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Barton Springs Pool is one of many places to spend your day at this spring for under $10 a person.
Austin is one of those cities filled with fun activities for anyone and everyone—even if you're on a budget. Whether you're looking for some fun drinking or you want to spend a day in nature, Austin has you covered with some bizarre and other tranquil entertainment options for the best day ever.
Here are 9 activities under $10 you should try in Austin.
Chicken Shit Bingo at The Little Longhorn Saloon
Address: 5434 Burnet Road
For the past 40 years, The Little Longhorn Saloon has provided Austinites with amazing live music of all genres, a good time and one of the weirdest and most creative activities: chicken shit bingo.
If you had to do a double take on that name, you aren't alone. The popular weekly activity is a fan favorite at The LIttle Longhorn Saloon. From 4-8 p.m. on Sundays, you can make a $2 donation to buy your ticket and gather with your friends for the unique bingo experience. Once the chickens are fed and the anticipation for what is followed begins, the rounds of bingo start. Your ticket will have a number that will correspond with one on the table and if a chicken happens to do its business on your lucky number, you win a cash prize.
Cathedral of Junk
Address: 4422 Lareina Dr.
Hidden behind a south Austin home is none other than the Cathedral of Junk, a beloved Austin treasure. What started as a fun project for owner Vince Hannemann has become the talk of the town and a location for tours, weddings, parties and much more.
Hannemann started building his towering artwork in 1988 when he was in his 20s and has since collected some 60 tons of unwanted items, adding to the Cathedral of Junk. Adults can make a $10 donation to tour the Austin gem and kids 18 and younger get in for free. You can make a reservation to tour the Cathedral of Junk by calling Vince at 512-299-7413.
Zilker Botanical Garden
Address: 2220 Barton Springs Road
In the heart of downtown is a land where the grass is green and gardens don't fall short on the horizon. At the Zilker Botanical Garden, guests can tour around the different themed gardens while enjoying some sunlight and all that nature has to offer. The botanical garden has three garden themes: Taniguchi Japanese Garden, Hartman Prehistoric Garden and the Rose Garden, all offering different sights and peaceful walking tours. General admission tickets range from $6 to $8 depending on the time of day and a reservation can be made online here.
There are also free days offered for 2021: May 2, July 17, Sept. 12, Nov. 11 and Dec. 27.
Barton Springs Pool
Address: 2131 William Barton Dr.
It's no secret that Austinites cherish one of the most well-known treasures of the city: Barton Springs Pool. The 3 acre pool is made possible from underground springs with warm water temperatures of 68-70 degrees, making it a perfect place to visit year-round. The pool has been visited by locals, tourists, celebrities and all people wanting to enjoy a beautiful natural treasure within downtown city limits. Austin residents can enter the Barton Springs Pool for $5; entry for children between the ages of 1 and 11 is $2, ages 12 to 17 is $3 and seniors 62 or older is $2.
Mayfield Park
Address: 3505 W 35th St.
Since before humans toured the grounds of Mayfield Park, bright and colorful peacocks claimed it as theirs and haven't left since. Mayfield Park, home to over 20 acres of palm trees, brilliant gardens, koi ponds and as stated before, brilliantly eccentric peacocks. From 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., guests can roam around the park while exploring the historic buildings, running into peacocks and enjoying the outdoors.
Watch the sunset at Oasis Texas Brewing Company
Address: 6650 Comanche Trail Suite #301
Lake Travis has some of the most breathtaking views in Austin, and now, you can enjoy a cold beer and some sunset views at the Oasis Texas Brewing Company. From 4-6 p.m. on Thursday and 2-6 p.m. on Fridays, the brewery hosts a killer happy hour with a great view. Guests can order $12 sliders and beer tasting featuring a fried chicken slider, wagyu beef slider and triple threat pork slider plus a flight of 3 beers. If the extra $2 is a dealbreaker, you can try any slider and a beer for $5 during happy hour. Checking out Lake Travis during golden hour might be an activity worth doing every weekend.
The Congress Avenue Bridge bats
Address: Congress Ave.
Locals know that starting in late March until early fall, spotting bats during sunset isn't a surprise. Whether it's your first time seeing the Mexican free-tailed bats wake and start their night flight or you've seen it one too many times, it's a mindblowing and beautiful activity worth witnessing, sometimes more than one. The small winged nocturnal animals come out to play right around sunset. If you find yourself on the Congress Avenue Bridge, along with hundreds of other people wanting to see the magical experience, you won't be disappointed.
Carousel Lounge
Address: 1110 E. 52nd
Halloween is far away but Carousel Lounge, a beloved Austin circus-themed bar will be reopening it's doors just in time for a fun summer. The oh-so-Austin and unique dive bar has been providing Austinites with quite a weird scene of circus-themed everything since the 1960s. Now, with the pandemic's end in sight, the bar will be opening its doors May 1 for a night of creepy fun, drinks and tons of live music. If you're not sold on the idea or being surrounded by clowns, you'll be happy to know its BYO-liquor, according to do512. Go for the experience, save on the alcohol.
Yard Bar
Address: 6700 Burnet Road
At Yard Bar, you'll find yourself enjoying a cold beer while spending time with exclusively dog lovers, all while giving your own pup a space to have fun. For a $9 per dog entry pass, 21 and older guests can enjoy the afternoon at the outdoor restaurant while drinking $5 draft beers and soaking up some sun. Along with pup-inspired meals for your own four-legged friends, Yard Bar also offers human food such as burgers and sandwiches. So if you're looking for good beer, good food and even better—dogs, Yard Bar has you covered.
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Popular
By Jo Clifton
The city’s immediate financial outlook is looking more optimistic due to a strong rebound in sales tax collections, increased development, and City Council and city management’s efforts to slow the growth of city cost drivers over the last three years, according to Budget Officer Kerri Lang.
However, city budget writers are also anticipating a budget shortfall for Fiscal Year 2026-27. As Lang wrote in a memo to the mayor and Council, “Fundamentally, while the city has made important strides in bending its cost curve to a more sustainable level, and record levels of sales tax receipts are helping to delay imbalances in the short term, work remains to be done to achieve long-term structural stability in the General Fund.”
In 2019, state law reduced the amount by which cities, counties and other taxing entities could increase property tax rates without voter approval from 8 percent to 3.5 percent. Lang anticipates the city’s General Fund expenditures will increase by 4 percent annually over the next five years without adding any programs or significant increases in staff.
(City of Austin)
The major increased expenditures in the General Fund are related to personnel costs, such as salaries and health insurance, as well as a larger contribution to support services, which includes Finance, Purchasing, Computer Technology, Human Resources, Payroll, fleet maintenance, fuel and other citywide allocations.
The city pays for General Fund expenditures from property and sales taxes, transfers from city utilities, and revenue from franchise fees, development fees, forfeitures and penalties, inspections and interest.
Staff members are also recommending that the General Fund increase its contribution to the Liability Reserve Fund to bring it back up to 14 percent, the level set forth in city financial policies. The fund fell below the 14 percent level due to expenses the city incurred as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and Winter Storm Uri. Although the city has been working to get reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, city officials do not expect to receive it by the end of this fiscal year, Sept. 30. The Austin Monitor asked a city spokesperson to find out exactly how much they were requesting from FEMA but did not get an answer before deadline.
Though the memo did not mention the matter, the city is also facing a number of lawsuits filed by protesters who were injured during demonstrations related to racial justice.
Sales tax is the second-largest source of city revenue, after property taxes. Because of the city’s strong rebound from the pandemic-related downturn, sales tax is projected to be $314.5 million for this year, nearly 13 percent higher than budget writers anticipated. Austin Energy and Austin Water are expected to transfer $160.4 million to the General Fund, which is what financial staff had previously projected.
Lang warned, “Although a very modest surplus is projected for FY 2023, if these funds are used to fund ongoing expenditures, projected deficits in FY 2027 and future years will expand.”
Staff members are proposing a property tax rate that will result in a monthly property tax bill from the city of $150.60 for the “typical residential ratepayer” for FY 2023, approximately $6 per month more than the FY 2022 bill. That rises to $195.63 a month in FY 2027, a 6.3 percent increase over the five-year period.
(City of Austin)
The most expensive home for sale in Texas comes with multiple waterfalls, an entertainment pavilion and more. (Realtor.com)
Lake Travis' most luxe home for sale is also the most expensive on the Texas market, according to Realtor.com. With a $45 million asking price, the Austin mansion has been on the market for just a few weeks and showcases some of the best the Hill Country has to offer.
The home, aptly named "Villa Del Lago," offers a 15,400-square foot main house nestled on the hilly south shore of Lake Travis.
The home includes outdoor space and a pool that overlooks the south shore of Lake Austin. (Realtor.com)
Those who dare to make a bid won't be short on amenities—the home comes with seven bedrooms, 10 baths, five fireplaces and other rooms including a media room, theater, library, game room, gym and bar.
The home was built in 2004 and comes with a library, gym, theater and more. (Realtor.com)
Once outside, homeowners are met with immaculate native Texan landscaping, including cascading hillside waterfalls, a summer kitchen and a fish pond.
The 25-acre property also hosts multiple waterfalls. (Realtor.com)
Stone staircases and bridges lead to a gated two-story "entertainment pavilion" with a commercial catering kitchen and valet area.
The private entertainment pavilion has hosted weddings and other events in the past. (Realtor.com)
The home draws on Classical architecture but was built in the early aughts with a modern lifestyle in mind. Extra perks include three ovens, an elevator, a secret stairwell and safe room, a half basketball court and a massage room.
The home's luxe kitchen comes with three ovens and ornate cabinetry. (Realtor.com)
Looking for your next dream home? Villa Del Lago is within your reach—if you can shoulder around $236,700 each year for the next 30 years (plus a $10.8 million down payment).
Those enchanted with the property may still be able to catch a glimpse of luxury Lake Austin life, however. The entertainment pavilion is closed for now, but former property owners rented the European-inspired villa for weddings and other events with packages starting at around $7,500.
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