Day Two Kick off your morning on the patio of Cherrywood Coffeehouse , a neighborhood gem with stellar coffee, breakfast sandwiches and tacos served fresh daily. Mueller Lake Park , just five minutes away, is a beautiful area to wander and let the kids climb the park’s welcoming playscape. If you visit on a Sunday, stop by the bustling Texas Farmers’ Market to shop for local food and listen to live music. If Sunday brunch is more your speed, nearby Contigo serves up innovative eats on an expansive, ranch-style patio. Across the street from Mueller Lake Park is one of our boys’ favorite destinations, the Thinkery , an interactive children’s museum featuring STEAM-based fun. Kids can watch wind swirl into a tornado, experiment with water currents or test their coordination in an outdoor play zone. Lunch is served at Paperboy , originally a food truck, but now a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Central East Austin. Request a table on their gorgeous rooftop patio, lined with terra cotta breezeblocks, to savor one of their delightfully fresh salads, bowls or sandwiches. Reservations are encouraged or you can order online for pickup to avoid long wait times. Austin is home to the world’s largest bouldering gym at Austin Bouldering Project , where patrons can rock climb indoors without using ropes or harnesses. The boulders rise only 15 feet high, with several “kid-friendly” climbing walls and safety pads throughout the facility. If your family would rather spend the afternoon outdoors, consider a visit to McKinney Falls State Park to hike or bike along the Onion Creek trail while taking in the rugged beauty of the cascading falls. Another full day of play will have everyone eager for dinner in Austin, which is known as a food truck mecca. There are more than 1,000 mobile food vendors to choose from in Austin, but residents rave about the homemade pasta from Patrizi’s , located in the Vortex theater’s courtyard. After experiencing the perfectly plated Carbonara Alexandra or the Great Leopold, you’ll soon see why this authentic Italian cuisine sells out fast.
THIS PAGE TOP TO BOTTOM: MUELLER LAKE PARK, BRUNCH AT PAPERBOY, THINKERY, AUSTIN BOULDERING PROJECT NEXT PAGE TOP TO BOTTOM: VERACRUZ TACOS, “JEREMIAH THE INNOCENT” PUBLIC ART, ATX PUBLIC ART, “FORLANDIA” PUBLIC ART AT LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER
50 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / SEPT-OCT 2021
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