Lady Bird Lake trail, formally Town Lake, is one of the more popular places for Austin residents to Get Outside!! Lady Bird Lake trial is a crushed gravel trail around the lake and is perfect for hiking, biking, running, or just strolling. Excellent scenery and very popular. Just off the trail you’ll find some great restaurants, Zilker Park, Barton Springs Pool, and lots more. Click on the icons for more info!
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Barton Springs Pool (in Zilker Park)
A spring-fed pool that is nearly 1,000 feet long and maintains a yearly temperature of 68 degrees. Baseball, football, soccer, and rugby fields welcome sport enthusiasts, while others enjoy the Botanical Gardens, the Austin Area Garden Center, and Zilker Hillside Theater. Children like the play-scape near the pool, and they love to ride the Zilker Eagle, a miniature train that runs through the park. Special events like the annual Kite Contest in the spring attract crowds of adults and children alike, while the Zilker Clubhouse at the west end of the park is customarily used for smaller social functions . Starting at the Barton Springs Pool bathhouse, the
The most popular greenbelt at 7.9 miles long consisting of 809 acres. With sheer cliff walls, lush vegetation, and popular swimming areas, the Barton Creek greenbelt is truly a treasure. When the water in the creek is running (usually in spring) this is a fantastic walk. The easiest access point is the Loop 360 access with gently sloping cutback trails so that everyone can enjoy the trail.
This beautiful trail will teach even the most ignorant naturalist about 28 different species of trees. A Free brochure is available from Parks and Recreational Department.
Austin Area Garden Center
On the north side of Barton Springs Road, you can enjoy an oriental garden with waterfalls and ponds, a rose garden, a butterfly trail, a xeriscape garden that demonstrates the principles of water conservation, and a small pioneer village.
Dinosaur tracks believed to be those of an ostrich-like dinosaur, ornithomimus, were found in 1992. These tracks were uncovered, bones of a marine turtle, osteopygis, were discovered as well. The estimated age of the tracks and bones is 100 million years, but ongoing research at the site will better determine information regarding the dinosaurs and their environment.
Austin Nature and Science Center
This fascinating center is filled with exhibits of science, natural history and botany. A living nature museum with resident injured and/or orphaned native wildlife, a Birds of Prey aviary, and the Eco-Detective Trail, and more. The Austin Nature Center has an entrance to the Zilker Nature Preserve which has about 3 miles of hiking trails. They even have a satellite site at the Barton Springs bathhouse (now renamed the Beverly S. Sheffield Education Center) called SPLASH! Into the Edwards Aquifer. This permanent exhibit is a hands-on look at Central Texas’ most precious natural resource. Open Mon. – Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sun. 12 – 5 p.m. 301 Nature Center Drive. (512) 327-8181
Make sure that you check out the other sections of Texas Outside to find more to see and do in and around Austin and Central Texas
Lady Bird Lake Resource Guide
Lady Bird Lake Resource Guide
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Author: Mike Sharp
I have a passion for travel and outdoor activities, and now I'm enjoying retired life. I will continue my traveling, golfing, boating, and enjoying life all across the great state of Texas.
