Top 10 Austin Activities for Kids
When visiting Texas with kids, it’s good to know what is “kid-friendly” before you suit up and bring your little ones into a disapproving, snooty store or fancy restaurant. These activities are bound to be fun for you and your children! Opt for Austin’s Park n’ Pizza or a Canopy Tour if your kids need to blow off some steam. For a relaxing day, try a stroll through the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center or a refreshing swim at Barton Springs in Zilker Park. These and more kid’s activities in Austin are sure to keep your little ones occupied and at the same time give you a much-needed break:
- Volente Beach Waterpark
- Zilker Park and Barton Springs
- Bats under Congress Street Bridge
- Canopy Tours
- Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary
- Austin Children’s Museum
- Austin’s Park n’ Pizza
- The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
- Longhorn Cavern State Park
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
If you are looking for fun kid’s activities in Austin you’re in luck! Your kids will love a splash-ride at this Texan waterpark. They can choose from a number of exciting, watery rides like the Rattlesnake, the Sidewinder, or the Roadrunner – to name a few. For you adults: see the sun set over beautiful Lake Travis and listen to Volente Beach’s nightly Live Music. For a sophisticated treat try their famous Shrimp Diablo. To see more of the fun activities at Volente Beach check out their interactive website at: www.VolenteBeach.com
Zilker Park has something for everyone! A refreshing spring, hiking and bike trails, live-music theatre, botanical gardens and the Austin Nature and Science Center, picnic areas, and more make this one of the top Austin activities for kids! Your kids will love to toss around a Frisbee, play touch football on the playscape or take a dip in the all-natural Barton Springs. They can also paddleboat on Town Lake or take a ride on a miniature train called the Zilker Zephyr. Best of all, there’s fun stuff for you parents to do: lounge on the hillside and listen to some jazz emanating from the Zilker Hillside Theatre or take a challenging hike on one of Austin’s impressive 50+ miles of trails. To see more visit: www.CI.Austin.tx.us
If you are looking for kid’s activities in Austin here is an unusual tourist attraction: the Congress Street Bridge houses approximately 1.5 million Mexican bats – the largest urban colony in America – that fly out from under their concrete home every dusk from March to November. Be among the hordes watching this eerie flight! Several companies offer bat tours. For a bat tour on segway see: www.SegCity.com. Seg City takes you on an exciting tour of the bat flight among other local attractions and tops the experience off with Austin’s best gelato! Capital Cruises will help you observe the bat flight from the water. Entertainment, cocktails and dinner are available. For Capital Cruises website see: www.CapitalCruises.com. Hang out with your kids and watch these free-tail bats blanket the night!
Austin is home to Cypress Valley Canopy Tours – a company that offers outdoor adventures for you and your children exploring the city by treetop. Don’t worry, you will be completely safe in your harness, and you will get the thrill of zip lining through the trees like a monkey! This tour is not only adrenaline-pumping, it is educational! Let your kids observe nature from a different perspective and talk about it with them on the ride home! For an additional fee, spend the night in the trees! To check out Cypress Valley’s Canopy Tours – one of the most fun Austin activities for kids – view their website: www.CypressValleyCanopyTours.com.
Kids love animals! This zoo isn’t one of those sterile, concrete jungles – it truly puts the animals first! You and your kids will be glad to learn that the Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary is a non-profit rescue zoo – providing homes to at-risk animals. Take your kids and explore! Check out the big cats or the monkeys or one of Austin Zoo’s 300 other animals! To see what the Zoo and Animal Sanctuary has planned for your kid’s activities in Austin at: www.AustinZoo.org
You have to cram a museum in when you are planning a day for your kids, right? Austin Children’s Museum will not disappoint! There are many things for your children to build and interact with. Let your kids check out the Funstruction zone and the Tinkerer’s Workshop – which features the Pip Parachute Drop Tower where your kids can watch pigs fly! All exhibits are designed for interactivity so that your kids can see how things really work! Austin Children’s Museum even has an extensive permanent exhibit designed to entertain children under 2 called the Rising Star Ranch. Don’t miss the feature exhibits, which are always fun for all and are a must-see attraction when it comes to kid’s activities in Austin! Check out the Austin Children’s Museum at: www.AustinKids.org.
Austin’s Park n’ Pizza is a premier spot for kid’s activities in Austin. Featuring all-you-can-eat pasta, salad, and pizza – your kids will be entertained for hours with lazer tag, rock climbing, mini golf, arcade games and so much more! Austin’s Park n’ Pizza has your littlest ones covered too – the teacups ride and bumper boats are little-kid-friendly. Unleash your kids on the batting cages or the paintball arena. Sure to be a good time for all! To check out Austins’ Park n’ Pizza visit their website at: www.AustinsPark.com
The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum – also known as The Story of Texas museum – takes an in-depth look at the Lone Star State and its roots, traditions, and history. The museum is organized by levels which each explore a different theme: Encounters on the Land, Building the Lone Star Identity, and Creating Opportunity. The museum also offers a high-tech IMAX theater – which plays popular movies like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as well as educational features. The museum café has great, down-home food and a quirky menu, which is on theme with the story of Texas. Don’t miss the Texan-history experience! Check out the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and what they have planned for your kid’s activities in Austin at: www.TheStoryofTexas.com.
Don’t miss this Texas attraction! Located a short drive from Austin, Longhorn Cavern State Park is a geological wonder created by thousands of years of water erosion. Your kids will love to see the stalactites and stalagmites as well as hear the history of the cave, which was the hideout of a famous Texas fugitive. Take a daily tour or the more specialized Paranormal Tour for an enhanced viewing experience. For more information about this popular Austin activity for kids visit: www.LonghornCaverns.com
Your kids will love a stroll through this Wildflower Center founded by our former First Lady! The Center features a myriad of trails and theme gardens including: the Ann and O.J. Weber Butterfly Garden, the Erma Lowe Hill Country Stream and the Little House Courtyard – designed specifically for children 2 to 6 years old. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center was founded to preserve native plant species and is an Organized Research Unit for the University of Texas at Austin due to its wealth of indigenous species. Bring your kids and learn about – and bask in the beauty of – some of North America’s most at-risk species. To learn more about the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center –one of the more educational Austin activities for kids – visit: www.Wildflower.org