Plumb Papi

Of all the ways to get around Austin, Barton Springs Bike Rental offers plenty of choices. Rent a bike for the day or week, or reserve a spot on one of their many downtown bike tours.

One spark of inspiration is all you need for your next big idea at the Thinkery, where each exhibit is hands-on, play-based learning, with activities and content appropriate for visitors of all ages. Create colorful works of art, take apart toys or build and launch gliders at the Spark Shop. See, feel and hear the connections between water and sound at the Currents exhibit. Find out how color, light, and shadows impact the environment at the Light Lab. Participate in sensory exploration, chemical reactions, and edible minerals in the Kitchen Lab. Imagine buying and selling delicious fruits and vegetables or collecting eggs from a pretend chicken coop in Fresh! Farmers’ Market. Step outside to the Backyard and scale the heights of a universally-accessible, custom-designed climber, or rest under the branches of a native elm tree.

Take a drive across the scenic Pennybacker Bridge, also known as the Loop 360 Boat Ramp, where the weathering steel bridge is said to blend perfectly with the natural environment of Austin and has won several architectural and engineering awards. This three-acre park is for launching and picking up watercraft, as well as access to fishing along the shoreline that is covered by a few bald cypresses and sycamore trees to offer shade.

The Buzz Mill is much more than an homage to the logging trade with a facade that depicts it from the outside as an old general store. Open 24-hours, the cozy space doesn’t only sell coffee, but infused drinks, beer, and barbecue.