Austin, TX

Good morning and welcome to my first post about Austin, the biggest little city in Texas.

I’m not a parent but I have several young nieces and nephews. During the summer months I often have one of them visiting me and I find myself looking for ways to entertain them. This summer I have my nephew, Random, one day a week. He’s 9 years old and easily bored. If you have young children on your hands, here are some ideas to wile away the summer doldrums:

The Austin Children’s Museum: A wonderful place with lots of interactive things for children to do.

The Austin Zoo: Although not the largest zoo I’ve ever been to, it is small enough to be done in half a day and we always enjoy it. Some of it, like the train ride, is a bit lame, but it’s lame in a way that you’ll giggle conspiratorily about.

Austin Parks and Pizza: Indoor and outdoor games as well as all you can eat pizza. The pizza isn’t the best, though my nephew likes it well enough. Warning, this can be expensive, particularly if you have several children.

Austin Duck Adventures: Take a tour of Austin in a British Alvis Stalwart, formerly a military vehicle, that can transverse both roads and water. Children will enjoy blowing their duck whistles at pedestrians as they learn about Austin history. I’ve done this tour with both adults and children and everyone has enjoyed it.

The Bob Bullock State History Museum: The Bob Bullock houses an IMAX theater which will be featuring the newest Harry Potter film next month. You can bet your cowboy boots that I’ll be there, children or no children! The museum itself has several interactive exhibits, lots of short films and a couple of special effects shows.

Texas State Capitol: I love to visit the state capitol and I was both happy and surprised to find that my nephew also enjoyed the tour. Tours are free and run about every 10-15 minutes. No need to make a reservation unless you’re planning to take a group.

Zilker Park: Everything from a miniature train to hike and bike trails, to hamburgers, to wide open spaces for kite flying and frisbee throwing to the Barton Springs pool, Zilker has it all! Occupying 35 acres of land, you can find things for all ages. The
Zilker Botanical Garden is beautiful and complete with a koi pond. The Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum has some wonderful sculptures for your art enthusiast. The Austin Nature and Science Center even has a Dino pit!

Those are a few of my ideas. If you have others, I’d love to hear about them!