass/dirt area is nicely shaded. No beverages apart from water is allowed by the pool. Entry fees were $5/person for Austin residents. It was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

Deep Eddy Pool is an Austin institution! I spent many years at deep Eddie pool with family, friends…read moreand colleagues. It's nothing like swimming on a hot summer day. Your first impression of the pool will probably be wow it's large with so many lanes and many areas where you can just swim or float to your hearts content. Another impression might be and it was especially for me the bright blue water of the pool. It looks refreshing, cool, and inviting. Deep Eddiy pool has a oblong shape typical of large pools of its size. The pool has architecturally clean lines with precise corners. When you stand on the pool platform the vastness of the pool rushes to the forefront. Everytime I stick my foot in the water of the Deep Eddy pool, that cool refreshing feeling envelopes my body. Entry fees are very reasonable and can beas low as $2 per day. Paid parking is available in front of the pool and on the street. Nice relaxing self-care day...

The Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake is a place of meditation and total peace. In the mornings it…read morefeel like its only you in Austin and the lake, that is until a walker or runner whisks by you. It overlooks Lady Bird Lake and at this end of the lake, it is massive, incredibly serene and extremely peaceful. The way the light reflects on Lady Bird Lake makes you think you are in a picture postcard. When I want a quiet place to steal away to, this is where I go. I also have fond memories of running the perimeter of Lady Bird Lake when training for my two marathons...from MOPAC down to S. Lakeshores. Running on a trail is far more appealing than your feet hitting hard concrete on the streets of Austin. There is plenty of free parking along Lady Bird Lake and many access points.

Sunset is the best time to stroll along the boardwalk by the river. The city skyline views are…read morestunning, and the breeze makes the walk even more enjoyable. The boardwalk is clean, great for walking, running, and biking. I started my walk at sunset and stayed until nightfall. Watching the skyline light up was beautiful and so relaxing. I didn't see any turtles this time, but I really enjoyed the peaceful walk along the river. A lovely place to unwind, enjoy the views, and get some fresh air. Parking is limited, so plan accordingly.

Rosewood Park celebrated Juneteenth on Friday, June 19th with a parade. Juneteenth (a combination…read moreof "June" and "nineteenth") is a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It recognizes the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved Black Americans that the Civil War had ended and they were finally free. Juneteenth highlights the delayed realization of freedom for about 250,000 enslaved Black Americans who remained in bondage more than two years after President Lincoln's 1863 decree. The parade features bands, churches and other individuals and businesses wanting to celebrate this day. Ad a result there many road closures in East Austin.

This place is huge! There's a playground, bathrooms, a pool (drained at the time of this review),…read moreand plenty of areas to sit and enjoy nature. I didn't utilize the rec center, just strolled around outside. Great place for families and wheelchair accessible. Great place to hang out and not feel like there are too many people since the spot is so big.

We had a wonderful hiking experience along the greenbelt. We started at the spyglass trailhead and…read morefortunately found street parking. We went along the trail to the Gus frau trailhead and made our way up to the residential neighborhood above. It was a great hike - lots of woods around us and we saw some areas where folks were trying out rock climbing and bouldering. It's a pretty easy hike - not too much of an elevation gain. We saw a lot of families and dogs along the trail. The Gus Frau portion was a bit steeper but still pretty do-able overall. The hike is shaded which is much appreciated during hot Texas summers. I would certainly come back here to check out more of the Greenbelt!

Back in the day (and by that, I mean about a few months ago), I found this randomly and stopped to…read morewalk/hike around on a sunny sunday morning. I wasn't aware there were multiple starting points for this trail as there's a connection in the Townlake area; but I found this location! It's roughly 3 miles and covers the South Austin area with the trail that crosses underneath route 360 and goes alongside Barton Creek. There is plenty of uphill climb here that will give you quite the workout but it's well worth it! I saw a decent amount of hikers/walkers here with a couple bikers. Some trail areas are narrow so you may find yourself either stepping aside or influencing someone to step aside. I'll be back!

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!

We love this park! There's a huge play area with swings, slides, climbing rails and a few more fun…read moreactivities for kids. There's also a soccer playing field, a hiking trail that leads to secret beach with views so downtown and a shaded picnic area. The picnic area can be reserved for a day through Austin Parks&Rec and can be used for group gatherings or birthday parties.

Wow... the secret beach.. how beautiful. I came from Houston on a day trip. I won't tell everyone…read morespecifics to try and keep this secret as much as possible, but if you're coming here the first time.. it isnt easy to find. I can see how most times people just drive off.. me being the curious person I am just started walking by myself in the woods on a trail. I fortunately just so happen to see one woman walking her dogs and followed her in that direction but i swear to you she was walking fast as to not give this place away hahah! She actually disappeared onto another trail and couldnt find her.. (like Alice and Wonderland and the white rabbit style).. finally I heard splashing! I looked to my right and saw a weird trail that went down a steep side hill. So I followed the noise.. its pretty steep so be careful! After the brush and trees cleared THERE IT WAS! CLEAR, COOL WATER!! It was shallow when I got there and only about 8 people were there at 1pm during a Saturday. As time goes on it gets deeper and the water rises! Also more people start coming too. It feels sooooo amazing! You can grab a chair and just sit in the middle drinking and cooling off. Dog friendly! I spent a few hours with my boy before heading back. I live for finding places like this!

This is my favorite boat rental for canoe/kayak in Zilker Park. I have been here throughout the…read moreyears and service is always quick and great. *** You need your ID! & a card on file & need a waiver signed *** I always keep this in mind when going & it saves me time The rental prices is $21 per hour Usually 1 hour is enough and it is a great time

This is the most LIVELY, FUN filled happy people who come just to enjoy kayaking!!! This is my…read moreabsolute FAVORITE place in Austin! It's HUGE! You can bike, walk, and run along the path! There are people everywhere around the holidays! You can find parking under the bridge.and walk around nearby. Make sure you bring water shoes. Definitely, a stop to enjoy the outdoor life!

Great tour and Ethan was fantastic and had a lot of stories. The bats were a bit anticlimactic in…read moreJuly-according to Ethan they are all pregnant and playing it safe and come August the population doubles. The kayaking was fun and relaxing Bring sunglasses-they give you water Your but will be wet when you leave! Prepare for that!

Buyer beware. Booked this because it said "good weather…read morerequired." It was raining steadily and they still ran the tour. When I asked about it, they said they only cancel for lightning... which is not what the listing says. That's misleading, plain and simple. Even worse, they wouldn't work with us at all after the fact. No flexibility, no effort to make it right. Plenty of other kayak options in Austin... I'd go with one that's actually upfront about their policies.

This is a great option for exploring Lady Bird Lake by kayak or paddle board. They have a modest…read moreparking lot but depending on when you get there, it may be full. For a weekend morning we were happy to snag a spot and made our way down to the rental area. You can decide on single vs double kayaks or paddleboards and rent by the hour. We decided on an hour of double kayak and thoroughly enjoyed our time out on the water. They have plenty of life vests and the staff were helpful in helping us get in and out of the kayak. It's a gorgeous lake and on a hot summer day was nice and cool on the water. Great opportunity to get some exercise in while looking at the beautiful vegetation up and down the lake. Highly recommend!

We were excited to go paddle boating, but the experience was extremely disappointing…read more The lake had so much algae that it wrapped around the paddle boat's propeller every few seconds, making it incredibly difficult to move. Instead of enjoying our time on the water, we spent most of it stopping to remove algae just so we could keep going. My biggest issue isn't the algae itself--nature happens. My issue is that the staff never warned us about the lake conditions before renting us the paddle boats. If we had known the algae was bad enough to make paddling this difficult, we never would have rented them. On top of that, one of our paddle boats had a broken piece on the hatch used to access the propeller. I personally had to go over and help my sister because she couldn't properly open and close it to remove the algae. Every time the propeller got wrapped up again, it made the process even more frustrating. I explained the situation to an employee and pointed out the broken piece. Instead of offering a solution, I was told there was nothing they could do and that she just needed to keep removing the algae and paddle her way back to the dock. Later, when she was still struggling, we were told it would cost $50 for someone to come tow or assist her. Because we were moving so slowly due to the algae, we ended up spending more time on the lake than expected and were charged an additional $16 for another 30 minutes. That extra charge could have been avoided if we had simply been told about the lake conditions before renting the boats. Instead of taking our concerns seriously, the response was essentially, "It's better in the spring." If that's the case, then customers should be told about the current lake conditions before they're charged. We could have chosen a different activity instead of paying for an experience that turned into a struggle from start to finish. Honest communication and properly maintained equipment would have made all the difference.