S3E1 Reflections of You: A Conversation with Zilker Eagle Mural Artists Ian Ingram & Becky Wittsche

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Welcome to Season 3 of the Austin ParksCast! We’re excited to bring you stories of park champions, host some tough but important conversations, and give you an inside look at Austin’s parks system. From the whole team at Austin Parks Foundation, we’re really grateful for your support. Thanks for tuning in! Seasons 1 and 2 of the ParksCast are available on …

Better Together: A New Partnership to Cultivate the Future of Zilker Park

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Austin Parks Foundation and Barton Springs Conservancy received a grant from Austin Together to go through a facilitated process with 17 groups that operate and offer programming in Zilker Metropolitan Park to figure out how we can better work together. These groups collectively offer so many resources and experiences to Zilker Park’s visitors! Some of the partner organizations include the …

S2E18 Zilker Vision Plan: An Inside Look at the Future of Austin’s Most Popular Park (Part 1 of 3)

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The Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan is a community-driven planning process to establish a guiding framework for the restoration and future development of Zilker Metropolitan Park. It is the first comprehensive planning initiative to encompass the park’s 350 acres and associated facilities.  In today’s episode, we host the first of 3 conversations about the planning process of Austin’s oldest Metropolitan Park. We …

S2E9 Inclusive Spaces: A Conversation with Ricardo Martinez of Equality Texas

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In this episode, we are excited to bring you a conversation with the Chief Executive Officer of Equality Texas, Ricardo Martinez. Equality Texas is a non-profit advocacy organization, whose mission is to “secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Texans through political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration.”We examine how parks, trails, and public spaces impact the quality …

S2E4 Natural Fit: Our Conversation with Brian Carter from Capital Metro

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In this episode of the Austin ParksCast, we talked with Brian Carter, CXO of Capital Metro, about our partnership! We chat about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected public transportation, our Fitness in the Park series, the Zilker Eagle, the best taco in Austin, and more. Music & transitions provided by Honey Son. Check out his music on Spotify and YouTube! The Austin ParksCast is a production of Austin …

S2E3 Mental Health: Finding Mindfulness and Meaning Through Nature-based Experiences

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In a two-episode series, we’re highlighting the work of individuals that connect people to the healing qualities of nature and the outdoors. Today we’re excited to bring you part one featuring a conversation with Aliya Rose, Jacob Fisher, and Timea Chemez!With incredibly diverse skill sets, these three are regenerative culture and land advocates who offer eco and equine therapeutic experiences …

highlighting our parks programming in 2020

Looking Back, Moving Forward: Highlighting Our Parks Programming in 2020

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2020 was a tough year. As we all spent more time at home than ever before, we also relied on Austin’s outdoor spaces as a much-needed respite. Many things were different, but our mission to improve parks, trails and green spaces across Austin remained that same. Many of Austin Parks Foundation’s programs relied on in-person events and gatherings before March …

People + Parks: Celebrating the History of the Train at Zilker Park

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People + Parks


The Zilker Train has been an Austinite favorite for almost 60 years. Here at Austin Parks Foundation, we couldn’t be more excited to bring a new mini train to Zilker Park in 2021. Don’t forget to participate in the final round of voting to name the new Zilker Train before November 15, 2020! We think it’s important (and fun!) to …