This guest blog post is by Sarah Kiefer.

Don’t be surprised if you spot several colorful teams running through downtown Austin, completing wacky tasks and having a lot of laughs. On March 23, 2013, Hunt For The Cure is holding a fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis.

This high-energy scavenger hunt will benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and you and your friends are invited to join the fun!

If you participate in Hunt For The Cure, you’ll be helping the 2.1 million people who are facing the unpredictable disease of Multiple Sclerosis. As an added bonus, you could win some awesome prizes. [Read more...]

Gathering before the beginning of Ice Bowl at Zilker Park

Disc golf is one of those sports that almost everyone can play, that builds community, and is cost-effective to boot.

If you’ve never played a round of disc golf, don’t think it’s as difficult as golf. Sometimes comparing it to golf throws people off, pun intended, because people think you need years of practice to not look like a fool out on the course.

Look, if you can throw a frisbee, you can start cutting your teeth immediately with this incredibly fun sport. [Read more...]

Butterfly Bar at the Vortex

If you haven’t visited the Vortex theater in East Austin, you’re missing out on community theater at its best. Come early and grab a drink and a snack at the Butterfly Bar, which occupies the same building. Watch a movie on the wall by the bar (you may see Popeye episodes), or step outside to the lighted patio for a game of chess.

Pick up your “ticket” at the box office – a suited selection from a deck of cards – and enter the theater when your suit is called. Don’t worry about finishing your drink before the show; you can take it in. Grab any open seat you like. [Read more...]

Mad Men lead character, Donald Draper

Do the words Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (SCDP) mean anything to you? If so, you’re probably as obsessed as we are with AMC’s TV series Mad Men. The culture, characters, and fashion of Madison Avenue in the 1960′s shine in this award-winning drama.

And we aren’t the only ones who think so. There’s a reason this show is the only basic cable show in history to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.

The boys at SCDP would never settle with only one win of a prestigious award like this, so they repeated the achievement four years in a row. The Emmy for Outstanding Drama series was earned by Mad Men from 2008-2011. The show concluded its 5th Season in June of 2012 and has been renewed for a sixth. [Read more...]

This guest blog post is by Michael Reilly.

Christmas Day is a day away. For some of us, that means looking forward to a few days off from work and enjoying time with the family. For others, it means last minute shopping, wrapping presents and making final preparations for the festivities.

Despite the holiday excitement and busyness that we find ourselves in, if all goes well then you’re ready to relax today on Christmas Eve. With that in mind, I believe it’s appropriate to have a list of activities and things to do in Austin on Christmas Eve 2012. [Read more...]

Help-Portrait photographer in Fayetteville, AR

I recently went to great lengths to find matching picture frames of different sizes to put together a collection of my favorite family photos, from Eric’s side of the family and mine. The finished product was a beautiful collage that represented our history, precious memories and family pride.

Though we may stop and look at these photos every once in a while, we eventually take them for granted. But what if your economic status left you without the means to get keepsake photos taken of your family? Yes, they’re inaccessible luxuries for some. [Read more...]

Hill Country Holidays arrive at The Westin La Cantera

EDIT: CONTEST CLOSED

We had a total of 279 entrants into our contest. The winner of our contest, chosen at random via Random.org, is Alana Welsch Black. Congratulations, Alana!

Thank you to everyone who entered. We hope you’ll follow The Austinot for the chance to enter future contests.

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As Texans, it takes imagination to conjure up traditional images of winter. But starting this Thursday, The Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort is bringing winter to you with its Hill Country Holidays celebration.

To mark the launch of Hill Country Holidays, La Cantera has a special giveaway for our Austinot community, and we’re grateful that they’ve thought of us! Keep reading to learn more about Hill Country Holidays and how you can win a complimentary one-night stay for your family. [Read more...]

This guest post is by Fletch Brendan Good and Stevie Duda.

Did you know that the nation’s longest-running vegetarian chili cook-off has been taking place in Austin every November since 2004, and in Texas since 1989?

We’re talking about the Lone Star Vegetarian Chili Cook-Off. This year’s edition (the 24th) is on Sunday, November 11th, at the historic Burnet Road Farmers Market.

It’s sponsored by The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts, and benefits the Texas Humane Legislation Network. [Read more...]

Kids enjoy music at Touch-a-Truck

This guest blog post is by Kristin Shaw.

Last year, pre-preschool Gorgeous Millie brought the first Touch-a-Truck to the Austin area to benefit the Austin Children’s Shelter, with the intent to make it an annual event.  They had no idea what to expect in terms of a crowd, and hoped for 200-300 people to start.  Imagine their surprise when visitors started pouring in steadily, and an estimated 1,000+ visitors were tallied at the end of the day. This year, the event will take place on Saturday, November 3rd at Valley View Elementary School.

Community-minded co-founders JC Conklin and Laura Jacks wanted to host an event that would benefit a children’s organization and provide a fun day for children in the Austin’s area, and Touch-a-Truck was born.   This year, they’ve moved the event from Bridgepoint Elementary School to Valley View Elementary School.  [Read more...]

Most of our readers live in Austin. Those who don’t wish they did. Wine Enthusiast Magazine is running a contest that should appeal to you no matter where you live, and it’s super easy to enter. [Read more...]

This week, National Wildlife Refuge Week celebrates the beauty and value of National Wildlife Refuges (NWR’s) all over the United States. Less than an hour northwest of Austin, Balcones Canyonlands NWR bathes the Hill Country landscape in untouched beauty. At least a third of Texas’ threatened and endangered species live in or migrate through this Refuge!

To end National Wildlife Refuge Week, Balcones Canyonlands is hosting an outdoor celebration this Saturday that is free and open to the public.  [Read more...]