Outdoors
Outdoors across Austin, TX.
Showing 25–48 of 133 places
Ladybird Lake-Lamar Beach Metro Park
Austin
Tucked along the western edge of Lady Bird Lake, this stretch of metro parkland connects to Austin's well-loved hike-and-bike trail, where you'll find joggers, dog walkers, and paddlers sharing the waterfront from early morning on. The first thing most visitors notice is the downtown skyline rising across the water—close enough to feel urban, green enough to feel like a break from it.
Garrison Park
Austin
Garrison Park is a neighborhood park in South Austin's 78745, where a public swimming pool, tennis courts, and a playground sit alongside open green space shaded by mature trees. It's the kind of low-key local spot where you're more likely to find families, dog walkers, and pickup games than tour buses, making it an easy stop if you want to see how South Austin actually spends its afternoons.
Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park
Austin
Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park sits on the shores of Decker Lake on Austin's east side, a sprawling green space where the draw is the water—fishing, paddling, and boat access alongside open fields and picnic areas. It's a quieter, more low-key alternative to Austin's busier central parks, with plenty of room to spread out for the day.
St. Edward's Greenbelt
Austin
Tucked along Bull Creek in northwest Austin, St. Edward's Park trades the crowds of the more famous greenbelts for shaded limestone trails, a seasonal waterfall, and quiet pools where you're as likely to spot herons as other hikers. Come early — the lot off Spicewood Springs is small, and the creek-side paths are at their best in morning light before the Texas heat settles in.
Bob Wentz Park
Austin
Bob Wentz Park sits on the shore of Lake Travis just north of Mansfield Dam, where a rocky, tree-shaded waterfront draws swimmers, windsurfers, and scuba divers throughout the warmer months. The water is the main attraction here, so come prepared for sun and limited shade, and expect the park to fill up quickly on summer weekends.
Twin Falls
Austin
Twin Falls is one of the more popular spots along Austin's Barton Creek Greenbelt, where the creek spills over limestone ledges into shallow pools that draw swimmers, waders, and hikers on warm days. Keep in mind the water level depends entirely on recent rain — after a dry stretch the falls can slow to a trickle or the pools can disappear, so it's worth checking conditions before you make the trip.
Sculpture Falls
Austin
Sculpture Falls sits about a mile and a half down the Barton Creek Greenbelt from the Hill of Life trailhead, where Barton Creek spills over limestone ledges into a series of shallow swimming holes. The water level depends entirely on recent rain, so it's at its fullest in spring and can slow to a trickle by late summer—and expect a rocky, root-laced hike in each way, since there's no direct road access.
Ramsey Neighborhood Park
Austin
Ramsey Neighborhood Park sits in the Rosedale neighborhood just north of central Austin, a leafy spot anchored by big shade trees, a playground, tennis and basketball courts, and a popular public swimming pool that draws families through the warmer months. It's a genuine neighborhood park rather than a destination attraction, so expect a low-key local scene—dog walkers, kids on the playscape, and plenty of grassy room to spread out.
Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve
Austin
Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve packs 227 acres of Hill Country canyons, creeks, and limestone bluffs into the western edge of Austin, with several miles of trails that wind down through juniper and oak toward Bee Creek. Managed in partnership with St. Edward's University as a research and education site, it's a quieter alternative to the city's busier greenbelts—come early, wear real shoes, and expect some genuine elevation change.
Eilers (Deep Eddy) Neighborhood Park
Austin
Tucked along the Colorado River just west of downtown, this leafy park is home to Deep Eddy Pool, a spring-fed swimming hole that's one of the oldest in Texas—its water stays bracingly cool even in the thick of an Austin summer. Come early on a hot day, since locals know the shaded lawns and lap lanes fill up fast once the temperature climbs.
Lou Neff Point
Austin
Lou Neff Point sits where Lady Bird Lake meets Barton Creek, marked by a small lakeside gazebo that frames a clear view of the downtown Austin skyline across the water. It's a quiet stop along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, popular with walkers and cyclists pausing to watch rowers and paddleboarders pass on the lake.
Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park
Austin
Commons Ford Ranch sits on the shores of Lake Austin west of town, a former working ranch whose 215 acres now hold one of the area's largest restored native prairies—a sweep of tallgrass and wildflowers that draws birders and photographers, especially in spring. You'll find open meadows, oak groves, and easy trails down to the water, plus a historic ranch house, making it a quieter alternative to Austin's busier lakeside parks.
Pioneer Farms
Austin
Pioneer Farms is a living-history museum northeast of downtown Austin, where costumed interpreters work a collection of relocated and reconstructed buildings to recreate Central Texas rural life across the 19th century, from a Tonkawa encampment to an 1880s village. Plan around its limited schedule—it's open only a few days a week, with Monday through Wednesday closed—and wear shoes you don't mind getting dusty, since the grounds are a working farm with animals and open fields.
Lady Bird Lake Hike & Bike Trail
Austin
Lady Bird Lake's Hike & Bike Trail loops just over 10 miles around the water in the heart of Austin, a flat, tree-shaded crushed-granite path that draws runners, cyclists, and dog walkers from dawn well into the evening. The downtown stretch near the Ann and Roy Butler boardwalk gives you skyline views over the water, and you're rarely far from a spot to put in a kayak or paddleboard.
Emma Long Metropolitan Park Picnic Area A&B
Austin
Emma Long Metropolitan Park is one of Austin's oldest city parks, stretching along the shore of Lake Austin in the Hill Country northwest of downtown, and Picnic Areas A and B sit close to the water with shade trees, tables, and easy lake access. Arrive early on warm weekends, since the park has a vehicle entry fee and tends to fill up once the swimming and boat-launch crowds arrive.
Shoal Creek Greenbelt
Austin
Shoal Creek Greenbelt threads along its namesake creek through central Austin, linking neighborhoods like Pemberton Heights and Old West Austin with a hike-and-bike trail that runs from around Lady Bird Lake well up into the city's north side. First-time visitors usually notice how quickly the limestone banks and live oak canopy muffle the surrounding traffic, though stretches of the trail can flood or wash out after heavy rain, so it's worth checking conditions before you go.
Onion Creek Greenbelt
Austin
Onion Creek Greenbelt follows the spring-fed creek through Austin's southeast side, a quieter stretch of the city's greenbelt system where limestone banks and stands of cypress and oak shade the water. Open around the clock and free to enter, it draws locals for shaded walking trails, birdwatching, and easy creekside access away from the busier central parks.
Austin Nature & Science Center
Austin
Tucked into the greenbelt near Zilker Park, the Austin Nature & Science Center leans into hands-on discovery — a Dino Pit where kids dig for fossil replicas, trails winding through the surrounding habitat, and enclosures housing native Texas wildlife that can't be released back to the wild. Admission is free, and it's worth knowing the center keeps shorter hours than you might expect, so it's best as a morning or midday stop.
Butler Shores at Town Lake
Austin
Butler Shores sits on the south bank of Lady Bird Lake (long known as Town Lake), where the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail threads past ball fields, shaded picnic spots, and open lawns just steps from the ZACH Theatre. Come early and you'll find runners and dog walkers out before the heat, with downtown's skyline rising across the water.
Jessica Hollis Park
Austin
Tucked along the Colorado River near Mansfield Dam on Austin's western edge, Jessica Hollis Park is a small, low-key riverside spot where locals come to fish, launch a kayak, or just sit by the water away from the busier lakeside crowds. Note the short hours—it opens early and closes by late afternoon—so it's best suited to a morning paddle or a quiet daytime visit rather than a sunset outing.
Longview Neighborhood Park
Austin
Longview Neighborhood Park is a small, no-frills green space tucked into a residential stretch of South Austin's 78745, the kind of local pocket park you'll find dotted with mature shade trees rather than tourist crowds. It opens early and stays open into the evening, making it a quiet spot for a morning walk or an after-work stroll well off the usual visitor track.
Little Stacy Neighborhood Park
Austin
Tucked into the Travis Heights neighborhood just south of Lady Bird Lake, Little Stacy is the quieter, leafy end of the greenbelt that follows Blunn Creek, with a shaded playground and picnic spots under mature trees. Follow the creekside path and it links up with Big Stacy Park and its spring-fed pool, making the two an easy pair to wander between on a warm afternoon.
Alliance Children's Garden
Austin
Tucked into Butler Park along Barton Springs Road, Alliance Children's Garden is a nature-themed playground where kids climb, dig, and splash among features inspired by the Texas landscape, with downtown's skyline rising just across Lady Bird Lake. Come early in the day during warmer months, since much of the play area sits in the open sun.
Upper McKinney Falls
Austin
At Upper McKinney Falls, Onion Creek spills over a wide limestone ledge into a deep pool that draws swimmers and waders on warm days, with slabs of smooth bedrock on either side that are easy to spread out on. The water level shifts with the season and recent rain, so the falls can range from a gentle flow to a fast, swim-at-your-own-risk current—it's worth checking conditions before you plan to get in.