The Best 36-Hours in Austin, TX with the Kids

Only have a short weekend to see the capital city of Texas? If planned accordingly, you can have the best 36-hours in Austin with your family. Known as the “Live Music Capital of the World”, the city of Austin is one of the most visited in the state of Texas. This metropolis of nearly 1 million residents is a beautiful mix of greenscapes and skyscrapers, lending to a large variety of things to do during your family vacation. Between the State Capitol building, many museums, and festivals such as South by Southwest, there are no shortage of activities to fill your itinerary.

Just a note: If thinking about a future visit to either Austin or San Antonio, and you are planning to rent a car, consider flying into either city. You may find better flight options and prices going into one versus the other. This happened to be the case for us during a recent trip to San Antonio. Our plan was to only visit San Antonio, but prices were better flying into Austin. Being that the cities are only 80 miles apart, we decided to add it to our itinerary. And we were glad we did!

Accomodations:

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Austin Parmer/Tech Ridge

The Austin Parmer/Tech Ridge area is located in North Austin, which is about a 25-minute drive to Downtown Austin.

If you plan to rent a car, where you stay should be based on how long you can tolerate being in a car when traveling. Keep in mind, Austin is a bustling city with both tourists and professionals alike. Traffic is to be expected! We chose this North Austin hotel based solely on price. As with most destinations, the further out of the city you stay, the more cost effective it will be. We also decided on the Fairfield by Marriott as they always have a decent continental breakfast, and this location in particular has suites available.

Morning

To start off the day, head to Summer Moon for a delicious cup of joe. This Texas based, family-owned coffee company can be found throughout the city of Austin. Known for their “Moon Milk” (Summer Moon’s version of sweet cream), a piping hot or crispy cold latte will not disappoint. Summer Moon also has a variety of baked goods and the ever-popular breakfast tacos to choose from, if you are hungry as well.

After fueling your belly for the day, the first stop is the Thinkery, a popular children’s museum in the heart of the city. If you are like me, I am always looking for attractions that cater specifically to kids. Children’s museums, whether big or small, are always perfect to add to your itinerary. Not only are they a fantastic way for your kids to exert their energy and learn a few things along the way, but they are usually “yes” spaces that allow for some freedom and independence for the kiddos.

The Thinkery has two locations, their main flagship museum “Meredith Learning Lab” is located in the Mueller neighborhood, and their small community center is located in Del Valle. Our visit to Austin took us to just their main museum. Open hours are Tuesday-Sunday and vary throughout the week. Admission prices are quite reasonable at $18.95 per person (If you are not familiar with a children’s museum, do note adults are required to pay an entrance fee even if not partaking in most activities. This was a surprise to us the first time we ever visited one).

Just a tidbit: Before visiting the Thinkery (or any children’s museum), be sure to check out their offered admission discounts. Also, if you are a member of your local science museum that participates in the ASTC Passport Program, there are many museums throughout America where you can receive a reciprocal membership to. We have visited numerous museums during our travels at either a reduced-rate or at no cost. The Thinkery is included as one of them.

There is not a designated parking lot for the Thinkery. You can find street parking throughout the neighborhood, or there are several parking garages within walking distance. If parking at the McBee Street District Garage or the Simond Garage, you can receive up to three hours of free parking with validation. Be sure to check with the staff ahead of time to confirm the validation process as it requires you to download an App.

There are a variety of activities at the Thinkery that will suite the interest of most everyone in the group. Our boys enjoyed the outdoor play structure the most, followed by the STEM section where they got to test their engineering skills. You will also find a light lab, a musical water section, a farmer’s market for interactive play, as well as an area designated only for the really little ones.

Time Spent: As with most children’s museums, the time you spend will be dependent on how engaged your kiddos are with the activities. Since our boys were only interested in a few areas, they were “done” after a couple of hours. If participating in all sections of the Thinkery, I would suggest setting aside around 3-4 hours to fully enjoy it.

Afternoon

Across the street from the Thinkery is the beautiful Mueller Lake Park. This 30-acre park is a great place to burn off the last bit of energy your kiddos may have. In addition to the playground, there is a paved pathway around the lake where you can take in the beauty of the scenery and the wildlife. You will also find an amphitheater and an ample amount of greenspace for a picnic.

Worked up an appetite after a morning of fun? There are many restaurants in the Mueller neighborhood to try. However, we decided to head to Tacodeli to enjoy a quintessential tex-mex lunch. This Austin based joint has coined themselves as “the best breakfast tacos in Texas”. And I think they may be right! Out of all the tacos we ate in Texas, Tacodeli was certainly some of the best. They also source most of their ingredients from local farms, which I always appreciate.

While we came here for lunch, they still had breakfast tacos available, which I was thrilled about (the “Potato, Egg, and Cheese” was mouth-watering!). In addition to a whole plethora of tacos, Tacodeli also serves bowls, salads, soups, and has a kid’s menu. They also have a fantastic queso that is a must try. We stuffed ourselves with a variety of tacos, and chips and salsa, before heading to the next adventure.

A must-do when visiting Austin is the Zilker Metropolitan Park. This urban greenspace is located just south of the city center and is a nature lover’s dream. A massive 350-acre park, there is no shortage of things to do here. Aside from the typical playgrounds and walking trails, Zilker Park is also home to a Disc Golf Course, Botanical Gardens, and the Austin Nature and Science Center. But arguably the most popular is a unique attraction, Barton Springs Pool. This nearly 3-acre in size natural pool is fed by spring water, keeping it a constant 68-70 degrees year-round.

While there was so much we wished we could do during our visit, our time in Austin was short so we opted to take our boys on the Zilker Eagle mini train ride. For just a few dollars we got to enjoy a 20-minute tour around parts of the park, which included a couple tunnels! The Zilker Eagle is a quick and easy way to explore, while also having fulfillment for the kiddos. Tickets can be purchased at the train depot (near the playground), and reservations are not required.

Just a tidbit: If visiting Zilker Metropolitan Park during the late spring/summer months, be sure to arrive early. This is a very popular destination for both locals and tourists, and parking can be difficult to find. Be sure to also read parking signs as a fee is usually required during the busy summer season.

Evening

After doing research for our trip to Austin, a must-do on our list was to experience the nightly emergence of the “Congress Bridge Bats“. Living in the crevices of the Congress Avenue Bridge are around 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats, the largest urban bat colony in the world. This massive colony of bats migrate to Austin from Mexico every spring where pregnant mama bats will rear their pups before heading south for the winter. Each night during the months from mid-March to early November, the colony of bats emerge from the bridge at dusk to forage for food. It is truly a sight to see.

There are several ways to watch this phenomenon (with the most immersive being on the bridge itself). We opted to take a boat tour on Lady Bird Lake with Capital Cruises. This tour gives you a unique vantage point from near/under the bridge itself. The guides are also experts with how the bats maneuver and thus were able to bring the boat around to provide us with the best experience.

Just a tidbit: If choosing to experience this unique opportunity on the bridge, be sure to find a spot on the south end. Per our guide, that is the direction the bats generally fly. There are also some patches of greenspaces below the bridge that would also make for a good vantage point.

Another tidbit: The best time to see the bats fly is August to September, where both mamas and pups will emerge for their dinner. We were lucky enough to see the bats fly during our visit in mid-March. However, they were not in the spectacular quantity as you would see late summer since mamas were still pregnant at this time.

Next Morning

The last stop on our mini-tour of Austin was Butler Metro Park, another urban park just south of the city center. We came here specifically for the Alliance Children’s Garden, an expansive area dedicated solely for the kiddos! They had several play areas for the kids to run wild, including a climbing structure, slides built into a hillside, and crawlspaces through mounds that looked straight out of Hobbiton (for those Lord of the Rings fans!).

During those sunny Texas days there is also a splash pad amongst the backdrop of the city for the little ones to cool off. Visiting Butler Metro Park was the perfect way to end our 36-hours in Austin (and before heading to the airport to make our trek home!).

Have you recently visited Austin? Please share your thoughts and recommendations not mentioned in this post!