Activities Archives - Page 28 Of 29

McKinney Falls State Park: The Other Austin Swimming Hole

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Brittany Highland

Credit: Jim Nix, Nomadic PursuitsWe’ve been on a state park kick lately. And for good reason. Texas state parks are beautiful and no two are alike. They also provide something Austinites crave in the middle of summer: water.

This past week, we finally made our first trip out to McKinney Falls State Park. I don’t know why it took us so long to go, considering that it was all of 25 minutes from where we live in North-Central Austin. Also, it’s free for children ages 12 and under, and only $6 for adults. [Read more…]

Guest Blog: My Top 5 Favorite Parks in Austin

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Guest Blogger

Brushy Creek Park, my top pick

This guest blog post is by Ashly Howard.

As a mother of three, I want to make sure my children have just as much fun at the park as I do at the casino. I want to make sure their hair blows in the wind and their minds race deciding what they want to do next, as they explore their magical plastic wonderland.

But I may be a bit overprotective when deciding which park to take them to, and I do my research ten-fold. Though I want to get my children out of the house as much as possible, I don’t want to take them to a place that’s dirty or infested, or that is so busy that it’s impossible to keep up. [Read more…]

Best Texas Swimming Holes on Austinot Podcast Ep. 11

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Brittany Highland

Deep Eddy

Click the Play button on the podcast player above to listen to this week’s episode of the Austinot Podcast!

When those scorching Summer days start hitting, a cool Texas swimming hole can be the best relief.

The Austinot has scoured the area for the best swimming holes in and around the Austin. Here’s the list we came up with: [Read more…]

Guest Blog: Austin Disc Golf Stirs Community Spirit

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Guest Blogger

This guest blog post is by Troy Herman.

Disc golf is not just a sport to be played; it is a passion that should be felt. I have played disc golf with some of the best players in the world and, while we have competed with much seriousness, we have never forgotten how it all started: throwing a bunch of discs in the park, making terrible shots, sharing many laughs and all of us wondering “Why did we try this…again?”

Disc golf is a sport that is often compared to and played like “ball” golf, but there are differences. In disc golf, you throw a disc or Frisbee rather than using a ball and clubs like in “ball” golf. Like “ball” golf, the objective is the same: complete each “hole” in the fewest number of strokes (or in this case throws) to be declared the winner.

Like all sports, there must be a start and a finish for the game of play. During this time of play, there are guidelines, rules and courtesies that should be followed – whether it’s a casual round or official sanctioned event. [Read more…]

American Bingo: This Ain’t Your Grandmother’s Game

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Dustin Vegas

What have you heard about bingo? When I learned about American Bingo last week, I first thought of slow-moving people absent-mindedly stabbing at pieces of paper while a bored man rattles off numbers. I figured it was a pastime reserved for retired folk.

I had no clue how wrong I was.

What if I told you, with all honesty, that one of the most intense, exciting and downright fun nights I’ve had in Austin took place in a bingo parlor? Well hold on to your hat – it’s true. The Austinots recently took a trip to American Bingo at 1919 East Riverside Dr. and learned how crazy a night of bingo can be.

Here’s what I mean: [Read more…]

Parkour in Austin – There’s a Reason It’s Called Freerunning

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Eric Highland

My sons Darius and Javen are obsessed with freerunning, or parkour as it is known. So when they came to visit me during Spring Break, I searched on the web for parkour in Austin and ran into Matthew Lee Willis through my surfing.

More on Matthew in a second, but what is parkour? And why are my sons and so many others obsessed with this rapidly growing movement?

If you aren’t familiar, it may be tough to explain. Parkour is like gymnastics without a gym, skateboarding without a skateboard, and rock climbing without gear, all rolled into one.

Visually, it is reminiscent of those fantastical moves that Jackie Chan does in the movies – where he bounces off walls and slides standing up down a rail [Read more…]

Austinot Podcast, Ep. #5: Top 5 Austin Date Ideas

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Brittany Highland

Austinots Eric and Brittany are newlyweds, so who better to trust when you’re looking for the best Austin date ideas?

Planning dates can be a sticky business. You want to get it right every time, and we want to help!

In Episode #5 of the Austinot Podcast, your friends at the Austinot present their top five Austin date ideas:

Mozart’s Coffee Roasters
[Read more…]

Dads Do Playgroups, Too

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Eric Highland

By Austin Guest Blogger, Momma’s Bacon

“Kids spell love T-I-M-E.”
-John Crudele

If you follow my Momma’s Bacon blog you will know we are one of the many Austin families with a Stay At Home Dad (SAHD). What you might not know is that Austin has an active SAHD community through the Austin SAHD Yahoo Group with lots of supportive play dates and a monthly dad’s night out for its 200 (and growing!) members.

In fact, I am the proud spouse of the current Duke of Dad’s Night Out who currently spends a portion of his limited free time carefully selecting a monthly fantastic local watering hole with equally yummy food for their Austin SAHDs meet-ups. My husband meticulously plans these monthly locales alternating between north, south and central Austin locations with this month’s location held at Red’s Porch in south. How I love living in a city that takes such an important role of any parent who chooses to play an active role as primary caregiver seriously! All stay at home parents deserve a monthly, heck weekly, night out with their buddies regardless of [Read more…]

Austin Carriage Presents Austin Tours of Downtown

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Brittany Highland

Recently we were INVITED to check out Austin Carriage, the original horse-drawn carriage company in the city of Austin.

These folks, who provide Austin tours via horse-drawn carriage, are fantastic. And no, they haven’t paid us a penny to say this.

So read on, fellow Austinot, and learn a little more about this company and what they are all about.

First off, let us tell you about the owner Cherie Cunningham. She’s been in the horse business since she was knee-high to a grasshopper. And given the chance she will animatedly tell you stories, with a sparkle in her eye, about her childhood growing up around horses. It is obvious that she has a love and respect for the horses she works with and [Read more…]

Austin Texas Disc Golf Equals Rockin Pastime

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Brittany Highland

This past Sunday, we decided to seize the day and jump on a new activity in Austin. Disc golf.

Eric already had some discs that he used back in Seattle, but I was disc-less. Beginning our search for discs, we turned to something familiar: Sports Authority. Alas, the Sports Authority employee I spoke to on the phone admitted that their selection was dismal and they only sold single discs, not sets. Bummer.

But! The employee was awesome enough to recommend a disc golf store here in Austin, called Disc Nation. Disc Nation was closing at 4 PM, so we shimmied down to Slaughter Lane to get the haps. [Read more…]

“Kids spell love T-I-M-E.” -John Crudele

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“Kids spell love T-I-M-E.”
-John Crudele