Top Rated Parks to Visit in Lake Austin

"Probably Austin’s most beloved park, Zilker Park is famous for the huge "Rock Island" and “Great Lawn” that hosts everything from the Kite Festival to ACL Music Festival. With room for literally hundreds of pick-up soccer games, off-leash dogs and people lounging on blankets, Zilker is the heart of Austin. This park is great for: Straight-up relaxing or participating in outdoor activities."

"The gem of Austin’s parks system, Zilker Park is 350 acres of forested areas, open spaces and trails. If you’re bringing a dog with you, head to the 46-acre Great Lawn near the western edge of the park along the MoPac highway. You and your dog may have to share the space with soccer players, picnickers and Frisbee hurlers."

": How about exploring the sights of Austin, just the two of you?. This informative and fun private open pedicab tour of Austin is romantic to boot. It’ll take you around Austin’s best sights and that too at the pace you like."

"Mayfield Park started life as the Mayfield Gutsch Estate, a lovely historic cottage that was built in the 19th century on 21 acres of natural land, including a beautiful 2 acre garden. Mayfield Park is quiet, peaceful, and beautiful, with walking trails and community garden space often filled with flowers and veggies, depending on the deason. The trails are short, perfect for families or people looking for a quick stroll."

"Why You’ve Got to Go: Laguna Gloria and Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve is among the fun places for kids in Austin. This is a two-in-one destination that includes learning as well as play. What to Do: The Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park is one of my favorite aspects of the Laguna Gloria museum."

"Right next door to Laguna Gloria, Mayfield Park is a small and magical park that’s ideal for picnicking. However, Mayfield’s biggest attraction is the flock of gorgeous peacocks that roam freely. Best of all, this unusual park has no admission fee."

"With over 1,000 acres of parkland, the Emma Long Metropolitan Park offers hiking on Turkey Creek Trail and swimming in Lake Austin. And if you want a weekend getaway without having to leave the city, Emma Long Park has primitive and premium campsites. Primitive campsites have no water or electricity, while premium campsites have both and are close to the permanent restrooms and the shower complex."

"Emma Long Park (1706 City Park Road, Austin) has a car entry fee ($5 weekdays; $10 weekends and holidays), but it was well worth it for how much fun we had there!. When we went, we packed up the car and headed out early. There’s ample parking lining the lake and we found a spot right in front of the actual sandy beach section, which is also conveniently close to the bathrooms."

"Emma Long Park, also known as City Park, is a popular beach destination in the hills of West Austin. This shallow water beach on the shores of Lake Austin always has loads of activity going on, like kayaking, sandcastle-building and picnics. It’s a brilliant place to take the family, and a lovely spot for camping."

"A great thing about this park is that it’s not as crowded as the others. Trails in Mary Moore Searight Park are separated from the recreational play area for kids. An exercise route is also available if you are looking into adding some workout into your hike or bike visit."

"Rent a kayak or stand-up paddleboard at Congress Avenue Kayaks, SUP ATX or Zilker Park Boat Rentals to explore the glittering waters of Lady Bird Lake, all while getting a body-toning workout. Get a java jolt at Houndstooth Coffee downtown, where the baristas push boundaries with exclusive concoctions like the frozen Japanese iced coffee."

"Why You’ve Got to Go: Zilker Metropolitan Parkalso hosts several kids events throughout the year. In addition to that, you can also enjoy the lake, take the kids as well as the pets!. What to Do: You can even rent kayaks around Lady Bird Lake."

"Festival Beach Park is the common name for Edward Rendon Senior Metro Park at Festival Beach, which is admittedly a mouthful. This beautiful public park is located along the river, and it has a dock where people launch kayaks and long rowing team boats, and some lovely trails for hiking and biking. There is a boat ramp for launching boats in the Colorado River, and a small and pretty inlet of water that ventures into the park."

"This location of Waterloo Ice House has a very LARGE playground that is shaded by big trees depending on the time of day."

"For Jack Gilmore’s first non-Jack Allen’s Kitchen restaurant, the chef turned to seafood with his Round Rock spot. The menu spans raw bar offerings, kettle soup, to the rich chowder fries."

"Two Locations | Jack Gilmore’s seafood restaurant offers a menu that spans from raw bar offerings, shrimp, fried and blackened fish, to hearty bowls of chowder. Hours: Daily 11am – 10pm"

"Two Locations| Jack Gilmore’s seafood restaurant offers a menu that spans from raw bar offerings, shrimp, fried and blackened fish, to hearty bowls of chowder. Photo by Hayden Walker"

"A great thing about this park is that it’s not as crowded as the others. Trails in Mary Moore Searight Park are separated from the recreational play area for kids. An exercise route is also available if you are looking into adding some workout into your hike or bike visit."

"One of the newest shops on the scene, Venezia features real Italian gelato from Italian owners Alice and Nicola Morella. Linger over one of the rotating flavors, such as green apple or toasty pecan, with a coffee or espresso. Or grab a Mr. Ring—that’s a gelato “doughnut” on a stick—to go, along with an imported specialty, such as balsamic vinegar or Amarena cherries."

"This family-run establishment serves dim sum on the weekends with traditional carts filled with a classic variety of goodies from dumplings to sticky rice. View this post on Instagram. A post shared by Nicolai McCrary (@thenicolai) on Jun 28, 2015 at 11:07am PDT"

"You might not be able to order off their rolling carts of dim sum right now, but Shanghai is currently open for online ordering and takeout. There’s also a lunch box option that changes daily, in addition to their full dim sum and Cantonese food menu."

"Shanghai Restaurant offers Cantonese food including roast duck, chicken feet, and dumplings along with weekend dim sum specials. For an appetizer, try the Shumai and follow it up with the steamed BBQ pork buns."