The Austinot

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

Family Sunday Funday Coming to backYARD at Waller Creek This Spring

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Face Painting at Family Sunday Funday in Austin

Face painting during Family Sunday Funday at backYARD at Waller Creek (Credit: backYARD by Waller Creek)

Guest article by Mandy Heintzelman Smith

As a mom of three little kids, one of my favorite things about Austin is how inclusive its restaurants are for the youngest members of the community. With spring in full bloom, it’s time to get outdoors and relish everything this city has to offer. And I have the perfect event for you to check out with your family: Family Sunday Funday, hosted by backYARD at Waller Creek.

[Read more…]

Start-Up Kids Club Inspires Young Entrepreneurs in Austin

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Start-Up Kids Club Austin Texas

Start-Up Kids Club helps children develop critical thinking skills, confidence, and responsibility
(Credit: Start-Up Kids Club)

Entrepreneurship flows within the veins of our city. And while we typically hear about businesses founded by adult Austinites, that doesn’t mean kids can’t participate in the fun. Start-Up Kids Club is a local nonprofit that provides children with the opportunity to found their own start-up business, while learning critical thinking and other skills that propel them through school and life.

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10 Entertaining Things to Do With Toddlers in Austin

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Lion Exhibit at Austin Zoo

Local lions Sango and Jelani (Credit: Austin Zoo)

Any parent of a toddler has asked this question with a sigh of soul-crushing dread: What are we going to do today? Coloring books? All scribbled on and ripped up. Watch “Moana” for the 80th time? He’s over it. Play with the dozens of toy cars he’s acquired in two short years of life? Either stuffed under the couch or tossed in the toilet.

Luckily, Austin has dozens of outings designed with little ones in mind. From splash pads, to parks, to trails lined with towering dinosaurs, here are 10 things to do with toddlers in Austin.

[Read more…]

6 Family-friendly Restaurants in Austin

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Family-friendly Restaurants in AustinIt all starts with a whimper. A slow-building, blood-curdling moan of discontent. One minute your little one is gleefully coloring in a pizza pie maze on the back of a paper place mat. The next, he’s reaching for your glass of chardonnay. Horror washes over you like a tidal wave. Little Johnny is over sitting in his kiddie chair and the appetizers haven’t even arrived yet.

Anyone who’s tried to bring their child to a restaurant knows the struggle. Regardless of age, temperament, or the mountain of toys you bring to keep the kids occupied, some eateries are more suited to families than others. Here are six of my favorites family-friendly restaurants in Austin [Read more…]

Free Places to Have Fun With Your Kids in Austin

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Child The Thinkery in Austin

The Thinkery will amaze children and adults alike (Credit: Donnie Ray Jones via Flickr CC)

Guest article by Dana Minney

When I was pregnant with twins and living in New York City 12 years ago, I couldn’t wait to move to Austin, TX. People enthusiastically described how “livable” and even “weird” it was here. Most importantly, everyone agreed there’s no better city to raise a family in.

They did not lie!

Now my boys are 11 and a half and have lived here nearly all their lives. We so enjoy it here that we can’t imagine living back east, or anywhere else. Austin is where it’s at, and we sure do get around this town.

If you are also a parent who likes to get out and learn, do and experience life together with your kids, here is a short list of FREE opportunities to help you on your way. [Read more…]

Esther’s Follies Summer Camps Teach Fine Art of Vaudeville

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Esther's Follies Stage in Austin

Taking the stage at Esther’s Follies (Credit: Tamara via Flickr CC)

For 38 years, Esther’s Follies has been doing an important job for the city of Austin by blending old school Vaudeville shenanigans with political satire. Now they’re excited about training a new generation in the beloved art form that gave us Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and The Three Stooges with School of Comedy summer camps.

38 Years of Vaudeville

On April 1, 1977, Esther’s Follies presented its first show. Every week since, they’ve been playing to the crowd with sketch, improv, stand up comedy, musical numbers and magic shows, all the while poking fun at politics and society.

Named after famed actress and synchronized swimmer Esther Williams, the Follies carries on the vaunted tradition of Vaudeville entertainment. [Read more…]

Hill Country Science Mill Creating New Generation of Problem Solvers

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Light Wall Hill Country Science Mill

Light wall at Hill Country Science Mill in Johnson City, TX (Credit: Kevin Tully/A Smith Gallery)

Guest article by Anne Hebert

A 40-foot wall of LED lights demonstrating the power of cell phone signals. A giant Romenesco broccoli-shaped sculpture illuminating fractals. A lifelike look at the inside of the Edwards Aquifer, showing the water cycle.

Would you imagine you’d find each of these inside once-defunct grain silos?

This is the new Hill Country Science Mill in Johnson City, a non-profit science museum that encourages interactive learning, creative thinking and scientific discussion.

The 14,000-square-foot space features more than 25 interactive and educational exhibits, plus hands-on maker stations and art installations, all designed to spark kids’ interest and help them fall in love with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). [Read more…]

Frog and Toad at Zach Theatre for Kids and Kids at Heart

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Nicholas Kier and Chase Brewer at Zach Theatre

Chase Brewer (Toad) and Nicholas Kier (Frog) in Zach Theatre’s A Year with Frog and Toad

Frog and Toad are your friends. They’ve been your friends for more than 40 years, since the two leap-frogged from Arnold Lobel’s head into the now classic children’s books.

A Year with Frog and Toad, playing at Zach Theatre through November 29, 2014, cleverly delivers the favorite stories of Lobel onto the stage with catchy tunes you will hum long after you leave the theatre. Director Nat Miller has crafted the latest version of the Tony-nominated show, which will take you back to the imaginary world of childhood. [Read more…]

Celebrate Autumn at Sweet Berry Farm with Fun Activities

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Sweet Berry Farm Pumpkins Near Austin

Take one of these guys home to spruce up your porch (Credit: Sweet Berry Farm)

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” –Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1842

I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Hawthorne, and I’m convinced he was specifically talking about autumn in the Hill Country. Fall here is its own unique kind of wonderful.

Maybe it’s the way the hills light up as the sun sets and gives way to cooler nights, or maybe it’s the fact that we feel like we’ve waited an eternity for some sort of relief from the sweltering heat, anything that would allow us to wear boots and scarves and flannel shirts. (You know dressing up is your favorite thing about fall, too.) [Read more…]

Kids Learn Video Game Development at Game Worlds

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Game Worlds Video Game Camp for Kids in Austin

Lab time at Game Worlds (Credit: Alicia Andrew)

When I was a kid, video games like Nintendo and Atari were thought of as time wasters and brain drainers. Since then, they have developed into amazing pieces of creative art.

What hasn’t changed are parents wanting their kids to do something in the summer besides playing video games.

If a compromise can’t be made, or you want to focus your child’s interest towards something productive, I recommend Game Worlds. [Read more…]

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