Veloway

The Veloway, located in South Austin, is a 3.1 mile paved pathway that is only available to bikers and roller bladers.  The path is 23 feet wide - about the width of a two lane road.  This makes it absolutely perfect for children who have just learned to ride a bike.  It is also perfect for adults who have just gotten clips for the first time!

My son, who has been riding his bike for awhile, recently was in a nasty bike accident.  He pulled out onto a street without looking and only then noticed a truck barreling down toward him.  I believe it was the grace of God that threw him off his bike.  The bike was run over and destroyed, but he walked away with minor scraps and bruises. 

However, since then he has been very afraid to get back on a bike again. 

The Veloway was the perfect answer.  He could ride the wide trail without any fear of traffic - get his bike legs back, so to speak.  We could go as slow as he wanted.

The morning we went riding, he was full of tears and fears, but was willing to give it a try.  We put him on his new bike, safely strapped his helmet to his head and got him back on the saddle.  I sent my older son ahead, so I could concentrate on working with K.  No more than 50 feet into the Veloway, K looks back at me and says, "Mom, can't we go any faster???"  and pulled away.  That is the beauty of the veloway :o)

Tips and Thoughts
* Walkers are not allowed on the Veloway.  So if this is your child's very first time riding a bike, you should probably start elsewhere.  Many people will recommend an empty parking lot, like a school during off hours.  My sister, mother of seven and an amazing font of wisdom, recommended starting on a slight grassy hill.  The hill helps them move forward and the grass breaks the fall.  It worked for both of my boys!  Once your child is able to bike around a parking lot, the Veloway is perfect.

* The Veloway is also used by serious bikers training for races.  Most of the bikers understand that we all started out slow on the bike.  Some, well... you know.  Stick to the right (inside of the track) and you should be okay!

* The path is a 3 mile loop.  Around mile two there is a difficult hill for beginning bikers.  However, there are two turnoffs earlier on the loop that shorten the path to 1 and 2 miles. The one mile loop is perfect for beginners.  There is one slight hill, but it is right when you return to the parking lot.

* Bring lots of water.  There is a water fountain on the premises that usually works.  You can buy a bike water carrier for just a few bucks, and it is a worthwhile investment for anyone thinking about biking in Texas!

Brushy Creek Lake Park

Brushy Creek Lake Park in Cedar Park is a wonderful park, with something for just about everyone. 

Where ever you live in Austin, it is well worth the commute for a full summer day.  And one of the best parts is that it is all free!!

The park, acquired in 1987, is 90 acres including a 38 acre lake and has miles of trails for bikers or runners.  The trail winds along Brushy Creek Park and then runs past the lake and goes under Palmer lane for another couple of miles (not sure of the distances).

If you head out on a weekend, there is a canoe/kayak rental place for a chance to get in some paddling!  Bring bathing suits (for the sprinkler pad, not the lake!), bikes, skateboards, fishing rods and hiking shoes!

The park is split into two, divided by Palmer Road (or maybe it is two parks?  Not sure)  On the west side are a large number of sports fields and a really fun playground!

Also on the west side of the park is a neat skate park which you can also use for scooters. Not knowing much about skateboards, all I can say is that the variety of ramps, turns and bowls was pretty amazing!

On the east side is the lake with kayak rental, another nice playground, a labyrinth and what I believe is the most fun sprinkler park in Austin (though it does get crowded during the summer!)

If you have a free day in the summer, this is a great place to come and enjoy a huge variety of outdoor recreations!

Peter Pan and Pease Park

For our most recent outing, the boys chose to spend the morning playing mini-golf, followed by an outing to a sprinkler park. 

And for mini-golf, our favorite location is Peter Pan mini golf just south of the river.

How can you not love a place that has been around for 65 years? 

Peter Pan is just about as old school as it gets.  There are no electronic moving parts, it doesn't glow in the dark, there are no light-up obstacles, but it is still lots of fun. 

 

It's two 18-hole courses have a collection of fairy tale characters, a loop-de-loop and a huge dinosaur to putt under. 

We've been coming here for a number of years and we were pleased to see it had recently gotten a new face-lift. 

All of the obstacles have received bright new paint jobs.  And we weren't quite sure, but it seemed like even some of the obstacles were different than last year?

Each course takes about an hour to complete, and you can choose whether you want to do just one or both (with a discount on the second).  And after the completion of the course, Peter Pan offers snowcones for a dollar a cone!  Pretty awesome!

It has been our tradition to head over to Butler Park after we finished both courses... But since the boys and I have already been to Butler Park a number of times this year, we decided to try something new.

I haven't been to Pease Park in years, but I had recently read that the park had a new splash pad, so I thought we'd check it out. 

As we pulled up, I saw the small concrete pad and limited number of fountains and was a little worried.  This clearly was a park for younger children.  I figured we'd eat our picnic lunch, pack up and try a new location.  But after arriving, the kids really wanted to get wet.  So I let them play for a bit.

And as often happens, 'a bit' turned into an hour.  Then they wanted to climb down to the creek bed below the splash pad.  There they spent another hour catching frogs, minnows and feeding the birds bread. 

We then checked out the playground for half an hour or so.  The playground was nicely divided with a section for younger children and one for older.  And it had one of the largest collection of swings that we've seen in awhile.

The kids' attention was then drawn to a group of older men who were playing an unfamilar game.  It turns out they were from the French Legation and they were playing Patanque - a game that seemed (to me) similar to horseshoes. 

The men were very friendly, explaining that the group frequently hosts the game at the park, open to all bystanders.  We watched for about ten minutes, until I looked at the clock and realized it was time to go.  Some how, our 'little bit' turned into three hours.  :o)

Peter Pan Tips and thoughts:  We always try to get to Peter Pan early, as the course gets uncomfortably hot in the afternoon.  As another option, they are open late, and you can play after the sun has gone done.

If you are only going to do one 18-hole course, the west course is more challenging than the east course.

Reimer's Ranch

We had decided to spend the 4th at Hamilton Pool.  Unfortunately, we got a somewhat later start than we intended and didn't arrive until just before 11am. 

We pulled up to the entrance only to find the driveway full of cars and a park ranger waiting to inform us that there was currently a two hour wait - and the waiting list (read: driveway) was full, so we'd have to move on.

Taking a quick glance into the back seat with K and L all decked out in swim suits, swim noodles, masks and snorkels, we quickly decided we'd have to find another swimming hole... quick!

I had heard about Reimer's Ranch before, and had always wanted to check it out.  But not necessarily enough to make our top 50 list.  But given that it was minutes from Hamilton Pool and did not have a wait, it quickly moved up in line!

The beach area, as viewed from the Upper River Trail

Reimer's Ranch is a Travis County park and charges the same $10 entry fee as Hamilton Pool.  It is mostly known for its rock climbing and mountain biking trails.  But it is also situated on the Pedernales River, and has a "beach" area where swimming is allowed. 

So, we took the long driveway into the park, and followed the ranger's explanation of how to find the trail to the beach area.  The trail takes a "T" with the left going to the upper river area, and the right going to the Beach.  We spent most of our time on the "beach". 

The boys spent the whole afternoon swimming, trying to catch fish and collecting rocks.  Afterwards, we hiked to the Upper River area and found another swimming beach, far less populated than the area we were on, but a slightly longer hike.

The upper river area

All in all, I will definitely add this to our top 50, as the boys had an awesome time. For future visits, I would make the following notes: 

There is a drive down drop off turnaround, which allows you to drop off coolers and other stuff close to the beach area.  You still have to return your car to the parking area and hike down to the beach, but it saves a lot of hauling. 

Also, I would definitely bring an easy-up tent next time.  There is absolutely no shade on the river, and it got really hot! 

There is no water in the park, so bring lots of bottles! 

We brought some noodles with us, but next time we would probably bring along some rafts or tubes to hang out on!

Also, it looks like dogs are allowed.  The ranger walked past at least two dogs off leash and didn't say anything, so I'm guessing as long as the dogs are well behaved, and you can probably bring them along! 

The park is currently under a lot of construction, putting in new roads, pavilions and bathrooms. And while it is already a really nice park, I think it will be even nicer when it is done.  All in all, I'd say this park is definitely worth being a destination, and not just an alternative if Hamilton Pool is full!