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
more information.
Things
to See and Do
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 it's a good idea to
reserve. The riverboat is docked under the S. 1st St.
Bridge on the south shore of Town Lake. the boat offers
public sightseeing and sunset bat watching cruises
Mar-Oct. The sightseeing cruise runs Saturdays and
Sundays at 3:00 p.m., for 90 minutes The cost is $9 The
sunset cruise has a varied schedule and is 1 hour long.
The fee is $8 per person. Call 512-327-1388. More
information is on the Lone Star Riverboat
website.
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 and 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.
