The Cathedral of Junk is in the backyard of the artist who created it as a living sculpture, meaning it is always in flux as its creator, owner, and curator, Vince Hanneman, also known as The Junk King continues adding to it. The building is like a Cathedral that has a hollow framework of improvised trusses and wires that are packed with lawn mower wheels, car bumpers, kitchen utensils, ladders, cables, bottles, circuit boards, bicycle parts, brick-a-brack, and a lot of stuff that is unidentifiable.
Reach new heights with Rock-About Climbing Adventures, which offers courses for beginners, experienced climbers, groups, and Boy and Girl Scout troops. Experience the triumph of rock climbing and see the beauty of Texas from a new perspective as the guides provide a safe environment where you can experience hiking, sightseeing, camping, and climbing.
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.
Explore the homestead of Austin's oldest residence at the French Legation State Historic Site, where you will discover how the Texas settlement and the growth of one of the capital city’s most vibrant neighborhoods came to be. Tour the museum, whose original structure was built to accommodate the diplomatic outpost for the French chargé d’affaires to the Republic of Texas, Alphonse Dubois, after France recognized the Republic of Texas as a sovereign nation.