Support Us Button Widget

How to plan a kid’s perfect day in Austin

From breakfast to dinner, we’ve rounded up a day full of kid-friendly activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Two young girls silhouetted in front of a wall of colorful fish.

There are colors galore in the Light Lab at Thinkery.

Sorry, but — NO ADULTS ALLOWED — this one is for the kids. Grown-up, please hand this over to your little one. Got it, kiddo? Let’s plan a family day together. Here’s a fun schedule for you to try.

Morning

Be a chef and cook breakfast for the adults at home. The night before, ask your family to choose from one of these recipes. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if any of the instructions seem confusing.

While you eat, talk about your plan for the day. Ask your family to help you prepare a backpack with things you’ll need. We suggest bringing:

🍫 Plenty of snacks like granola bars
💧 A water bottle
🧢 A hat

If you have time before heading to lunch, play at a playground like the Auditorium Shores Playground.

Afternoon

For lunch, head to your nearest Kerbey Lane All Day Cafe for some pancakes or chicken nuggets. After you’ve filled your belly, spend the afternoon exploring Thinkery. What are you looking forward to most? Playing with colors in the Light Lab? Or climbing to (safe) heights in Our Backyard?

ATX_OurBackyardThinkery

Kids can work on coordination skills by climbing, jumping, balancing in Our Backyard’s The Climber.

Evening

Wrap up the day with a family dinner. Head to one of our local farmers markets to pick out foods you can make together. Over dinner, talk about everything you did today. Ask questions like:

🧠 What was something new you learned?
🤡 What was something funny that happened?
👀 What would we do differently if we did that again?
👍 What do you definitely want to do again? (And again and again…)

Grown-ups — send us more family-friendly recommendations and we may just feature them in an upcoming newsletter.

More from ATXtoday
Dip your toes into “phillumeny,” aka the practice of collecting matchbooks, while you explore ATX and support local businesses at the same time.
The slate of new grants goes toward projects including new bridge construction, shade structure creation, and trail repair.
Let’s take a deeper dive into some of Austin’s historical markers, the significance they hold, and how long they’ve been standing.
Austin made waves on dozens of studies, lists, and rankings, so we gathered some of the highest points the Capital City hit in 2025.
Here’s the deal — the resale and vintage shopping scene is stellar in the Capital City. Here are 21 markets and shops to stop by on your secondhand journey.
If you have a goal you’re trying to hit in 2026, we’re here to help you make that as easy as possible by connecting you to our guides.
Save this page to plan your year’s worth of festivities.
The Austinite and two college friends-turned-founders made the list with their honey-based performance gel, which is made with organic honey and clean ingredients.
Whether you’re sober curious or fully alcohol-free, these ~30 Austin businesses serve up delicious mocktails you won’t want to miss.
We compiled all of the feedback from our Giving Campaign to learn what readers love most and want to see more of in our newsletters. Here’s a peek at what they said.