Day Trips Archives - Page 9 of 10 - The Austinot

Gruene, Texas Is One of Our Favorite Day Trips from Austin

January 11, 2013 by Brittany Highland 1 Comment

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Gruene Texas Water Tower

The landmark of Gruene Historic District, the water tower

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

Less than an hour south of Austin is Gruene, Texas, an area with a colorful history that’s perfect for a day trip or weekend away.

Founded in the 1840’s, Gruene was once a booming transportation and commerce center. However, the boll weevil disaster and Great Depression hit the town hard, and Gruene was basically a ghost town by 1950.

With the help of friends, many of Gruene’s most important buildings were restored and designated as historic landmarks. Today, Gruene Historic District is a lovely town with an old-time feel that’s easy to appreciate. [Read more…]

Immerse Yourself in Simpler Times at LBJ State Park

January 9, 2013 by Brittany Highland 1 Comment

LBJ State Park Visitor Center

LBJ State Park Visitor Center

While I love city life, there’s something to be said for green space and the simplicity of nature.

Just yesterday we wrote about Laguna Gloria, an outdoor paradise in the middle of Austin.

If you drive a bit further to Stonewall, TX – a little more than an hour west of Austin – you’ll find the beautiful Lyndon B. Johnson State Park. It’s a hundred percent worth the drive. No matter how old you are or who you visit with, there’s a piece of the park for you to enjoy! [Read more…]

J. Lorraine Ghost Town Spooks Area with Mysterious Fun

January 3, 2013 by Brittany Highland Leave a Comment

Remember when we used to use pencil and string to try to draw the perfect circle? If we used that childhood method to draw a circle around Austin, with an hour-long drive as the radius, you’d be astonished by how much you’d find to do within that relatively small area.

For example, have you heard of Manor, TX? It’s located about 13 miles east of the I-35 exit for 290 (read: about half an hour from downtown Austin). Manor is one of those Texas towns that you can drive through without noticing, but it does have one thing going for it. If you turn off 290 and drive a few minutes closer to the middle of nowhere, you’ll find J. Lorraine Ghost Town, a semi-forsaken spot with a tantalizing history. [Read more…]

Heights, Depths & the Rugged In Between at Reveille Peak Ranch

August 21, 2012 by Brittany Highland 2 Comments

Bluebonnets at Reveille Peak Ranch

Bluebonnets in bloom

If you owned 1,300 acres of pristine Texas Hill Country, what would you do with it?

For Vol Montgomery, the answer doesn’t have to do with profit or development, but with preservation and passion. The owner of Reveille Peak Ranch is actively creating a unique community for his friends and family, and those who share his interests.

On most days, Reveille Peak Ranch is a specially-designed haven for a small subset of outdoor sports enthusiasts: mountain bikers, trail runners and scuba divers. But it also functions as happy host to nature studies, school and youth camp outs, community BBQ’s and one-of-a-kind weddings. [Read more…]

Schlitterbahn – New Braunfels: Ultimate Water Park Experience

August 15, 2012 by Guest Blogger 3 Comments

This guest post is by Allen Schowengerdt.

4:30 a.m. Kids wake up.

5:00 a.m. Kids back to bed after a struggle and a small bribe.

6:00 a.m. Kids awake again. It’s clear they’re not going back to bed.

6:30 a.m. We manage to make our way from under the covers, due largely to the automatic coffee pot we set the previous night.

Christmas morning, you ask? Nah. Only the biggest day of our summer vacation and our trek an hour south of Austin to New Braunfels and the greatest water park in the world: Schlitterbahn. [Read more…]

Horseshoe Bay Resort is a Tropical Wonder in Texas Hill Country

June 29, 2012 by Brittany Highland 4 Comments

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Horseshoe Bay Resort is located on Lake LBJ

Lake LBJ is one of the only constant-level lakes in Texas

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Early this week, we had the exciting privilege of visiting Horseshoe Bay Resort on Lake LBJ, and spending the night. To be honest, we had never heard of Horseshoe Bay Resort before arranging our trip. But once we got out there, we couldn’t believe what we had been missing!

Rent jet skis at Horseshoe Bay Resort in Texas

Rent a jet ski for the day from the Horseshoe Bay Marina

Here’s just a taste of what we learned in 24 hours at Horseshoe Bay: [Read more…]

3 Reasons Blanco State Park Should Be on Your Austin Summer To-Do List

June 19, 2012 by Eric Highland 5 Comments

Summer is here in Austin and we’re already starting to feel the heat. For those of you new to the area, it’s only going to get hotter. But there’s good news. Early summer in Austin is one of the best times of the year to break out the picnic basket and get your outdoor time in.

At the Austinot, we love state parks. The parks within a day’s drive of Austin are some of the best in the entire country. Each state park is unique, and every time we write an article we share tips on what to bring, what not to bring and what to expect. Click here to check out related articles on state parks.

One of the parks we visited recently was Blanco State Park. Whether you’re looking for camping, swimming, hiking, [Read more…]

Favorite Texas State Parks Near Austin – Austinot Podcast, Ep. 13

June 8, 2012 by Brittany Highland 10 Comments

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Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Enchanted Rock

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Texas State Parks provide a little bit of everything for everyone. Whether you enjoy tent camping, hiking, fishing, swimming, grilling out, horseback riding or relaxing beneath the shade of your RV, there is a Texas State Park for you.

In today’s Austinot Podcast episode, we barely scratch the surface with four of our Texas State Park picks. We know there are so many more amazing locations across the state, and we’d love to hear about your favorite. For now, here are ours: [Read more…]

Best Texas Swimming Holes on Austinot Podcast Ep. 11

May 18, 2012 by Brittany Highland 21 Comments

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Deep Eddy swimming hole on Town Lake in Austin

Deep Eddy

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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…]

Bastrop State Park Reopens After Fire

April 10, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 4 Comments

The fire around Bastrop State Park in September 2011 left many families and individuals homeless and confused. In the wake of so much desolation and grief, good news becomes twice as nice to hear.

Bastrop State Park will reopen most of its acreage on Friday the 13th. This is great news for nature lovers like myself. Though large sections of the park remain charred and desolate, officials are planning to open the majority of the park for you to enjoy. Hurry before the summer camping rush hits! The newly-opened areas include:

Copperas Creek camping area: This area was off-limits due to extreme fire damage. Nobody knew how dangerous sleeping there could be. By now, all the stong men with saws have trimmed the campground to a safe level. Time has passed, so you will see green life growing from the ashes. Spring time will be perfect for seeing the renaissance of Bastrop State Park. [Read more…]

Top 10 Things to Do in Austin with Kids this Weekend of July 1, 2022 include Bastrop Patriotic Festival, Family Game Night, and More!

If there’s one thing about this city, it’s that there is always something going on. So, if you’re looking for fun things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of July 1, 2022, there’s plenty of fun to be had, including Dive In Movies – Wells Branch, Bastrop Patriotic Festival, and more! Top […]

10 Fun Things to Do in Austin This Weekend of July 1, 2022 Include Brick Rodeo, Party at Independence, and More!

For summer camp information, check out our page for Best Summer Camps in Austin for 2022! If you would like to discover more Things to do in Austin this Week & Things to do in Austin with Kids this Weekend, check out Facebook for immediate notifications.

10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of June 27, 2022 include Pints & Pups at Round Rock Express, Carpenter BBQ Pool Party, and more!

Austin is now among the fastest-growing metroplexes in the US! Keeping up with the growth, luckily there’s plenty going on in Austin all days of the week. There are things to do on Monday in Austin, of course, things to do in Austin on Saturday night, and everything in between! Some of you may be […]

Texas swimming holes near Austin – 10 watering holes for a fun swim this summer

If you have been looking for free places to swim in Austin or googling ‘swimming holes near me’, you are in the right place! Texas is known for a lot of things and one of them is relentlessly hot summers. The temperatures are rising in Austin and across the state. Luckily, there are also many […]

Austin Trampoline Parks – Best Indoor Jumping Places for Kids and Adults!

Trampoline parks were among the decade’s most unique leisure attractions. They offer a playful atmosphere where people can defy the laws of physics and have a good time hurling themselves around. It consists of a large room filled wall to wall with trampolines. On the weekend, you may get rid of your boredom and have […]