It’s mid-July, and that means the hottest part of the summer, baseball season’s more exciting half, and the sometimes dreaded/sometimes anticipated countdown to the fall semester. With only 6 weeks until school starts, you only have so much time to squeeze in the fun things left to do before it’s time to get back to the textbooks, group projects, and term papers. Austin offers countless outlets for some summer fun, and here are a few options that I hope you’ll take advantage of before the season is over.
Hamilton Pool
This naturally formed, beautiful preserve and swimming hole with large waterfall located southwest of Austin. It’s a quarter mile hike into the pool and a three-quarter mile hike to the Perdernales River. Hamilton Creek spills out over limestone outcroppings to create a 50 foot waterfall as it plunges into the head of a steep box canyon. The waterfall never completely dries up, but in dry times it does slow to a trickle. However, the pool’s water level stays pretty constant, even during periods of drought.
The park is open daily from 9am – 6pm. They only accept approximately 45 cars at a time, so arrive early or you may sit in line until the parking lot empties enough. For the more information, check out the Travis County website at http://www.co.travis.tx.us/tnr/parks/hamilton_pool.asp
Blues on the Green
Blues on the Green is a bi-monthly FREE concert at Zilker Park sponsored by local radio station KGSR. Each week you can gather together with some lawn chairs, coolers, and a picnic for some great music every other week. The last three performances will be by Guy Forsyth, The Old 97s, and Los Lonely Boys. For more info, check out www.kgsr.com/blues
The Congress Street Bridge Bat Colony
If you haven’t been, you’re missing out on one of the many unique things that Austin has to offer. The Congress Street Bridge is home to the largest urban bat colony, with 1.5 Mexican free-tailed bats. Each evening around sunset, you can catch them flying out for the night in astounding numbers. Wether you watch from the bridge, or you grab a spot on the Austin-Statesmen hill or even on the river, this is always a sight to be seen.
Reading for fun
Please stare at this title for more than a few seconds and familiarize yourself with this new, unpracticed concept. Reading for fun is not overrated, but rather, under-practiced. With six weeks left, you still have time to grab a good book and take the time to curl up and enjoy a story that falls outside of the realms of retention, assessment, or theory. Not sure where to go to find such a piece of literature? No problem, just check out the New York Times Best Seller List for some suggestions ( www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books), and take advantage of this time without feeling guilty for not working on your Law homework.
Eat Healthy at the Austin Farmer’s Market
Before the semester begins and you stop cooking healthy food and start getting back to your bad eating habits including fritos and diet cokes, take some time to explore the Austin Farmer’s Market. Here you can enjoy some fresh, home-grown produce, tasty bakery items, and other local, organic must-haves. With three options in Downtown, The Triangle, and Sunset Valley, you have more than enough time, date, and location options to check out this locally supported weekly farmer’s market. Fore more info, check out their website at www.sfcfarmersmarket.org.
Any more ideas for a great way to spend the end of your summer? Add it in the comments!