The Austinot

Discover Austin Texas! An Austin blog with hundreds of unique articles.

Enjoy the Season During Holiday Sing-Along and Downtown Stroll

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Downtown Austin Christmas Tree

Downtown Austin gets decked out for the holidays

It’s that time of year again. Thanksgiving is swiftly followed by a quick succession of holiday traditions and errands. It can be an exhausting time of year, which makes focusing on the more relaxing seasonal rituals that much more important.

December 7, 2013 is a date to mark on your calendar right now. Bring your family and friends to downtown Austin to enjoy a full schedule of events during one of Austin’s newer holiday traditions: the Holiday Sing-Along and Downtown Stroll. [Read more…]

Adventurous Austinites Stay Fit at Austin Rock Gym

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Austin Rock Gym

A climber at Austin Rock Gym looks up to where he lost his grip

Until recently, my experience in rock climbing was limited to a giant rock in Walnut Creek Park that my fiancé and I climbed for a picnic lunch.

It may be surprising, but Austin has quite a bit of outdoor rock climbing opportunities for adventurous types. Our glistening metropolis lies at the foot of the famous Texas Hill Country. A short trip to Lake Travis, Inks Lake or Lake Buchanan provides climbers with plenty of opportunities to practice their best Spider-Man impression.

But what is a newbie to do? The best option is to go to Austin Rock Gym.

Austin Rock Gym has two locations in north and south Austin. The north location is at 8300 N. Lamar Blvd. Suite B-102. My hardcore readers may [Read more…]

Austin Veloway Provides Looped Trail for Cyclists and Skaters Only

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Austin Veloway Bike Loop

Austin Veloway bike loop in South Austin

There’s no denying that Austin is a bike-friendly city. We’ve got the Hike and Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake, plenty of bike lanes and even one of the few defensive cycling courses in the nation…just in case you end up with a big, fat cycling ticket.

But even in such a friendly city, sometimes cyclists just need their own space. Luckily, Austin provides that too with the Veloway. [Read more…]

Free Art Friday: What’s the Buzz All About?

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Free Art Friday Ruffhousearts

Photo via @ruffhousearts

This guest blog article is by Kendra Wright.

Fridays in Austin are becoming more than a doorway to the weekend. Thanks to local artists and social media, a weekly treasure hunt is lighting up the streets with free art and the local Austinites who are chasing it down. If you’re eager to score some pro bono goodies, lace up your tennis shoes and fire up your Instagram. Free art is on the line every Friday.

Free Art Friday, as its dubbed, is no new phenomenon. But with Austin’s love affair for all things local and a surplus of creative talent in our city, the Austin branch has caught fire. [Read more…]

Spice Up Your Fall In and Around Austin

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If you’re reveling in the break from the heat like I am, then you must want to celebrate and embrace the beautiful fall season that’s now upon us. Fortunately, there is an overwhelming number of things to do in and around Austin when the colors begin to change. Below are many of the stand-outs.

Mount Bonnell

Mt. Bonnell Austin During Fall

Mount Bonnell in the Fall (Photo credit: tlp4682 via Flickr CC)

This one is obvious, for a reason. One of the first things my wife and I did this fall was get up early, grab a coffee, and [Read more…]

Coming Soon: Thinkery, the New Austin Children’s Museum

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Light Lab Austin Children's Museum

Playing with colors in the new Light Lab at Austin Children’s Museum

Perhaps you have noticed that the Austin Children’s Museum is currently closed? Don’t fret, construction on the Thinkery (the official name for the ACM) is only temporary, and the museum is currently scheduled to reopen in December. Future museum guests will be heading to a new location, a brand new facility in the rapidly expanding Mueller Development.

In Austin’s continuously changing landscape, relocations are inevitable, and the best moves involve careful planning and long desired improvements. One of the most obvious limitations of the downtown location was the limited space for both existing and future exhibits. The new museum in Mueller is almost quadruple [Read more…]

Museum of the Weird on 6th St. Draws National Attention with Oddities

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Steve Busti Owner of Museum of the Weird

Hanging out with Steve Busti, enthusiastic owner of Museum of the Weird

Austin is weird, right? It’s how we’ve branded the city.

We’ve all seen the tie-dye shirts, but how weird is Austin really? Is it mermaid mummy weird? Is it shrunken head weird? The Museum of the Weird on 6th St. is that weird.

The Iceman Cometh

When Steve Busti was just a young lad, he went with his aunt to a K-Mart. In the parking lot was a man with a truck, taking money from a line of people as they peeked into the back of it.

Steve’s aunt paid the man and lifted Steve up so he could see into the back of the truck. He came face to face with the world famous Minnesota Iceman – an ape-man frozen in ice, of controversial origin, which has attracted the attention of the FBI, Smithsonian Museum, U.S. Customs and Vice President Walter Mondale. The world famous moniker is not hype. The Iceman has attracted the attention of international paleontologists and scientists. [Read more…]

Touch the Sky with Skydive Temple

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Skydiving Near Austin at Skydive Temple

Photo credit: Sarah Saroy via Flickr CC

The Jump, Part I

I sat there, legs dangling out of a plane 12,000 feet up in the sky, wondering what exactly parachutes are made of.

“You ready for this?” The ex-military instructor screamed in my ear. I mumbled something between Yeah and Oh-lord-please-no-I-want-to-go-home, but the wind swept my words away.

“Alright! Let’s do this!” He grabbed my shoulder. With a three-two-one, my world lurched. I watched a small white plane fly away as we back flipped toward the earth. [Read more…]

Austin Aquarium Coming to North Austin This Year

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Austin-Aquarium-Family-Activities

Editor’s Note, August 26, 2013: We were originally excited about the new Austin Aquarium and looking forward to its opening this year. But as news about the Covinos’ questionable business practices continues to come to light, we feel the need to protect our community and our reputation by officially stating that we do not endorse the Austin Aquarium. Please stay informed as news continues to unfold, and we will do the same.

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Our city already has a zoo and, with the opening of Austin Aquarium before the end of 2013, Austinites will be able to experience another facet of wildlife fun and education.

Austin Aquarium is owned by Vince Covino and his brother Ammon, creators of the aquariums in Portland, OR and Boise, ID. Having experienced success in the northwest U.S., the Covinos moved their families to Austin and launched construction on a new aquarium on Highway 183 near Anderson Mill, in northwest Austin. [Read more…]

Three Surprisingly Dog Friendly Activities in Austin

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Dogs and Austinites go hand in paw. We love our four-legged friends so much that we take them everywhere we can. Though we’re used to taking our dogs jogging, swimming, hiking, and even to work sometimes, you may not know some of the more unusual dog friendly activities in Austin that you can enjoy with your furry friend.

Shopping at The Domain

Dog with Apple MacBook Pro

Photo credit: Market Cred

To many Austinites, The Domain seems like a little slice of Dallas that has been planted in the Capitol City. The place has a lot of glitz and glam. With all of the high-end retail stores and restaurants at The Domain, you might expect to find very strict no-dogs-allowed policies here. [Read more…]

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