Austin City Guide: Attractions

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
320 East 6th Street, Austin, TX
(512) 476-1320
www.drafthouse.com
Hours: Open daily, check for show times
Price: $10 per person
Age Range: Elementary, Tween, Teen

Want dinner and a movie under one roof? Check out Austin’s most famous theater, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which has been named the "#1 Theater in America" by Entertainment Weekly and the "Coolest Movie Theater in the World" by Wired.com. Before your movie begins, you can order from a large menu of food and specialty drinks, served during the movie. The dinner and a movie combo might not be ideal for messy eaters or grandchildren who need your help eating, but older grandchildren will think you’re the bee’s knees for bringing them to Drafthouse.

Austin Zoo
10808 Rawhide Trail, Austin, TX
(512) 288-1490
www.austinzoo.org
Hours:
May-September: 9:30am-6pm (daily)
October-April: 10am-5:30pm (daily)
Price: Children (ages 2-12): $5, Adults (ages 13-64): $8, Seniors (ages 65+): $6
Age Range: Baby, Toddler, Preschooler, Elementary, Tween, Teen

The Austin Zoo is home to move than 300 animals across more than 100 different species, most of which have been rescued from around the world and brought to the non-profit zoo and sanctuary. See exotic animals like tigers, bears, and panthers, or pay a visit to the domestic animals pen and feed a real Texas Longhorn.

The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
1800 North Congress Ave, Austin, TX
(512) 936-4639
www.thestoryoftexas.com
Hours: Monday-Saturday: 9am-6pm, Sunday: 12pm-6pm
Price: Children (ages 4-17): $6, Adults (ages 18-64): $9, Seniors (ages 65+): $7
Age Range: Toddler, Preschooler, Elementary, Tween

The Texas State History Museum has a little something for the Texan in everyone—whether it’s the three floors or interactive exhibits or the special effects shows or Austin’s only IMAX Theatre. Come explore the history of the Lone Star State from the beginning. Austin’s rich history is sure to provide an entire day’s worth of fun and learning.

Barton Springs Pool
2101 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX
(512) 867-3080
www.austintexas.gov/department/barton-springs-pool
Hours: 5am-10pm (daily), closed Thursday 9am-7pm for maintenance
Price: Children (ages 11 & under): $2, Juniors (ages 12-17): $2, Adults (ages 18-64): $3, Seniors (ages 65+): $1
Age Range: Baby, Toddler, Preschooler, Elementary, Tween, Teen

On a hot day you’re likely to find most Austinites at the city’s watering hole, Barton Springs Pool. This three-acre pool is fed from underground springs and is, on average, 68 degrees year round. Barton Springs Pool attracts a diverse crowd—from children to legislators and everyone in between. A fun fact for Robert Redford fans: this is the same pool the actor learned to swim in when he was five-years-old.

Austin Ghost Tours
303 Red River Street, Austin, TX 
(512) 853-9826
www.austinghosttours.com
Hours: Open daily, check for tour times
Price: Tours start at $20 per person
Age Range: Tween, Teen

For a city that’s home to one of America’s first serial killers, it’s only fitting that Austin offers spooky ghost tours every night. Learn—if you dare—about the ghosts or the Governor’s Mansion, the spirits that haunt the warehouse district and the tale of the Servant Girl Annihilator. This tour is great to take around Halloween time, but be warned that it’s not for the faint of heart.

Texas State Capitol (pictured above)
1100 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX
(512) 463-5495
www.tspb.state.tx.us/spb/capitol/texcap.htm
Hours: Monday-Saturday: 9am-6pm (daily), Sunday: 9am-5pm
Price: Free
Age Range: Elementary, Tween, Teen

Visit one of the nation’s most distinguished state capitol buildings in Austin; the breathtaking design is an extraordinary example of late 19th century public architecture. Once inside, take a free tour of the grounds and the 22 acres of monuments that surround it.

The Children’s Museum
201 Colorado Street, Austin, TX
(512) 472-2499
www.austinkids.org
Hours:
Monday: 12pm-5pm
Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-5pm
Sunday: 12pm-5pm
Price: Children (ages 12-23 months): $4.50, Children (ages 2+): $6.50, Adults: $6.50
Age Range: Baby, Toddler, Preschooler

The Children’s Museum in Austin was designed to educate and entertain children with over 12,000 square feet of exhibits! It’s filled with fun activity rooms like “Ready, Set Roll!” which teaches your grandchildren the basics of physics through hands-on play with golf balls.

Austin Museum of Art—Downtown
700 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX
(512) 453-5312
www.amoa-arthouse.org
Hours:
Monday & Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 12pm-11pm
Thursday-Saturday: 12pm-9pm
Sunday: 12pm-5pm
Price: Suggested Donation ($5)
Age Range: Baby, Toddler, Preschooler, Elementary, Tween, Teen

The Congress Avenue location of AMOA is a great place for grandchildren of all ages, whether or not they’re artists themselves. But you won’t find your typical classical paintings at AMOA, they’ve featured mostly contemporary modern art of all different mediums: from altered analog televisions to modified karaoke machines. Your grandchildren will love seeing all of the different ways people make “art”!

Museum of the Weird
412 East 6th Street, Austin, TX
(512) 476-5493
www.museumoftheweird.com
Hours: 10am-12am (daily)
Price: Children (ages 8 & under): $5.00, Adults (ages 9+): $8
Age Range: Elementary, Tween, Teen

Austin is a city that prides itself on its oddness. The city’s slogan, which appears on stickers, T-shirts, hats (and anything else you can imagine), is “Keep Austin Weird”, so it’s only natural that the weirdest museum in the country is located right in the heart of the city! At the Museum of Weird you can see unbelievable exhibits like the Fiji Mermaid, shrunken heads, and other out of the ordinary creatures.

Umlauf Sculpture Museum
605 Robert E. Lee Road, Austin, TX
(512) 445-5582
www.umlaufsculpture.org
Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 10am-4:30pm, Saturday-Sunday: 1pm-4:30pm
Price: Students (ages 4-17): $1, Adults (ages 18-64): $3.50, Seniors (ages 65+): $2.50
Age Range: Baby, Toddler, Preschooler, Elementary, Tween, Teen

What’s better to do on a beautiful day than walk through the natural oasis of the Umlauf Sculpture Museum? Unlike traditional museums, touching is totally encouraged at the outdoor gallery. Each of the sculptures has been treated with a special wax that protects it from the oils and salts in exploring fingers.

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