A Family Day in Austin: Where to Take Kids, Park, Eat and Leave

The best things to do in Austin with kids sit in two easy clusters: downtown around the Texas State Capitol, and Zilker Metropolitan Park in South Austin, with Barton Springs Pool, a mini train and a free nature center. Most of the picks below are free or cheap, and a full day can end with up to 1.5 million bats flying out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge at sunset. Pick a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday: Barton Springs Pool closes for cleaning most of Thursday, and the Zilker park train doesn't run Wednesdays or Thursdays.

How we chose

We kept places that work for real families: short walks, bathrooms nearby, and something to do with your hands. Every pick is inside the city of Austin and was checked on its own official site. Hours and prices change, so treat any numbers here as typical and check the official site the morning you go.

We grouped the day by area so you aren't crossing town with a tired four-year-old. Downtown in the morning, Zilker in the afternoon, the bridge at dusk.

Downtown Austin picks: what suits which ages?

Downtown works best for ages 6 and up in the morning, while everyone is fresh. The Capitol and the history museum sit at either end of the same walkable mall in Downtown Austin.

1. Texas State Capitol (all ages, best for 7+)

The Texas State Capitol at 1100 Congress Avenue in downtown Austin offers free guided tours of about 40 minutes, typically starting at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon on Sunday, with the last tour at 4:15 p.m. Under-sevens will last longer if you skip the tour, lie on the rotunda floor and look straight up at the star in the dome.

The kicker for kids who love a record: the Texas Capitol stands 302.64 feet to the tip of the Goddess of Liberty's star, 14.64 feet taller than the US Capitol in Washington, according to the State Preservation Board. The board also posts free printable family activities, including a Capitol grounds scavenger hunt, so print one before you leave home.

Park: the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage at 1201 San Jacinto Boulevard is typically free for the first two hours on weekdays. Weekend rates vary with events.

2. Capitol Visitors Center (ages 6+)

The Capitol Visitors Center at 112 East 11th Street, Austin, is in the restored 1857 General Land Office, which the State Preservation Board calls the oldest state office building in Texas. It typically opens 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, and the free activity sheets include one where kids design their own cattle brand.

3. Bullock Texas State History Museum (ages 6+)

The Bullock Texas State History Museum at 1800 North Congress Avenue in Austin covers three floors of Texas history plus an IMAX theater and the Texas Spirit Theater. It is typically open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum entry is free for children five and younger, and exhibits are free for everyone on the first Sunday of each month.

The museum's underground garage, entered from 18th Street, typically charges a flat daily rate and has no re-entry, so make it your base for the whole downtown morning.

4. Austin Central Library (ages 0-8, and teens)

The Austin Central Library at 710 West César Chávez Street, downtown Austin, runs storytimes for babies and preschoolers and connects straight to the Butler Hike and Bike Trail and the Shoal Creek Trail. It is a free, air-conditioned reset for a toddler who has had enough of statues. Check the library's event calendar for the day's storytime. The garage under the building is typically free for the first hour.

Zilker Park picks: where should you spend the afternoon?

Spend the afternoon in Zilker Metropolitan Park, because four of the picks below sit inside one park. Zilker is the city's oldest metropolitan park at more than 350 acres, and parking there is typically free on weekdays, with an hourly fee on weekends and holidays from spring break through Labor Day, per Austin Parks and Recreation.

5. Barton Springs Pool (ages 4+ with a swimmer's confidence; adults hold the little ones)

Barton Springs Pool at 2201 William Barton Drive in Zilker Park is a three-acre, spring-fed pool that stays 68 to 70 degrees all year and runs from 0 to 18 feet deep. Lifeguards are typically on duty from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., except Thursdays, when the pool closes for cleaning from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Admission is typically a few dollars, with infants free and lower rates for Austin residents. The City sometimes waives fees for stretches of the year, so check before you go.

Know the rules before you pack: no food, coolers, glass or hard balls, and inflatables only in water five feet deep or less. Robert Redford learned to swim here when he was five, the City says, which is a good line for the kid who is nervous about the cold.

6. Zilker Eagle mini train (ages 2-8)

The Zilker Eagle, run by the Austin Parks Foundation from its depot at 2131 1/2 William Barton Drive, is the newest chapter in a mini-train tradition in Zilker Park that goes back about 60 years. It typically runs Friday through Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., with a daily break around 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tickets are a few dollars, sold in person on the day only, and children under two ride free on a lap. Leave the stroller with someone: strollers aren't allowed aboard.

7. Austin Nature and Science Center (ages 3-10)

The Austin Nature and Science Center at 2389 Stratford Drive, inside Zilker Park, is free and typically open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Its Dino Pit lets kids dig for fossil casts beside a bronze mammoth rib cage, and the front desk lends free nets and buckets for the creek. You can't bring your own, so don't bother packing them.

Two things most parents miss. The Trade Counter lets kids swap nature finds they collected at home, like rocks or shells, for points toward other treasures. And the American sycamore on the Forest Trail is a second-generation Moon Tree, grown from a tree whose seed flew on Apollo 14. Parking is free under MoPac across from the entrance.

8. Zilker Botanical Garden (ages 3+)

Zilker Botanical Garden at 2220 Barton Springs Road in Austin covers 28 acres, and the Hartman Prehistoric Garden recreates a Cretaceous habitat with plants from the time of the dinosaurs. Children two and under are free, and youth tickets typically cost a few dollars. Buy admission and ask for a parking pass, so you don't pay to park on fee days.

Further out: worth the drive?

Yes, for a second family day. These two are inside Austin but away from the downtown-Zilker loop, so give each its own morning.

9. Thinkery (ages 1-10)

Thinkery at 1830 Simond Avenue in the Mueller neighborhood of East Austin is a 40,000-square-foot children's museum of hands-on science, technology, engineering, art and math exhibits. It is typically open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and closed Mondays, with early-morning Baby Bloomers sessions for the smallest visitors on Fridays and Saturdays. Thinkery validates up to three hours in the nearby McBee Street District and Simond garages. Its second site, in Del Valle, is outside Austin's city limits.

10. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (ages 2-10)

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at 4801 La Crosse Avenue in far southwest Austin has the Luci and Ian Family Garden, a 4.5-acre nature playground with giant stumps to climb, a creek with dinosaur footprints to splash in, giant nests and a hedge maze. The frog statue at the center of the maze is named Prince Ribbert Skeetereater, a name the community picked. Children two and under are free, youth tickets are cheaper Monday through Thursday, and only credit cards are accepted. Parking is limited, so arrive at opening.

The finale: when do the bats fly?

The bats typically emerge around sunset from roughly March through October, and the stream can last up to 45 minutes.

11. Congress Avenue Bridge bat colony (all ages)

The Mexican free-tailed bats under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin form the largest urban bat colony in the world, about 1.5 million bats, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. It is a maternity colony that raises an estimated 750,000 pups each year. Watching is free.

For kids, skip the crowded bridge rail and spread a blanket on the free bat-viewing lawn on the south bank of Lady Bird Lake, on the southeast side of the bridge. Austin Bat Refuge posts a daily flight forecast and suggests arriving 30 to 45 minutes before the predicted flight time. Biggest flights come from late July through September. No flash photos, and bring a jacket in late fall.

Where to eat with kids

Eat Tex-Mex at lunch, when the restaurants are calmer and the kids are hungriest. Browse more on our food and dining listings.

• Matt's El Rancho, 2613 South Lamar Boulevard in South Lamar: scratch-made Tex-Mex since 1952. Order Bob Armstrong Dip for the table and sopapillas for dessert. Founder Matt Martinez sold tamales from a pushcart by the Texas Capitol when he was six, which ties your morning to your lunch. Closed Tuesdays; check Matt's El Rancho for hours.
• Veracruz All Natural, several Austin locations including 111 East Cesar Chavez Street downtown and 4208 Manchaca Road in South Austin: order breakfast tacos for early risers. Hours vary by location, so check Veracruz All Natural.
• A Zilker picnic: Barton Springs Pool doesn't allow food inside, so eat on the lawn first.

What does a full family day in Austin look like?

This route runs Friday through Monday, from Capitol tour to bat flight, with one car and two parking stops.

1. 8:45 a.m. Park in the Bullock Museum garage off 18th Street and walk down the Capitol Mall.
2. 9:00 a.m. Free Capitol tour, then the Capitol Visitors Center. Both open at noon on Sunday, so on Sundays visit the Bullock Museum first at 10 a.m. and the Capitol after lunch.
3. 10:30 a.m. Bullock Texas State History Museum. Leave by 12:15, before meltdown o'clock.
4. 12:30 p.m. Lunch at Matt's El Rancho on South Lamar (not Tuesday).
5. 2:00 p.m. Drive to Zilker. Austin Nature and Science Center first, while the train takes its break.
6. 3:00 p.m. Zilker Eagle train ride, then Barton Springs Pool.
7. 5:00 p.m. Towel off, snacks, dry clothes. Under-fives go home now.
8. Sunset Drive to the south bank by the Congress Avenue Bridge, blanket down 30 to 45 minutes before the forecast flight. Leave as soon as the stream thins; the crowd leaves together.

Check Austin weather the night before. Summer afternoons are hot, so in July and August swap steps 3 and 5 to keep museums for the heat of the day. For dated festivals and shows, see this weekend in Austin.

When to leave

Leave each stop while everyone is still having fun. Toddlers rarely make it to bat time, so split up if you have a mixed-age crew: one adult takes the little ones home after the pool, the other takes the big kids to the bridge.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best free things to do in Austin with kids?

The best free things to do in Austin with kids are the Texas State Capitol tour, the Austin Nature and Science Center in Zilker Park, storytime at the Austin Central Library and the Congress Avenue Bridge bat flight at sunset. The Bullock Texas State History Museum is free for children five and under.

Can kids swim at Barton Springs Pool?

Yes, kids can swim at Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park, which runs from 0 to 18 feet deep and stays 68 to 70 degrees all year. Lifeguards are typically on duty 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., except Thursdays, when the pool closes for cleaning from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

What time do the Austin bats fly?

The bats under Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge typically fly out around sunset from roughly March through October, and the emergence can last up to 45 minutes. Austin Bat Refuge posts a daily flight forecast and suggests arriving 30 to 45 minutes before the predicted flight time.

Where should I park for Zilker Park with kids?

Zilker Park parking is typically free on weekdays and charges an hourly fee on weekends and holidays from spring break through Labor Day. The Austin Nature and Science Center has free parking under MoPac, and Zilker Botanical Garden gives a parking pass with paid admission.

What is there to do in Austin with toddlers?

Toddlers in Austin do well at Thinkery in Mueller, the Zilker Eagle mini train, the Dino Pit at the Austin Nature and Science Center and the baby storytimes at the Austin Central Library. Children under two ride the Zilker train free on a lap.