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Hight rate 21 location for tourist in Austin, TX (part 3)
06-2025 ATX Sign in Hight rate 21 location for tourist in Austin, TX (part 3)Zilker Nature Preserve - Austin H. Ash (Gus Kase): Amazing place. Didnt get to see it all, but Ive heard everyone loves it and can see by the field of people sitting out on blankets on a good day.
ā Barton Springs Pool,
though, is why I came, and I am glad I did. Its such a cool place with a unique vibe.
Cant believe Ive visited it before. Its now a ritual for me to go back every time Im in town now!
The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center - Austin Azalea R: Very cool museum! 5$ for students and seniors. There are two areas downstairs and one area on the second floor. Very cool rooftop with views of congress and the capitol building. Beautiful works of art. I will definitely be back.
Republic Square - Austin Mari Almz: This park dates back to the 1800s and has seen Austin evolve around it. There are benches, restrooms, a cafƩ nearby, and sometimes live events, which make it feel lively and connected to the community.
That said, like many parts of downtown, thereās often a visible homeless presence. As a woman, Iāve personally felt a little uneasy here at timesānot because anythingās happened, but just because you never really know. Most of the people keep to themselves, and Iāve never been directly bothered. There are also police patrolling the area regularly, which helps make it feel a bit more secure.
Overall, itās a solid downtown parkābeautiful in the day, maybe not somewhere Iād linger alone late at night. But for a mid-day break or a weekend market, itās a great little spot.
Botanical Gates of Paradise - Austin Nicole Beyer: This was tough... Ive been to at least 15 botanical gardens in my life and this unfortunately was not the best for 3 reasons.
1. Parking, they have a sign claiming the lot is full, you then park (as a non local) in the closest parking lot you see (pay $7, hike up a hill) and come through the lot that was "full" to an array of parking spots.... Need better signage and instruction for the lot at the back entrance that was WIDE OPEN!
2. The water features, the bigger water feature had a few fun falls. However there were maybe 2 fish total in the pond, barely any pond plants and no big architectural art or pieces anywhere. It was plain, boring, and unkept. The different waterways/levels to keep the pond going were filled with debris and yuck from not being cleaned often enough.
3. Where are the flowers and staff??? For a botanical garden all that was "in bloom" was day lilies. Now I know this is TX and the climate can literally kill but!!! Where is the staff during experience to provide direction and fun facts??? Where (or honestly who!) are the Horticulturalists that do the garden design so every section always have something in bloom???? The entire garden honestly reminded me of going to someones house whose mom picked out the plants years ago and just put in a ton of purple cone flowers for butterflies, lilies and Irises because they are easy and green shrubbery to fill the space.
Mind you, this was an $8 experience but, I felt I got a way more fun and visually tantalizing experience going to the Hill Country Water Garden greenhouse instead! And thats a greenhouse for shopping... Plan smart to save your time, money, and sweat. P.s. the cactus garden was pitiful! Small plants, small layout, no design!
Octopus House - Austin Gary Gentile jr: You get what you see. Super cool house that you stop and get a picture of.
Mount Bonnell - Austin Samiha Tanjeem: Never a bad sunset at Mount Bonell. This is my absolute favourite place in Austin for an escape from reality. The vibes here are always unmatched. PS if you donāt want to climb the stairs to the mountain top, use the sloped path thatās a little further than the stairs (keep going straight to spot it)
Austin Troll Malin - Austin Patrick Atchison: Pretty amazing piece of art. Weve seen one in Breckenridge, CO so we had to make the stop while visiting Austin. The art gets 5 stars, we had a bit of trouble parking... But thats only because they had a huge festival going on.
Texas African American History Memorial - Austin The K Green Show: Bravo Texas for this wonderful monument depicting and giving so much great African American history both in a global sense but how Blacks have contributed to the rich history in Texas. The sculpture work is amazing and tells a great story. B R A V O.
Austin Sign - Austin Flatt Brooklyn (FlattFamily): Took me a second to find but if you want to find it look for la patisserie and gwt the macaroons omg its next door and its sooo cute
Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge Observation Deck - Austin Emily Goodin: Considering the current south shore plant/tree overgrowth (April 2024) I think THIS is the best place to stand when waiting for the bats to come out from under the bridge. Yes the bats begin to emerge on the south side first, but you dont need to see the *first* bats to see an impressive display. As it turns out, we didnt see a large group of bats this evening (it rained and was generally too cool), but we did see (and hear) some bats, and the trip to the bridge was worthwhile. We waited from 30 minutes before until about 50 minutes after sunset, then left. Austin has a lovely skyline! We walked here from our hotel near the convention center, along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail. It was a very pleasant walk with lots of tree cover.
