This
is a place where thousands of people
look for the famous bats that call the
Congress Street Bridge home, and
fly into the evening sky in the
hundreds of thousands. You can even eat
in several Austin restaurants with
excellent views of the bridge and the
nightly flight. This is also a place
where you can experience "moonlight"
every night, even if the sky is
overcast. Compared to Houston, built on
a swampy bayou, and Dallas/Fort Worth
-- sitting on bald prairie -- Austin's
setting is perfect for a major vacation
stay: a launching point for adventures
into Hill Country including several
larger lakes just an hour's drive from
the city center.
The
first settlement beside the Colorado
River was named Waterloo, founded by
Jacob Harrell in 1835. It was an
advantageous place to develop a town,
with three creeks flowing from the
hills into the Colorado. One of these,
Barton Creek, was named by another
pioneer, William Barton, for whom
Barton's Springs were named.
This large spring (the fourth largest
in Texas) lie a few hundred yards from
the Colorado, and is a natural
treasure. A large public pool takes
water from the spring, providing a fine
swimming spot. The city is blessed with
walking, hiking and bike trails along
both sides of the river, and along the
three creeks, as well as in other
linear parks.
Harrell
and Barton came here when the region
was still in the hands of the Commanche
and Tonkawa tribes. The natives used
the springs for rest and relaxation.
When the town was designated Texas'
capital, it was named for Stephen F.
Austin, the "father" of the Republic of
Texas. In 1839, the town survey was
completed in three months, and the
process of building the city began. The
city was built facing the Colorado
River. A wide grand avenue, Congress
Street, was to run from the banks
of the river to the top of the highest
hill. All streets running north and
south were named for Texas Rivers, and
streets running east and west were
named for Texas trees. The tree streets
were later given numbers&emdash;an
unfortunate outcome for
naturalists.
Austin
lost its status as the capital in 1841
when Mexican Troops took San Antonio
and the government was moved to other
towns to avoid it being overtaken by
Mexican invaders. When Texas became a
state, on July 4, 1845, the Austin
again became the capital, but only
provisionally. Two subsequent
state-wide referenda (in 1850 and 1872)
were held to finalize the decision. The
Highland Lakes, including Lake
Austin and the much longer Lake Travis,
Lake Marble Falls, Lake Lyndon B.
Johnson, Inks Lake, and Lake Buchanan
(all northwest of the city), are the
result of a series of dams built by the
Lower Colorado River Authority
beginning in 1893.
What
to See and Do
Visitor
Center
For
those starting a vacation in the Austin
area, you make the office of the Austin
Convention and Visitors Bureau an early
stop. The visitor center offers a
wealth of material on the city and
surroundings, including recreational
maps, walking tour brochures, and lists
of hundreds of things to do in the
city. The center is located at 201 East
2nd Street. It's open Monday through
Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and
Sundays from 1-5 p.m. Call (512)
478-0098
Sampling
Austin's History
One
of the best ways to become steeped in
Austin's fascinating history is to
spend 90 minutes taking a free walking
tour of the city's downtown area.
Offered by the Austin Visitors and
Convention Bureau, the three different
daily tours provide a look into the
lives of the town's early pioneers by
visiting such places as the M.M. Long
Livery Stable, which later became the
site of Austin's opera house in 1871.
Because of the undeniable odor of
manure, the opera was moved to a less
pungent location within a short time.
Stops include the lavishly restored
Paramount Theater, an old vaudeville
house where the Marx Brothers and Will
Rogers starred. The 90-minute tours
start at the south steps of the state
Capitol, at the north end of Congress
Avenue. A tour of Congress Avenue and
East 6th Street starts at 9 a.m.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and at
2 p.m. on Sunday. The Bremond Block
Tour is offered at 11 a.m. on Saturday
and Sunday. The Capitol Grounds tour is
available Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday
at 9 a.m.
Other
tour possibilities include a look at
the Governor's Mansion, at 1010
Colorado Street. Free tours of this
ante-bellum home are offered Monday
through Friday from 10 to 11:40 p.m.,
with new tours beginning every twenty
minutes. Separate tours of the Capitol
Complex (East 11th and Brazos) are
available Tuesday through Friday from 9
a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekends from noon
to 5 p.m. This is not the present
Capitol, but is the oldest government
building in Texas, dating back to 1857.
The building functions as a visitor
center and Texas History Museum. For
information, call (512)
305-8400.
Tours
of the State Capitol Building (11th and
Congress) are offered Monday-Friday
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on
Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
and Sundays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Admission is free
Brochures
are available for self-guided tours of
the Texas State Cemetery, as well as
Hyde Park, the Bremond Block, and the
Congress/E. 6th Avenue area. Pick up
the brochures at the city information
center, or call (512) 478-0098 for
further information.
Bats
Under the Bridge
Every
year, in late March, more than a
million Mexican free-tailed bats arrive
to nest under the Congress Avenue
Bridge. Most of the bats are females,
returning to Austin to give birth and
raise their pups (one pup for each
female). The bats came after the bridge
was rebuilt in 1980, creating new
expansion joints below the bridge deck.
These opening proved to be perfect for
bats to hang in and to raise their
young in a protected environment. At
dusk, the adult bats leave the bridge
to fly in great numbers across the hill
country, eating millions of insects
each night. Educational kiosks are
located on the north and south banks of
the river, providing bat facts and
places from which to see the daily
flights. Several nearby restaurants
offer good viewing points.
Moonlight
Towers
Before
1900, several American cities erected
light towers to simulate moonlight.
Starting in 1894, Austin's moonlight
towers were erected to light the
darker, unpaved areas of the city. 31
towers were put up during the next few
years. At the top of the towers were
carbon arc lamps, replaced in 1923 with
incandescent bulbs. While other cities
removed their towers, 17 of Austin's
remained and they have been refurbished
and each has been refitted with six
mercury vapor lamps, casting as much
light as 12,600 candles and lighting an
area of four square blocks. The towers
are made of cast and wrought iron, and
provide a unique night-time experience.
During Christmas season, the tower in
Zilker Park is used as a Christmas
Tree, with a huge star at the top and
thousands of lights for
decoration.
Outdoor
Recreation
Town
Lake, the widening of the Colorado
River through the city, provides a
great opportunity to indulge in water
activity, including boating, canoeing,
kayaking, and swimming. The north shore
of the river is a linear park, with a
walking trail and day-use parks spotted
along the shoreline. Similarly, the
south bank of the river has several
parks, linked to the north side by
bridges and trails. The city boasts 18
miles of paved trails, mostly along the
river but also along the creeks, plus
14 miles of unpaved trails through
natural areas. These trails are open to
the public between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. A
particular favorite is the 7.5-mile
trail leads beside Barton Creek, from
the river past the Barton Springs Pool,
and through the riparian habitat into
the hills. The Town Lake Loop Trail
features 10-miles of trailways on both
sides of the river. For a shorter walk,
take the Walker Creek Walkway, not
quite a mile along the creek, and a
quarter-mile of nature trail in the
Waterloo Park area (15th Street south
to 10th Street. The city has done a
wonderful job in creating these
greenbelt areas in the midst of the
built-up urban area.
At
Barton Springs, water gushes to
the surface from the Edwards Aquifer at
a constant 68 degrees. A thousand-foot
pool has been created and it has become
Austin's favorite swimming hole. The
pool is open year-round, with admission
charged from mid-March through October.
The pool is within Zilker Park, one of
the moonlight tower locations, and a
multipurpose recreational area with a
botanical garden, including rose and
oriental sections, canoe rentals, a
nine-hole disc (Frisbee) golf course,
and the Hillside Theater offering
sumemr musicals, movies and concerts.
The Eagle Train is a miniture railroad
offering kids rides around the park.
The train operates daily from 10 a.m.
to dusk, year-round.
Lake
Cruises
The
Lone Star Riverboat provides
excursions on Town Lake, with a focus
on the city's colorful river history.
The trip takes about 90 minutes, and no
reservations are required. The
riverboat is docked on the south shore,
between the Congress and South First
Street bridges. From June through
August, the boat departs Tuesday
through Sunday at 5:30 p.m., with a
Friday Moonlight Cruise at 10:30 p.m.
From September through November,
departures are on Saturdays and Sundays
at 3 p.m. For information, call (512)
327-1388.
LBJ
Presidential Library and
Museum
Located
on the Campus of the University of
Texas, the striking library building
houses Lyndon Baines Johnson's papers
and other memorabilia, at 2313 Red
River, one block west of Interstate 35.
This is the largest of the nation's
presidential libraries, providing a
close look at President Johnson's term
in the White House, and the Great
Society programs. Displays include a
Vietnam War exhibit, and gifts to the
President from many heads of state. The
library is open daily, from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. Admission is free, (512)
482-5236.
National
Wildflower Research Center
Founded
in 1982 by Lady Bird Johnson, this
marvelous facility is now located on 42
acres in southwest Austin. With
striking architecture and botanical
features, the center has more than two
acres of formally landscaped gardens
and courtyards displaying Texas' native
wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, and
trees. The building contains a Visitors
Gallery with a museum of wildflowers, a
children's section, and North America's
largest rooftop water-collection
system, including a 45-foot stone
tower. The complex uses no water piped
from outside to irrigate the
gardens.
Informal
garden areas include a butterfly
garden, Meditation Garden, and
Children's Garden. Two shade pavilions
run the entire length of the
demonstration gardens. The complex
(costing $10 million to construct)
included an auditorium, a video viewing
room, and the Wildflower Cafe. Picnic
areas are located near the structure.
The buildings and gardens are
wheelchair-accessible. For information,
call (512) 292-4200. The Veloway, a
specially designed cycling area is
located near the Wildflower Research
Center.
Steam
Train Excursion
The
Hill Country Flyer, operated by
the Austin & Texas Central
Railroad, runs two excursions through
the hill country near Austin. The route
was built in 1881, running freight and
passenger services, primarily to tap
the natural resources of the region.
The Flyer leaves the northwest side of
Austin through 33 miles of fine
scenery, including a steep drop through
Short Creek Canyon, then crossing the
San Gabriel River. In the spring,
wildflowers are in abundant display.
The train stops on a high, rocky ridge
and descends to the Hamilton Creek
Valley and the historic town of Burnet.
The train stops here for lunch, with
enough time for a stroll through the
town and beside the creek. The Flyer
runs every Saturday and Sunday leaving
Cedar Park at 10 a.m., arriving at
Burnet at 12:30 p.m., leaving Burnet at
3:00 p.m. and returning to Austin at
5:30 p.m. The air conditioned cars are
parlor/sleeper cars from the 1950s with
lounge or compartment seating
available.
The
second run is the Twilight
Flyer, leaving Cedar Park on
selected Saturdays at 7 p.m. This is a
two-hour excursion with complimentary
hors d'oeuvres plus beer, wine, and
soft drinks. For reservations and
costs, call (512) 477-8468.
