St Michael's Episcopal Church

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 "jewel in the heart of Austin," also known as the Zilker Botanical Garden. The garden was established in 1995 and sprawls through 31 acres of downtown Austin, offering a sweet escape from city streets and greeting more than 400,000 visitors annually. Themes among the gardens are as varied as nature itself. There's a Japanese garden and koi pond, a rose garden, an herb garden, a butterfly trail and garden, and a cactus garden among the selections to tour. Another unique feature is the Hartman Prehistoric Garden, which recreates the habitat of local dinosaurs. Visitors can tour the gardens for free and take home a Texas succulent or majestic orchid among the many offerings.

Take an amphibious tour of Austin's downtown with Austin Duck Adventures. Includes 75 minutes of sightseeing that includes Historic Sixth Street, the State Capitol Building, Bob Bullock State History Museum, the Governor's Mansion, and Lake Austin.

Get ready to join the granddaddy of all local music venues, the Continental Club, where they have enjoyed a coast-to-coast reputation as the premiere club for live music in Austin. This historic live music destination opened its doors as a swanky private supper club, but in the decades since, it's become a mecca for roots, rockabilly, country, swing, rock, and blues music every night of the week. The classic neon sign flashing above the entrance is a landmark on South Congress, and vintage cars and hot rods often line South Congress Avenue in front of the dimly lit club.