05.13.2024

Today’s Forecast

🥾 Take a hike

Hiking guide for Austin

The Barton Creek Greenbelt trail, overlooking the Hill Country

Take in the Hill Country from the Barton Creek Greenbelt Trail. | Photo by @tuckerridesbikes

From quick and easy loops around town to drives that take you to watering holes and hilltop views, our city has so many options to hit the trail.

Note: While parks and trails may be listed as open, we recommend checking park websites before visiting for further info, current trail conditions, and safest practices for the area.

Key: Easy = 🥾 | Moderate = 🥾🥾 | Hard = 🥾🥾🥾

Central Austin

Waterloo Park Amphitheater Garden Loop, Multiple access points

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 0.9-mile loop
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Pet-friendly: Yes

Go for a quick walk on this short trail that beautifully juxtaposes nature and cityscape. Along the way, walkers will be able to spot views of the Texas Capitol, waterfalls, and native plants.

West Austin

River Place Canyon Trail, 8820 Big View Dr.

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 5.4-mile out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: Yes

Expect to get your heart pumping, because this trail has lots of elevation changes. The good part? That means lots of views, too.

A view of the lake from the Mueller Lake Park, with pink wildflowers in the foreground. — The Mueller Lake trail weaves around outdoor amenities and Mueller Lake.
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Photo by ATXtoday

East Austin

Mueller Lake and Southeast Greenway, 4550 Mueller Blvd.

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 3-mile loop
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Pet-friendly: Yes

Looping around Mueller Lake Park, this trail borders waterfront seating, a playground, a food truck park, an outdoor stage, and several grassy recreation areas.

South Austin

Blunn Creek Greenbelt Trail, 1200 St. Edwards Dr.

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 1-mile loop
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: No

Expect to see some flora and fauna on your walk — this secluded trail near St. Edward’s University runs through a nature preserve.

The St. Edward's campus as seen in the distance from Blunn Creek Nature Preserve. — Spot parts of the St. Edward’s University campus from the Blunn Creek Nature Preserve trails.
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Photo by @monsterpopcorn

North Austin

Walnut Creek Loop, 12138 N. Lamar Blvd.

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 1.3-mile loop
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: Yes

Sit by the water — and let your pups take a splash — on this trail that runs along the Tar Branch of Walnut Creek. A portion of this North Austin park is off-leash for dogs.

6 more hikes

Asked

What is most important to you when choosing a hike?

A. Level of difficulty
B. Time to complete/number of miles
C. Unmatched views
D. It’s all about the hiking location

How do you hike?

Events

Monday, May 13

“Scales” | Monday, May 13 | 7 p.m. | Hotel Vegas, 1502 E. 6th St., Austin | $5-$10 | Emily Basma and Hyperreal Film Club host this screening of the dystopian horror movie by Shahd Ameen.
Motown Monday | Monday, May 13 | 8:30 p.m. | The Highball, 1120 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin | $5 | The Matchmaker Band takes the stage for this funk + soul show.

Tuesday, May 14

Tuesday Twilights | Tuesday, May 14 | 5-7 p.m. | Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 4801 La Crosse Ave., Austin | $10-$15 | Bring a picnic for the final event of this wildflower series that will feature live music from Shannon Lay, Days of Summer, and Little Mazarn.
Chris Isaak | Tuesday, May 14 | 8 p.m. | The Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave., Austin | $40+ | This isn’t a “Wicked Game,” the Grammy-nominated singer is really coming to the downtown theater.

Wednesday, May 15

26th Annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival | Wednesday, May 15-Sunday, May 19 | Times vary | Austin Film Society Cinema, 6259 Middle Fiskville Rd., Austin | $12-$125 | Nonprofit Cine Las Americas presents a lineup showcasing dozens of films made by Latinos or Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Lewberger | Wednesday, May 15 | 7 p.m. | The Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave., Austin | $35 | The musical comedy trio — including Keith Habersberger from “The Try Guys” — perform their viral hits.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Seasonal

Lights, camera, action: Austin Film Festival’s Summer Film Camp is back

Young creatives learn the full process of filmmaking, getting them behind the camera and turning their ideas into real movies. | Photo provided by Austin Film Festival

Is your child aspiring to be the next Greta Gerwig (“Barbie” + “Ladybird”) or Kemp Powers (“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”)?

If yes, then it’s time to sign them up for the Austin Film Festival’s Summer Film Camp. Back for its 22nd year, these weeklong camps provide students with the venue, equipment, and instruction they need to create their own short films or animations.

Happening June 3-July 28 at the First Baptist Church of Austin, campers can choose from morning, afternoon, or day-long sessions open to students ages 9-18.

News Notes

Development

68. That’s how many acres UT Austin was gifted near the Samsung factory in Taylor. The university plans to use the land to create “The University of Texas at Austin - Taylor Center” to support the growing semiconductor industry, but exact details are still in the works. (Austin Business Journal)

Open

Low on HP? It’s dangerous to go hungry. A fantasy-inspired food truck is serving sustenance out of social club Tiny Minotaur, 2701 Cesar Chavez St. Caleb’s Traveling Tavern sells plates including Scotch eggs, stout stew, steaks and more in an immersive setting. (Eater Austin)

Announced

Culinary incubator Playground ATX announced its newest headliner: Poggio, an Italian-American concept from the folks behind Sammataro. Poggio will serve comfort dishes like shrimp scampi and chicken parm starting in June, but current headliner East Meets Wings will be available until Sunday, May 26.

Cause

Austin Habitat for Humanity began building 11 homes for single mothers over the weekend as part of Women Build Day 2024. The homes, which are in east Austin, will be move-in ready by fall. (KVUE)

Try This

Austinites know the lowrider. A new exhibit showcasing lowrider culture opened at The Bullock Museum over the weekend. “Carros y Cultura: Lowriding Legacies in Texas” features seven lowriding cars, five bicycles, fashion pieces, and Texas-specific lowrider history. (KXAN)

Feel Good

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s owlets — mothered by Athena the great horned owl — are ready to take flight. By August, they will fly out on their own. Watch a live stream of their nest.

Outdoors

The free Zilker Shuttle will soon return, running weekends starting Saturday, May 25-Monday, Sept. 2Watch a live stream. Zilker visitors can park at the One Texas Center garage, 505 Barton Springs Rd., for free and hop on the shuttle to avoid walking in the scorching summer heat.

Sports

In the last cycle, 11 Texas Longhorns were drafted to 10 NFL teams. What will they bring to the table? Get the biggest stories every day from the local experts of the Texas Longhorns with Locked On’s daily podcasts.

Biz

What are people delegating? Getting to inbox zero, calendar management, travel, cold calls, leveraging AI, managing CRMs, expense reports, returns, waiting on customer service calls, household management, and much more. With Athena, you can achieve more time, freedom, success, and impact. See how to score a $1,500 credit.*

City

🏙 Making our way Downtown

The Austin skyline as seen from above, focusing on the new Google building and Lady Bird Lake, all the way to UT.

You don’t need to be a professional to have a good time Downtown. | Photo via Getty Images

Calling all local history buffs — we’ve got a project for you.

The City of Austin launched the Downtown Austin Historic Resource Survey, a resource where residents can share their knowledge on Downtown Austin’s rich past through Sunday, June 16.

The survey is broken into five categories — contact information, buildings and structures, history and culture, research and documentation, and project feedback — with the hope of documenting more information about the oldest part of the city.

The city plans to use responses to inform local historic landmark eligibility, historic districts, and listing in the National Register of Historic Places. However, it will not inform zoning or land use projects.

The Historic Preservation Office will meet virtually to share more information for the first time at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 13. You can RSVP here or view the materials after the meeting.

The Buy

Apple pie made easy. We’re celebrating National Apple Pie Day by warming up some of this Apple Pie Jam from Adams Apple Co. with a little bit of ice cream.

The Wrap

City Editor Figi poses with an adorable goat.

Today’s edition by:
Figi

From the editor

I’m really excited for the ACL lineup this year and not just because I’m a big fan of Tyler, the Creator and Still Woozy. The locals lineup is really a work of art — Chief Cleopatra, The Tiarras, and Kalu & the Electric Joint should all be on your must-see list.

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