Discoveries Archives - Page 66 of 72 - 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…]

Play Games and Socialize Seven Days a Week at Great Hall Games

January 4, 2013 by Brittany Highland 4 Comments

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Small World Great Hall Games

Owner Rob Smith with popular board game, Small World

Sometimes when you’re looking for things to do in Austin, you want to find something a little more low-key. We recently discovered Great Hall Games on N. Lamar near 2222 (5501 N. Lamar Blvd.). It’s become our go-to spot to spend a couple of hours playing games together in a friendly, laid-back environment.

Great Hall Games keeps an active schedule, with planned activities six days of the week. Here’s the rundown: [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…]

Top 5 Things to Do in Austin to Brighten Your New Year

December 31, 2012 by Brittany Highland Leave a Comment

How long have you lived in Austin? I’d bet money that it’s less than two years. Maybe even less than a year.

Now, it could be that the odds are in my favor. People who have lived in Austin for more than two years are seasoned Austinites. They don’t need to read blogs to find things to do in Austin.

Or it could be that my initial hunch is right. True blooded, native born Austinites have all dissolved into thin air, displaced by the pressure of so many transplants. (Though I did live here as a young kid, and I did go to UT, I’m a transplant too. But that’s beside the point.) [Read more…]

Austin Jewelry That Your Friends Don’t Have…Yet

December 27, 2012 by Brittany Highland Leave a Comment

Austin Jewelry Company Vinca

Amanda Dimova in her local jewelry shop

Amanda Dimova liked to make things as a kid. While her friends aspired to be singing stars or ballerinas, she was inspired by the hands-on creativity that she saw in her parents.

As college students, Amanda’s parents started making homemade children’s shoes out of their apartment. They used scissors and hand-sewn needlework. Like other self-made Americans who we love to champion, they eventually expanded to a 20,000 square foot business in Brownwood, TX.

Vinca Gets Its Start

With a heritage like this, Amanda believed that she too could build a business from the ground up. Though her creative interests began with fashion design, she began making jewelry out of the leather scraps from her parents’ shoe factory. She founded an Austin jewelry company called Vinca, after a flower that her parents used to sew onto their children’s shoes. [Read more…]

HELM Boots Comes Home with Made in U.S.A. Label

December 18, 2012 by Brittany Highland Leave a Comment

HELM Boots Founder Joshua Bingaman

Joshua Bingaman, HELM Boots Founder

The Old Man and the Sea. Marlon Brando. Neil Young. Lobster fishing. Growing beards, smoking pipes, riding motorcycles, wearing dirty blue jeans.

These all-American, working-man images have inspired HELM Boots founder Joshua Bingaman to pursue the difficult task of producing a boot that is made entirely in the U.S.A. The quality of his work has earned the partnership of a generations-old shoe factory in Maine. More recently, Nordstrom picked up the brand to sell online and in stores nationwide. [Read more…]

All Disc Golfers Go to Heaven at Roy G. Guerrero Disc Golf Course

December 13, 2012 by Guest Blogger 19 Comments

This guest blog post is by Hunter Stanford.

All day we saw six people, were never in danger of being hit by a car, never once wondered just where the heck we were, and actually caught a glimpse of some seemingly unspoiled nature.

Further, there were no hordes of joggers, groups of stubborn mothers hogging the walkway, or middle school punks with their glares.

These, my friend, are some fine stats for a disc golf course. [Read more…]

We’re Round Rock Honey Beekeepers for a Day, You Can Do It Too

November 28, 2012 by Brittany Highland Leave a Comment

Round Rock Honey Beekeeper

“There’s no graceful way to put on a bee suit,” one of my guides assured me as I awkwardly suited up inside Round Rock Honey’s warehouse. She’s seen her share of eager beekeeper novices, having taught bee keeping classes for the public during the summer, and for home school and other groups year-round.

Round Rock Honey founder Konrad Bouffard joined us, and together we drove a short distance to a group of bee hives. They sit in plain sight of a busy road, but theft is rarely a threat or concern. Few people are equipped to face a hive full of angry bees, no matter how much they’re craving honey.

An Austin Chiropractor Who Understands

November 13, 2012 by Eric Highland Leave a Comment

First timers are often skeptical about using a chiropractor. I know I was.

I mean after all, you are literally putting your body into the hands of a stranger who is going to manipulate it, making it snap, crackle and pop.

Admittedly, the first time I ever went to a chiropractor was out of desperation. I was just out of high school and had this pain in my neck that wouldn’t allow me to turn my neck to the left at all. I tried everything and nothing worked. Then a friend suggested a chiropractor and, with great hesitation, I went in.

Fifteen minutes later, I was out of the office. My neck was like new and I was totally floored.

Now there should be a fair warning: [Read more…]