Sports & Recreation
Downtown Austin is an urban oasis and is host to many recreational activities and events. At the center of downtown is Lady Bird Lake, which includes an eleven-mile hike and bike trail; Auditorium Shores, a park area for events and concerts; and Zilker Park, home to the naturally fed Barton Springs Pool, Austin Botanical Gardens, and Austin Science and Nature Center. Events occur every week downtown, from the ever-popular Capitol 10K, which draws more than 10,000 runners annually, to numerous parades, festivals, marathons, and movies in the park. With activities that range from renting a canoe to watching the famous Mexican Freetail bats leave the Congress Avenue bridge every night, downtown serves as a recreational hub for all of Austin.
Parks
The City of Austin oversees more than 16,076 acres of land containing 205 parks, 14 preserves, and 25 greenbelts. Downtown is home to many parks and close to Zilker Park, the Barton Creek Greenbelt, Barton Springs Pool and the ever-popular Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail.
Historic Downtown Squares
In 1839, Sir Edwin Waller laid out the City of Austin on the north bank of the Colorado River between Shoal Creek to the west and Waller Creek to the east. Four square blocks within that grid, nearly equidistant from one another, were set aside for public use. Today three parks remain from the original plat as downtown parks and public gathering spaces. These three parks are Republic Square, Brush Square and Wooldridge Square. For more history on these parks, or for upcoming park events, visit the Austin Parks Foundation Web site for these parks at www.wirelessparks.org.
Republic Square (5th & Guadalupe)
Just after Edwin Waller platted the City of Austin in 1839, city lots were auctioned under the shade of the live oak trees on what is now called Republic Square. A small grove of live oaks, now known as the Auction Oaks, survive at the southwest corner of the square.
Log on to free wireless internet under a tree or enjoy the Austin Farmers' Market. Republic Square is filled with a myriad of activities year round. During the spring and fall the ever-popular "Movies in the Park" series hosts free outdoor movies in partnership with the Austin Parks Foundation, Downtown Austin Alliance, and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. During the spring there is free noontime Yoga in the Park. For more information on park programming go to www.austinparks.org.
Wooldridge Square (9th & Guadalupe)
Over the years, this park gained popularity as a site for political rallies and musical events. Its gazebo, designed by the Page Brothers, has served as a stage and for stump speeches by politicians such as Lyndon Baines Johnson and Huey Long. Today the park is host to Giant Chess, a summer concert series by the Austin Symphony and a variety of civic events.
In the spring of 2007, a team from the University of Texas School of Architecture conducted a site study for Wooldridge Square. They researched historic and current uses and programs, as well as physical conditions and infrastructure.
Download the report here (33.5 MB PDF, July 2007).
Download the Issues & Eggs presentation here (24.8 MB PDF, June 2007).
Brush Square (5th & Neches)
Brush Square is home to the 1886 Queen Anne-style cottage O. Henry Museum, the 1870s Susanna Dickinson House and the 1939 fire Station #1 featuring Art Deco architecture.
In the fall of 2007, a team from the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, a division of the University of Texas School of Architecture, researched the history of Brush Square.
Download the presentation here (9.9 MB PDF, December 2007).
Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail
The Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail is set against the dramatic Downtown landscape and borders the newly developed 54-acre Town Lake Park. With a little more than 11 miles of hike and bike trails, this is one of the most popular outdoor recreational areas in the City of Austin. To access the trail, walk down to Cesar Chavez and you will see the trail just off the roadway near the water.
Zilker Park/Barton Springs/Zilker Botanical Gardens/Austin Nature and Science Center
This 351-acre park is Austin's "Central Park." The original 35 acres of the park were deeded to the City by A.J. Zilker in 1918. The additional 330 acres were purchased during the Depression in the 1930s and the land was developed into Zilker Park. Today, the park is home to sand volleyball courts, a nine-hole disc golf course, nine soccer fields, one Rugby field, and two multi-use fields. The park is the home of the Zilker Botanical Gardens, which include the Taniguchi Oriental Garden, the Hartman Prehistoric Garden, and the Austin Area Garden Center. The Austin Nature and Science Center, which offers a variety of programs for children and adults, as well as the opportunity to explore the environment with hands-on exhibits and interactive nature and science trails, is located on the far west end of Zilker Park.
Historic Walking Tours
Austin is full of history, and the Austin Visitor Center carries a number of walking tour brochures so that you can discover the wonders of our city. Free guides for the following sites and areas are available at the Visitor Center at 209 E. 6th Street:
- Capitol Building and Grounds
- Bremond Block
- Congress Avenue and E. 6th Street
- O. Henry
- West Austin (west of Lamar)
Free guided walking tours from March through November (including holidays) are offered to the general public.
- Capitol Grounds Tour (60 minutes)
Saturday at 2:00p.m., Sunday at 9:00a.m. - Bremond Block Tour (90 minutes)
Saturday & Sunday at 11:00a.m. - Congress Avenue and E. 6th Street Tour (90 minutes)
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 9:00a.m.; Sunday at 2:00p.m.
All guided tours depart promptly from the south entrance of the State Capitol Building, weather permitting. For more information about tours or to speak with the tour guide, call 454-1545.
For more information on the history of Austin, visit the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Fitness & Exercise
Downtown offers everything for the fitness enthusiast. From the outdoors to the state of the art gym, there is something for everyone wanting and needing exercise. On any given weekend there are sporting events Downtown from 5K runs to triathalons, so join in or cheer from the sidelines.
UT Sports
Austin is the town that bleeds burnt orange and "Hook'em Horns" is as good as a "Howdy" around here. The University of Texas was rated as the "Hottest State University" in the Kaplan/Newsweek 2005 How to get into College Guide and UT's sports program is one of the top in the nation. A word of advice: don't schedule your kid's birthday party on a football Saturday.