We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Louis René Barrera, a man who dedicated so much of his life to Austin’s parks. He served as the Environmental Conservation Information Specialist for the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department for 24 years. His legacy can be seen clearly at any of Austin’s 15 nature preserves, but especially at Blunn …
May 21, 2019 – The Trust for Public Land just released their rankings of the 100 largest cities’ parks. Austin moved down to 43rd from 42nd in 2018. Austinites will agree that our parks are one of their favorite parts of living in Austin, but the reality is our parks are vastly underfunded. Our parks don’t meet the needs of …
Recreation Centers are wonderful resources for their surrounding communities because of their ability to host a wide variety of programming and activities! Whether you’re looking for an indoor basketball gymnasium, an afternoon dance class or a place to swim in the Summer months, there’s an Austin recreation center that has what you need. While you’re here, check out what Austin …
Hey y’all! This blog was orginially written in May 2019, but was refreshed in March 2020! We’ll continute make updates to keep you in the loop on the best courts in town. Looking for a place to shoot some hoops, play some pick up games, or work on your 3-pointer? We’ve gathered 10 of our favorite parks, recreation centers, and …
By Elizabeth McGuire Prince Pen, a 15-year-old high school freshman, is working to establish a community garden in his South Austin neighborhood. He got the idea after successfully bringing fresh vegetables to a nearby corner store that previously stocked only processed foods. And he got that idea after working on a presidential campaign during the 2016 election. That’s right: WHEN …
In 2007, the park along the north east side shore of the river was renamed Edward Rendon Sr. Park at Festival Beach, after a neighborhood activist who was known for his efforts to clean up the park and reduce the noise pollution on the lake. Now Austinites know Edward Rendon as a great place to enjoy the Anne and Roy …
By Elizabeth McGuire In the mid 1990s, a flat, empty lot sat on the western edge of downtown Austin, virtually ignored by its neighboring law firms, beauty salons and other small businesses. Developers, too, had dismissed this spot near 9th St. and Lamar Blvd. because of its floodplain status. Besides the substantial shade trees, the property held nothing but a …
Bills Propose Sporting Goods Sales Tax Be Directed to Parks as Intended Up at the Capital, legislators are considering bills (SB 26, SJR 24, HJR 39, and HR 1214) that would amend the Texas Constitution to ensure that sales tax collected from the sale of sporting goods is dedicated to Texas State Parks and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department …
By Elizabeth McGuire For Micaela, Rex and their daughter Maliha, Saturdays are for volunteering. Not just some Saturdays, but every single one. It’s not a matter of if they are volunteering, but where. “I come home Friday night and I ask, what are we doing tomorrow?” said Rex. The answer is usually planting saplings, mulching trees or picking up trash …
By Elizabeth McGuire We’ve all heard this before: one person can make a difference. But really, how? One person can make a difference because one voice can amplify others. One person can inspire dozens. One effort can snowball into action and eventually lead to change. This is how our community improves. So goes the philosophy of Sally Baulch, who has …
