Best Parks in Austin

Barton Springs is a natural spring-fed pool within Zilker Park, offering year-round swimming, surrounded by greenery and home to diverse aquatic life, including the Barton Springs salamander.

Zilker Park is a recreational area in South Austin with over 350 acres of terrain, offering an alluring view of the city, and popular establishments like the Austin Nature and Science Center, a botanical garden, and a disc golf course.

Barton Creek Green Belt offers trails and access to nature near Zilker Park.

A beautiful urban park perfect for picnics, walks, and seeing the 18ft troll made of recycled wood and a unique tree house.

A nature preserve with lush gardens and free-roaming peacocks, offering a serene escape in the heart of the city.

Popular spot for swimming, with the water coming from a spring.

Hamilton Pool is a popular swimming hole that Texas residents have been visiting for decades.

Pedernales Falls State Park has an entrance fee and features a trail to a waterfall.

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is a well-loved spot for hiking in the Texas Hill Country that leads to the top of a big rock.

McKinney Falls State Park is an outdoor oasis within Austin featuring a waterfall, Onion Creek, hiking and biking trails, campsites, and Old Baldi, a 500-year-old bald cypress tree.

A serene park with lush gardens, lily-filled koi ponds, and colorful peacocks, along with a 21-acre nature preserve featuring quiet hiking trails.

Auditorium Shores is accompanied by lush green parks, hiking trails, and scenic skyline views, with occasional live music and performances.

The Barton Creek Greenbelt is a destination for outdoor enthusiasts, offering hiking, biking, rock climbing, bouldering, swimming holes, and relaxing spots.

Hamilton Pool Preserve is a natural pool created when a dome of an underground river collapsed, surrounded by lush plant communities and wildlife.

Pace Bend Park is a state park on a peninsula for adventures to fish, boat, swim, hike, and bike, with camping on the edge of cliffs and cliff jumping.

Themed gardens such as rose herb and Japanese gardens are interconnected with streams waterfalls and koi filled ponds.

A garden that recreates a local dinosaur habitat.

A center built with a specific mission to inspire people to develop a lifelong practice of protecting nature, with a creek bed, cave, waterfall, and collection of cypress trees and ferns.

A really great park.

Hamilton Pool is a natural grotto formed by the collapse of an underground river dome, celebrated for its natural beauty and diverse plant and animal life.

Arbor Food Park is a pet-friendly food truck park offering tacos, gyros, and pizza.

Zilker Metropolitan Park is Austin's crown jewel, offering 350 acres of outdoor activities like hiking, picnics, and a botanical garden, with Barton Springs Pool as a popular swimming spot and various cultural events throughout the year.

The grounds surrounding the Texas State Capitol.

A 10-mile trail looping around Lady Bird Lake, offering skyline views, a boardwalk, and opportunities for biking, kayaking, and paddleboarding.

The only clothing-optional public park in Texas, located on Lake Travis, known for its limestone outcroppings and clear waters.