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Austin Children's Museum
201 Colorado Street Austin, TX 78701
512-472-2499
| Austin Children's Museum creates innovative learning experiences for children and families that equip and inspire the next generation of creative problem solvers. Austin Children's Museum is an essential catalyst and trusted advisor in a community that works together to become more creative, more inventive, and more competent. |
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Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
1800 N. Congress Ave. Austin, TX
512-936-8746
| Climb through time at this sophisticated three-story museum, which highlights more than five hundred years of history, from the Conquistadors and Karankawas to the space program. Displays are conveniently positioned for munchkins and grown-ups alike, and many offer extrasensory extras: stroking a patch of buffalo hide, sniffing oil-well sulfur, and listening to Texas music from the forties and fifties. Six theater kiosks provide video spins on the hardships of the Comanche, the lifestyles of cowboys, the impact of oil, and more. Even with all this, the big draw here is the IMAX Theatre, where Texas history takes a backseat to, say, U2 in 3-D or the Grand Canyon coming at you full throttle. |
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Congress Ave. Bridge Bat Colony
Congress Ave. at Town Lake Austin, TX 78703
512-416-5700
| From roughly April through late September Austin hosts North America’s largest urban bat colony, as 1.5 million bats migrate north from central Mexico to their favorite roost in the city—underneath the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. The show begins at dusk, when these unique creatures take flight in search of the evening’s food. Farther south down the avenue are funky shops, trendy dining spots, unique accommodations, galleries, and music venues. The first Thursday of each month, merchants of the pedestrian-friendly avenue keep their doors open until 10 p.m. for special events and activities. April–Sept., sunset at the Bat Observation Area (west parking lot of the Austin American-Statesman building). |
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State Capitol and Capitol Visitors Center
State Capitol: E. 11th and Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78701
512-463-0063
| Fourteen feet higher than the nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C., the Texas Capitol presides over downtown Austin from atop a gentle hill. The visitors center offers exhibits and short videos about the history of the Capitol and a gift shop. Admission: Free. Call for hours and tours. |
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Zilker Park, Zilker Botanical Garden, and Barton Springs Pool
2220 Barton Springs Rd. Austin, TX 78746
512-472-4914 (information) 512-327-8181 (nature center)
| This huge city park is the site of the invigorating 68-degree spring-fed Barton Springs Pool. There are lots of other good reasons to hang out here too: an imaginative playscape, a miniature train that circles through the park, a hillside amphitheater, botanical gardens, and the Austin Science and Nature Center, with science displays, classes, and local wildlife, including various orphaned or injured creatures. Also in the park are miles of hike and bike trails, a disc golf course, rugby and soccer fields, sand volleyball courts, and canoe and kayak rentals. Call for hours and fees. |
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