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

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Christmas Lights in Austin Area – Best Holiday Lights 2021

November 29, 2021 by Joleen Jernigan 5 Comments

Bastrop Holiday Lights Trail
Christmas Lights in Austin, Texas: Bastrop is aglow with the warmth and twinkly lights of the season (Credit: Colin Guerra)

Are you looking for Christmas Lights in Austin area? Read on to find out the best places to enjoy holiday displays with your family in and around the Hill Country.

Hear, hear, the sparkly season is near! From now through the end of the season, festive holiday light trails adorn Texas Hill Country, and we’ve discovered the best and brightest dazzlers around.

We love love love the Trail of Lights at Zilker Park, yet if you want to set forth on an illuminated adventure beyond Austin’s most famous light trail, follow these shining beacons signaling from across Texas Hill Country.

These holiday light trails go above and beyond for those of us beguiled by the night and mesmerized by shiny objects. Yeah, I’m waaay into it. If you crave holiday glitz and are up for a quick road trip, then these nine Hill Country destinations will satisfy your quest to shine on.

One exciting new trend I’ve noticed this year is that some of these light trails have added even more events, attractions, and/or lights, and most of them are open longer than before. This gives you extra time to make the short road trip to experience these twinkly trails.

Note: I’ve added the distances to each trail from the Texas State Capitol this year to better help you plan your trip. Happy lights-gazing!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Archives Tagged With: Bastrop, christmas, johnson city, marble falls, new braunfels, san antonio, san saba, wimberley

10 Best of Texas Wine Country: Where to Go Now and Why

July 29, 2019 by Camellia Falcon Leave a Comment

Best of Texas Wine Country

The first time I went to Texas Hill Country as a wine destination was about 15 years ago. It was akin to visiting a small farm, and I left without bothering to dream of what it could become.

If this story were made into a romantic comedy, a montage would now begin of Texas wine makers learning the Texas grapes, testing and finding the grape varietals that were going to work best in Texas, and building beautiful tasting rooms and properties. People from all over the world would hear of the Texas Wine Country region, as the number of wineries grew to more than 260. I would return a decade later, and fall in love.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Day Trips, Discoveries, Drink, Food & Drink Tagged With: fredericksburg, johnson city, wine, winery

Hill Country Day Trip Guide to Johnson City Area

September 17, 2015 by Edgar Barguiarena 2 Comments

Hill Country Day Trip Guide Johnson City

As much as we love the city of Austin, one of our favorite things to do here at the Austinot is discover quick weekend getaways that allow us to explore city’s backyard. When you get tired of the hustle and bustle of one of the fastest growing cities in America, you have a treasure trove of options within an hour’s drive of downtown. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Day Trips, Discoveries Tagged With: johnson city

Hill Country Science Mill Creating New Generation of Problem Solvers

February 11, 2015 by Guest Blogger 1 Comment

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…]

Filed Under: Culture, Day Trips, Discoveries, Museums Tagged With: for kids, johnson city

Hill Country’s Lewis Wines Characterizes the Future of Texas Wine

July 18, 2013 by Matthew Champion 4 Comments

Doug Lewis and Duncan McNabb Lewis Wines

Doug Lewis and Duncan McNabb (Photo credit: Texas Wine Lover)

This guest blog post is by Matt Champion.

The Texas wine industry is rapidly expanding every year, and it’s not just the big operations that are making noise. A little place called Lewis Wines, just outside of Johnson City, is a prime example of quality over quantity. The winery opened earlier this year and has been creating buzz ever since.

Owners Doug Lewis and Duncan McNabb (both in their twenties) met in college. They got their start working at Pedernales Cellars and haven’t looked back. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Drink, Food & Drink Tagged With: johnson city, wine

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…]

Filed Under: Day Trips, Discoveries Tagged With: johnson city, texas state parks

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Things to do

Things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of March 3 | 14th Annual Sherwood Forest Faire

Top 13 things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of March 3, 2023 include 14th Annual Sherwood Forest Faire, Children’s Business Fair, 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 March 3, 2023, there’s plenty of fun to be had, including 14th Annual Sherwood Forest Faire, Children’s Business Fair, Fostering Recovery: Bark in the Park, […]

Things to do in Austin this weekend of March 3 | BBQ Austin by Rodeo Austin

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There are plenty of fun things to do in Austin this Weekend of March 3 which include BBQ Austin by Rodeo Austin, Dancing with the Stars Live, Seltzerland, and more! Whether you’re planning a date or having fun with friends, these events and things to do in Austin this weekend may be right for you. Deal […]

Things to do in Austin this week of February 27 | Garden Bros. Nuclear Circus

10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of February 27, 2023 include Garden Bros. Nuclear Circus, Muse in Concert, and more!

Our top choices for things to do in Austin this Week of February 27, 2023, include Garden Bros. Nuclear Circus, Muse in Concert, ATX Open, 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 […]

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Every year, it gets harder to miss the cues of Cupid’s arrival when Valentine’s Day comes around the corner. The local eateries draw chalk hearts next to their Daily Specials, arrows start sticking out of engorged heart balloons and the internet starts getting populated with V-Day Event Diaries. How do you find reliable, vetted, and […]

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Recently I found myself wrapped up in one of those fleeting moments of self-empowerment, tickled by a craving for adventure. Interested in re-entering the dating pool, but also daunted by how exhausting the process can be, I decided the only way to start dating was to cannonball in. So I created a challenge for myself: […]

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